Project Balancing Act

6/366

2012-01-13T14:13:00.001-06:00

January 6th was as warm as January 5th, so we hit the park for the second day in a row and the millionth trip down the twisty slide. It never gets old... apparently.

If you want to follow me on 365Project, though it will be incredibly redundant to these posts (comments are welcome here or there), my link is: http://365project.org/susaneva/365

I have a two year old!

2012-01-13T14:10:00.000-06:00

Let's do some catching up, starting with a photo from James's second birthday! Also known as 5/366 for my 365Project.

Now here's a kid who was ready for some CAKE! Or Caaaaaaaaaaake, as he called it. Or Caaaaaaaaaaake? as he pleaded over and over. Luckily, the cake delivered. You know it is good when he eats the cake part itself, not just the frosting.

We celebrated James's birthday at home. The night before, my husband and I blew up some balloons and taped them to streamers. We snuck over to James's closed bedroom door and taped them up. Our ninja powers are apparently weak. James woke up a couple times during the mission. Luckily, he's not a kid who actually gets out of bed when he wakes up, or questions what the heck his parents are doing hanging around his bedroom door giggling.

The next morning, the balloons were a big hit!

It was a freakishly warm and beautiful day, so we had to hit the park. I can't imagine January 5th will be like this again. James wore his fall jacket! And what a day he had at the park. Our now-2 year old surprised us with an impromptu trip down the "big kid" twisty slide- his first time down that one!

He loved it so much. He wore a path in the wood chips running back to the stairs to go down it again. And again. And again.

Back home, we honored our family tradition of serving the birthday kid's favorite meal for dinner. For James, it was hot dogs. Followed by... caaaaaaaaaake.

After dinner, we cozied up in James's room and gave him his presents from us. I'd picked up a Fisher Price learning clock at a garage sale this summer. It was a well-timed gift for the boy who is suddenly obsessed with clocks.

James also loved his new Plan Toys airport and garage. These are going to have long-term love. He loves it when I grab the airplane and make the airplane flying noises for him. And when we have the cars say beep beep to each other.

James's second birthday will be a treasured memory from beginning to end, filled with "how did we get so lucky" feelings.

What a kid we have. It is amazing how quickly they learn and what they learn. He knows his ABCs and his numbers from one to ten, though in a creative order. He knows the difference between a shower and a rain shower, something that seemed impossible to explain at the time. All stuffed animals will be promptly hugged and kissed. Each and every day is filled with ten thousand blessed moments like that.

And Mama and Daddy are finally catching a big break... his teeth are almost all in. Those molars get extra credit for coming in four at a time!

Happy birthday and many more to my Sweet Baby James, with all the love a parent has to give!

4/366

2012-01-04T17:50:00.000-06:00

Guess who turns two years old tomorrow?

My boy!

I made him a yellow cake with chocolate homemade frosting. But this wasn't just any cake... This was the first successful cake I've baked. My previous attempt (well over a year ago) resulted in late night ugly crying, another trip to the store for ingredients, and... cupcakes. Because one thing I do well is cupcakes.

But now, I think I might grow to like making birthday cakes for my kids, too. I used to think they'd have to be happy with birthday cupcakes for the rest of their lives!

And, I know... it isn't the prettiest thing. I punted on what little decoration I added, lopsidedly. But let me tell you... that cake is going to taste good!

James was my frosting taster (he knows when that mixer turns on, something good is going to happen), and being his birthday tomorrow... I let him have a taste from the cake itself. Don't worry, friends and family who eat my baked goods... this would only happen with items my little family of four would eat. Not anything I'd share with you. And frankly, we're going to hoard this cake.

Later tonight, there will be more birthday preparations, and I'm hoping... a little look back at his first birthday party to share with you.

Hope you've been having a good week!

3/366

2012-01-03T20:33:00.000-06:00

During simply beautiful moments like this, I'm happy my camera is nearby.

2/366

2012-01-02T22:04:00.000-06:00

My husband brought home balloons for us on New Years Eve. I dragged this poor fellow out onto the balcony on this very cold and very windy afternoon. I think that's the fastest shutter speed I've ever had to employ. But, I liked the clouds I saw coming in, and they didn't disappoint!

If you want to follow me on 365Project, though it will be incredibly redundant to these posts (comments are welcome here or there), my link is: http://365project.org/susaneva/365

1/366

2012-01-02T21:59:00.000-06:00

Yup, a new project, already. This is one I've undertaken in the past, but never in an organized way. Let's face it, I usually have a camera either in my hand, or nearby... and a photo a day is not unheard of. But 365project.org was recommended to me, and two days in... I'm liking how it will keep me on task.

I'll go ahead and post my 365Project (bet it bothers them that it is a leap year) here, too. Starting with 1/366:

This was yesterday's. Happy New Year! James is having a happy new year, too, though his was more about running off with his party horn. Luckily, Gracie can't run yet.

If you want to follow me on 365Project, though it will be incredibly redundant to this post (comments are welcome here or there), my link is: http://365project.org/susaneva/365

The holidays are done, parum pum pum pum...

2012-01-02T21:27:00.000-06:00

Guess what my son's favorite holiday song was? Yup, The Little Drummer Boy. Also known as what used to be my least favorite holiday song. But one almost-2 year old belting out Parum Pum Pum Pum in his little boy voice would change anyone's opinion of that song. And it was just one of the many things that made our season very merry and bright.

This little girl certainly lit up our season:

It was Gracie's first Christmas! What better reason for putting her in a gift sack and plopping a Santa hat on her head? She was game!

We had a very merry time this season, ourselves. Here we were on Christmas Eve, celebrating all kinds of blessings.

Including that we got to wake up the next morning to a scene like this:

Makes your heart melt, right? Oh, he so loved the Little People toys I scored at Mom-to-Mom sales, garage sales and through Craigslist.

And this sweet girl opened her first gift from Santa, with some help. (It was My Pal Violet. James has Scout and it is amazing the redesign that happened in one short year. Violet is now bigger, softer and has another "button" on her chest.)

But now, even this beautiful tree is packed away until next year.

And we're all diving into a brand new year, with brand new projects and brand new challenges. After two years straight of being pregnant through New Years, it was peaceful to be just me in this body this time, with my kids sleeping soundly and my husband beside me.

My wish is that 2012 will be kind to us all. Happy New Year to you!

Fab Freddy: Fare thee well.

2012-01-02T13:49:00.000-06:00

Well, like every year, the holidays got the best of me and the blog got the rest of me. Meaning, a little posting drought. But that didn't stop Fab Freddy from posting himself around the condo to keep an eye on us. Here is what he was up to, on the final Twelve Days of Fab Freddy.

So, are you guys Union? We're thinking of organizing.

Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives.

Hand me the gifts and I'll stuff them inside. Don't bother
with that guy- he's got no arms and he's downright catty.

Private eyes... they're watching you, watching you, watching you.

Drop your pants here.

I passed through the seven levels of the candy cane forest,
through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops...

Oh, my, Super Jock. You ARE strong!

I think I'm in love.

Rockettes, eat your heart out.

I thought you guys should meet.

Jump around! Jump around! Jump up, jump up and get down!

It's okay. Lots of people feel down during the holidays.

True story.

And we heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight...

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night. And year.

Fab Freddy: Glutton.

2011-12-16T23:20:00.000-06:00

Not my proudest moment.

Fab Freddy, just needed a hug. Or ten.

Fab Freddy: Sunday drivers.

2011-12-13T08:44:00.000-06:00

I've gotta get to Cleveland!

Fab Freddy... hates traffic.

Fab Freddy: Spa day.

2011-12-10T21:32:00.000-06:00

Will someone turn the steam on?

Fab Freddy ... fabulous takes time.

Fab Freddy: Too much of a good thing is a good thing.

2011-12-10T21:30:00.000-06:00

Seriously, is this an episode of Hoarders?

Fab Freddy, my life's in such a tangle.

Fab Freddy: Being social.

2011-12-08T23:57:00.000-06:00

And they say I'm creepy?!

Fab Freddy, looking for a conversation ender.

All hands on deck to deck the halls.

2011-12-08T22:34:00.000-06:00

I'm a big fan of the fingerpaint handprint projects for kids (okay, they're more for the parents), so I jumped on the chance to "borrow" a fabulous friend's idea (thanks, Kelli!), that may have been seen on pinterest. A handprint wreath! So I got my kids' right hands on deck to help deck the halls around here.

These are the supplies I used:

1 sheet of poster board, green finger paint(s), sponge brush, pencil, small paper
plate, hole punch, cd for tracing, red ribbon. And kid hands. And Mom patience.

And here are the steps.

1. Turn the small plate over, and center it on the posterboard. Trace around it with a very light hand using the pencil- I used a loosely dashed line to keep it even lighter. This becomes your visual guide for placement of the handprints. There's no way I could have maintained a circle shape without it.

2. Set your kiddo up with a bib, or in clothes meant for art projects. Get set up at the table, then put some green fingerpaint in the plate and dip the sponge brush into it. Use the sponge brush to paint the green paint onto the hand of your kiddo. Hold onto that kid's wrist, unless you want everything to be green.

3. Guide the painted hand gingerly to the posterboard. I aimed to get a bit of the palm onto the dashed line. Repeat around the circle. If you're doing this with two kids, leave space between each kiddo #1 handprint, like this:

4. Bib up kiddo #2 (skip if doing this with one child) and repeat step 3, putting the new handprints in between the dried ones (it dries quickly, or maybe I clean up kids slowly, I'm not sure which). I used a different green color, too. And if you're wondering, no, this is not the easiest project to tackle by yourself with two kids. But it can be done, because it was!

5. Clean up the scene, because paint gets everywhere mysteriously.

6. Cut around the outside of the handprints to form the wreath shape. Set a CD or DVD in the center of the handprints and lightly trace it. This is your guide for the inner circle. Cut out the inner circle. Now you've got a wreath happening, for sure.

7. Punch two holes in the wreath for the ribbon hanger and bow.

8. Thread the ribbon through, so the ends come out the front. You'll want enough ribbon in the front to tie a bow, but enough ribbon in a loop in the back to hang it up.

9. Tie the bow- hurray! It's done!

Now hang it up, and enjoy! I'm excited to have this decoration to use every year. I think it looks pretty cute on the inside of the door!

Hope you had a nice Thursday! And good news... tomorrow is Friday! I get to hang out with one of my sisters tomorrow, and help my Mom decorate her tree. Loving this time of year! I hope you are, too.

Fab Freddy: Deep denial.

2011-12-07T20:47:00.000-06:00

I love dogs. I love dogs. I love dogs.

Fab Freddy, every elf for himself.

Fab Freddy: Animal Lover.

2011-12-06T23:09:00.000-06:00

This is not what I signed up for.

Fab Freddy, wishing condos had leash laws.

Fab Freddy: I'm not a toy.

2011-12-05T09:13:00.001-06:00

Wait, this is a WHAT box?

Ring around the Freddy.
Hanging with the teddies.
Toddlers, toddlers, they all fall down.

Fab Freddy: Back to nature.

2011-12-04T22:33:00.001-06:00

Today I learned that I love not camping.
Very much looking forward to not camping tomorrow.

Fab Freddy, friend of the flora.

Jolly old St. Nicholas, bring your scarves this way.

2011-12-04T22:17:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow night, I get to partake in one parenting ritual I've been looking forward to for years (along with the likes of play-doh, legos, paper chains and so many other fun times)... putting goodies in my kids' shoes for St. Nicholas Day.

Not my kids shoes! Image from mattnatrob.blogspot.com

My Mom did this for us growing up, to my utter delight. We'd get goodies like chocolate coins, crayons, coloring books and maybe some stickers. Whatever would fit into our shoes. And my Mom being my Mom, it would look perfect and effortless, with ribbons and tissue paper.

The traditional St. Nicholas Day, by German standards (I'm German by way of my Dad's side), is where St. Nicholas stops by on the night of the 5th, after the kids are asleep. He creeps over and fills a boot for each kid with trinket items, like candy. If the kids have been good, that is. If they've been naughty, well, they get a long stick in their boot... called a Rute. Which is pronounced root-uh (roll that r in that guttural German way). Try that one, it is fun to say. But not fun to receive.

Not fun. From hbs24.de

I don't believe that young kids could really be bad enough to receive a Rute in their boot-uh. Certainly not my kids, at least. So no Rute will be appearing on our doormat. And the shoe sizes of a 5-month old and an almost-2-year old are rather gift size prohibitive, to say the least.

So this year, and possibly next year, I've gone in a bigger gift direction and will just basically bury the shoe beneath them.

One St. Nicholas gift for James (his big one) is being given to him this soon partially because I can't sit on it much longer. No way could I hold this one until Christmas day. I'm too excited to play with it. And though St. Nicholas Day is only two mornings away, I can't hold off on showing it to you, either.

So I present to you a jar of awesome. Also known as, a recycled peanut container shoved full of play scarves.

Funny story about that peanut container. I was going to get all fancy and show you a way to take the label off of it using peanut butter (apropos). Okay, I'll show you that much, at least.

It worked fairly well, so I'll tell you that I soaked the container and scraped the paper off the label. Then dried it and spread the peanut butter on top of the remaining glue. I chose the peanut butter over WD40 because this will be a play thing for the kids, and I had the peanut butter on hand. It broke down the glue well, and some scrubbing got most of the glue off.

Most of it. But I was looking to get it sparkling clean, so I moved on to a light coat of olive oil on top. I let it soak in for a few minutes, then returned to scrape off the remaining glue. This worked brilliantly.

This is also the point at which I screwed up, somewhat knowingly. Ugh. I hand washed the container, to get the oil off of it. Then stupid, stupid, stupidly decided, hey! Let's put some potentially meltable plastic through a very hot dishwasher cycle!

The result is that this once-almost-perfect peanut container cleaned of its label... was now cleaned also of some of its structure. What was once a threaded cap that screwed on was now a misshapen hole with a cap that was just pushed on and pulled off. The front of the container was wavy. Boo.

Oh, sadness, my warped jar. But oh happiness, my Target bar towel.

But I decided that a push on/pull off cap is actually better! And that I could willfully overlook the wavy plastic situation. Partially by covering it up, and partially by seriously lowering my standards and realizing that my kids wouldn't mind a little extra texture.

Now let's talk about what I shoved inside this awesomely warped jar.

I'd been trying to thrift some scarves for James (and Gracie) to play with for months. I was coming up pretty empty, which I blame on Etsy. If you look there, tons of sixties fashion scarves have been listed in the vintage section. And I do confess to breaking down and buying one there for my Halloween gypsy costume.

When one charity thrift store put out the call specifically for fashion scarf donations, I knew an influx would be coming. It was time to step up my stalking efforts. They paid off a couple weeks ago, when I scored three decent scarves for a dollar each. My criteria was: clean and an interesting texture, pattern or color.

But I further confess that I also blew the budget on some ridiculously beautiful hand-dyed silk play scarves from Beneath the Rowan Tree (blarg, they are closed until the new year- so favorite them for the future) on Etsy. I actually bought a play silk made by Sarah's Silks on Amazon (but not sold directly by Sarah's Silks, do not blame them for the following). These are not cheap, but they are nice. I simply wanted a rainbow one. I received and promptly returned? A plain yellow one.

So off to Etsy I ran, where I got to choose my own set of three scarves from lots of choices, including the coveted rainbow. When they arrived from Canada, I was more than a little giddy.

So, so, so, so, SO pretty!

And that is why they will be tucked in their jar and set (not in, but) near James's shoe tomorrow night, for him to discover on Tuesday morning. I cannot wait for him to play with the delicousness of this full collection of Etsy and thrifted scarves:

In the warped, but still usable, Target peanut jar, now adorned with a glued-on cut-out tree from the Beneath the Rowan Tree promo card included with my order.

And did you happen to catch the cameo appearance popping up from the background?

I hope you had a great weekend. Have a great Monday!

Fab Freddy: Making new friends.

2011-12-03T22:11:00.000-06:00

Look, pal, I don't know who sent you. Was it Oogie Boogie? Wipe that smirk off your face. This is MY family, get it? You don't want to end up like this reindeer here. He used to have antlers.

Fab Freddy, Santa's muscle.

Hope you're having a good weekend! More tomorrow- a bit of a migraine today.

Ready, Set... Fab Freddy!

2011-12-02T22:05:00.000-06:00

Yes, The Elf on the Shelf phenomenon has landed here, on a big, glittered reindeer. I present to you Fab Freddy, in his own words!

Hello fab Project Balancing Act readers, I'm Fab Freddy and I'm always at the ready, riding steady. I rode in on my big glittered reindeer yesterday, looking forward to my reveal. Look how eager and earnest I am about the whole thing!

I knew that behind that door lived a festive, glitter-loving family waiting for my fab self and my faithful steed. I had a vision of the small boy lighting up when he saw me, swooping me into his arms and giving me a big hug (Santa let me know that this family does not observe the hands-off-the-Elf rule). I knew the baby girl would give a squeal of joy. I knew I'd fit right in, and get right down to business.

So, what really happened?

The door opened, and there was the small boy with a big grin on his face! Just as I imagined!

I was ready to leap into his arms! But it is a good thing I didn't...

Because my beloved boy ran right past me, shrieking about the hallway. The hallway? Not even a second glance for his new pal Freddy, or my decked out reindeer?

I cast a sad look toward the baby girl, to see if I could catch her eye, instead.

But she was too busy jumping in place. I'd heard about that. Forget taking her out of that thing- she jumps until she falls asleep... probably dreaming about jumping. Not about a little Elf like me.

So I waited for the boy to come back. And waited.

And waited some more. Until finally, along he came! And this time, he was running right toward me, instead of right past me!

Acknowledged at last, but it didn't last long. The boy was off running down the hallway, again. Shouting not about his new friend, but about the hallway again. That must be some hallway I was in. But I was quickly ushered inside, to check out my home until Christmas and to camp out while the boy exhausted himself by annoying his neighbors. I wonder what to tell Santa about that.

I also wonder what to tell Santa about that mess back there.

I unpacked a little, and got comfortable.

Until the boy returned. I was finally able to give him the gift I brought along for him in my fab hobo-chic pack! Santa told me that the boy likes chocolate. We have that in common.

I just hope he keeps that little dog away from me, though. Fake dog fur on my fab outfit would be not be fab.

I think I'm going to like it here, and there is much for me to report to Santa. I'll update you on my fab happenings as I go along. Until then, I'll continue to be Fab Freddy... at the ready!

Fab Freddy has become even more popular (though he hasn't reached hallway mania status) today. James points him out and calls him by name. Between Fab Freddy, getting to have James help decorate the tree with us, getting to watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with James for the first time, and every single first of this holiday season with Gracie... I'm loving it.

Not to put too fine a Pointsettia on it.

2011-12-01T23:59:00.000-06:00

It's December 1st! Hey, how about a little inspired-by-Pinterest ornament how-to? Okay!

This one is super simple, and the only spin I made on the Pinterest version is that mine is... red. But by virtue of it being red, it goes from being a snowflake to a Pointsettia. And that is so much more interesting.

Here are the materials:

(Toilet paper tube, ruler, pen, scissors, glue gun, red paint, paintbrush, glue, red glitter.)

Step 1: Mark off every 0.75 inches on the toilet paper tube.

Step 2: Cut at each mark. You'll have a little excess piece to toss (ahem, recycle), and five pieces to keep.

Step 3: Crimp each piece into a pointed oval, then glue the pieces together along the short edge on one side only.

Step 4: Admire the plain almost-Pointsettia.

Step 5: Paint each "petal" inside and out with red paint. Let it dry.

Meanwhile... (don't worry, I didn't leave her in there.)

Step 6: Look! How pretty. But you're not done.

Step 7: Apply glue to the outside only of each petal.

Step 8: Get your glitter on. Let it dry completely, then shake the excess glitter off well.
TIP: Use an empty snack or cereal box to keep your glitter under control, by cutting a panel off and using it like a little glittering box.
BONUS: You'll have a loose box panel that can be cut into any shape and painted and glittered, too, now.

Step 9: Add a hanger for the ornament with some thread or ribbon. If you want, hot glue a bead or more glitter in the center to cover up any raw middle. I used a red bead, since that's what I had on hand. I wish I had a gold bead on hand, though!

Step 10: Hang that sucker on the tree and admire!

I did this project today. But it isn't the only holiday project I've done so far, so there will be more to come!

Happy first day of December to you!

Two holiday posts in one!

2011-12-01T21:47:00.000-06:00

This is a quick catch-up post, and for that, I apologize. I want to share a Halloween photo or two with you, and damn if Thanksgiving didn't also whiz by. Really, this post is to get to the other side, which is holiday goodness. This will be a double post night, after a post-less month.

So here is the Halloween update. We had a marvelous night, memorable for it being Gracie's first Halloween, and James's first Halloween where he could walk up to a door or two and get his own candy. Gracie was a pumpkin, which fulfilled my desire to ever get to dress a kid up as a pumpkin. I'm trying to work those desires out of my system with my own kids, instead of ever trying to control what happens with any grandkids way down the line.

James, on the other hand, was Captain Kirk. He's James T., and this suited him quite well. I grew up watching the original Star Trek with my Dad, so it was a fun surprise when we got to my parents' house, and James T. Kirk walked up to the door.

I even made him his own Tribble (not pictured). And the trouble with tribbles? Sewing it together might have messed up my sewing machine a bit. My sewing machine is not a fan of faux fur.

For my part, I was a gyspy. Not the Irish Traveller variety (though I do love those Gypsy Wedding shows, and could nail those dance moves, if I had to), but the fortune teller type. I put my costume together the Goodwill way, and it came in under $15. The white shirt, black skirt and head scarf were all new (to me). I had the makeup (naturally), the hip scarf (from my bellydancing days- not kidding) and all that jewelry. I also had a grumpy toddler, for this photo.

Phew. Happy to have shared that. A little less enthused to fess up to this, though... I forgot to take a photo of our pumpkins before the squirrels got to them. And the squirrels got to them, oh, a couple weeks after Halloween. I remembered to snap a photo the next time I was at my parents' house, and here is how they looked. Gracie's first pumpkin was the least tasty, I guess. Luckily.

Now onto Thanksgiving. The point of mentioning this is to get to share two photos with you. First, it is important to know that my husband sometimes dresses up as a Pilgrim for Thanksgiving. Yes, true. This was a Pilgrim year, and James was delighted... by his hat.

Gracie wore what might be my favorite outfit of hers so far. Let me break it down for you... colorful striped tights- her first tights, and they are the best tights ever. A brown (awesome) dress, with (awesome) embroidered flowers on it. A ribbon turkey headband (seriously! Irresistible!)...

And a brown onesie underneath that said, "Mommy's Little Turkey." Which has special meaning to me, for the following reason. When I was a newborn, and I'd cry like newborns do (constantly), my parents would gently pat me and say, "Poor little tikey." My sister, who is only 18 months older than me, couldn't say tikey right, but knew a similar word! So she'd chime in with, "Poor little turkey."

And now I have my own little turkey.

So happy holidays past! And onto holidays yet to come.

Ghostly greetings with handprint ghosts.

2011-10-27T09:55:00.000-05:00

My Mom sent each of the kids a Halloween card with a little gift, so I wanted to reciprocate, but had little time to do it (what else is new). I also try to do a little arts and crafts project with my son a couple of times a week, whether it be drawing with crayons on plain or coloring book paper, or finger painting. I decided to whip up a fast little card for my Mom to kill two birds with one stone.

I think she's going to love receiving those two ghosties in the mail! And I'm pretty charmed by the tiny Gracie ghostie next to the still wee James ghostie.

For the handprint ghosts card, I used black cardstock I had on hand, white Crayola Washable Kids' Paint, a black sharpie (that was running out of ink, ugh), an orange coloring pencil and my kids hands. This is the paint set I pulled from:

I put a blob of the white paint on a paper plate and smudged it around, so it was toddler-hand sized. Then I put James's hand in the paint, and before he could eat it or smear it on the table, I pressed his hand onto the card-sized cardstock. (Then did the same with Gracie.) When the handprints were dry, I drew on the ghost faces with the sharpie, and added the Boo! with the orange colored pencil. I also wrote a note on the back with a white colored pencil.

The finished product was popped directly into an envelope and is on its way to my parents' house.

You still have time to whip one up and get it in the mail, too!

My son had some fun with it, but he is not a big fan of having messy hands. So I had wipes on the ready to get them cleaned off, before he bemoaned his messy hands by wringing them through his hair and dragging them down his face. Not that that's happened before...

Have a good day!

One day closer to Halloween!

2011-10-26T21:46:00.000-05:00

My husband thoughtfully left this note for me on our little messageboard by the door:

One day closer to Halloween! Which means, one day closer to running out of time to share my somewhat meager decorations with you. So I'm hopping to it, starting with my son's handiwork there on the messageboard. Literally, his handiwork. The bat is his handprint from last year cut out of felt. I love having these little things to keep!

But onto the bigger things. Like what is actually on the door.

The skeleton is a hand-me-down from my sister. I gave "him" a happy home. Why him? Well, James points to the skeleton and says, "Grandpa" or sometimes, "Daddy." So the skeleton must be a he. Toddler wisdom.

I have a few Halloween candleholders out, including, of course, a pumpkin spice candle. One of the reasons I'm always eager to get to autumn.

The old metal tree candleholder (with bats hanging from the branches- bats rule!) is from Illuminations. It is corroding on the back (and creeping toward the front), but my husband agrees that the corrosion adds to its Halloween qualities.

And those items are all well and good. But a few things that I'm actually quite proud of are also featured front and center. Like my cheesecloth "ghosts" hanging from the chandelier over our dining table.

I made them over a decade ago, dutifully following Martha Stewart's directions. Which only involved soaking cheesecloth in fabric stiffener (I used Stiffy brand back then... and giggled over that name, just like I'm giggling over it right now...) and draping it over a styrofoam ball set on a glass. While wet, a cut was made and stretched open to create the gaping ghostie mouth. Then they dried, and have continued to hold their shape.

I'm also fond of my big spider that is attacking my big metal Eiffel Tower King Kong style. It's a happy distraction for my son during dinnertime.

My final nod to Halloween comes on our front door. This is my favorite decoration to put up, and it goes up on October 1st each year. I just take my fall wreath and stretch fake cobwebs on it, adding in lots of plastic spiders. So fast and easy, and on November 1st, I just take the cobwebs and spiders off of it.

Okay, and there are some other little touches around, like fake tarantulas lurking around the tissue box in the guest bathroom, and, of course, our pumpkins. Hoping to carve those on Friday! And enjoy pumpkinseeds on Saturday.

I'm trying to enjoy this holiday before moving onto the upcoming ones! But I admit, it is especially hard to do as a designer. Alas, I'm already tackling winter holiday email designs.

But it is still the perfect time to pop up some popcorn and settle in to enjoy the yearly viewing of the best movie EVER!

Tromping through the pumpkin patch... peeking behind the cyclop's eye: Jack, Zero, Sally... even Sandy Claws... I'll be seeing you soon.

Have a good Thursday!

I'm still here.

2011-10-25T17:32:00.000-05:00

That feels good to say!

Like this holdout Purple Coneflower I photographed outside of our condo building this past week, I'm still here. Likewise, I might also feel like I'm drying out on my stem, but that's another story.

It's been a busy time these past few weeks. In my absence from blogging, I've been working hard and continuing to find my footing in my changing reality of freelance feast or famine, and navigating the murky waters of keeping a toddler and increasingly-more-aware infant entertained. And by entertained, I mean reasonably safe. For look away for one moment, and this happens...

On the bright side, James is certainly learning sharing well. And Gracie is learning about having a big brother.

The other risk in looking away is that you might miss this running by:

Ah, kids. To a toddler, anything can be a good hat.

Even as I'm writing this, I've got an influx of new, "urgent" freelance work landing on my plate. It's freelancing feast time. Naturally, there are a million fun projects I'd like to be tackling instead, and frankly will squeeze in. For when it is freelance famine time, I know I will find myself chomping at the bit to flex my creative design muscles again, and my personal projects will get ignored a bit.

That sounds like a "can't win" scenario, but really it is the scenario of someone who really likes what they do professionally and personally.

I've got more to share with you, but I'm publishing this before I become distracted by something like a toddler running by with a laundry bin on his head!

Hope you are having a good week!

Supermom in action this evening!

2011-08-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

You might be able to catch me on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (fess up... he's your favorite, too, right?) tonight, so tune in! James was napping in his room, and Gracie was blessedly also asleep in her swing, allowing the Skype video call to happen. And thank you, NBC- this was fun!

Let me know if you catch it!

Making work... work.

2011-08-24T10:11:00.000-05:00

This one's for all my Supermoms balancing a career and a family.

We know it can be done, because we actually do it. But did you know that we are happier for it? This landmark study by the BBC revealed that working Moms (any time spent being paid for work, inside or out of the home) are actually happier than Moms who are able to elect to stay home. I know this to be true personally, having spent time both as a working Mom and as a stay at home Mom.

And being a Supermom... balancing it all in order to have it all... is for me.

But even Superman has his Kryptonite. And it turns out that a more recent study has revealed that maybe those, like me, with the Supermom mentality are more prone to depression. Sigh. I actually think they have us real Supermoms all wrong. Us Supermoms can be less than perfect and still call ourselves Super. And yes, I am a happy Supermom, problems and all. ...See?

Being a Supermom isn't about pressuring ourselves to be perfect and feeling bad about not getting there. Supermoms are not perfect. Superman isn't perfect, either.

A Supermom is about trying to have it all, this is true. However, that does not mean that we let missteps, success coming slowly, perceived failures or feelings of guilt overwhelm us constantly. It does mean that we forgive ourselves for mistakes (and there will be mistakes), let go of the useless emotion of guilt, tackle what is overwhelming us... and keep going. Supermom in full effect.

And it is particularly important to tackle what is overwhelming us. Feeling overwhelmed is the real Kryptonite for this Supermom, anyway. The traps that tend to ensnare me and leave me feeling overwhelmed are entirely solvable. And here is how I do that:

Trap #1: Not doing some planning.

When I go to bed at night, it turns out that I need to have at least something planned out in advance for the following day. That way I feel like I'm already ahead of the game, and whatever it may be is one less thing to think about in the morning. My go-to pre-planning usually includes what I'm going to wear the next day (even better if I set it out for myself), what my kids are going to wear the next day, and/or what my son is going to have for breakfast.

By contrast, if I don't plan what my son is going to have for breakfast, I start the day on a negative note... staring into the refrigerator desperately and punting with something neither of us are terribly excited about. I confess a Pop Tart has graced the breakfast table more than once.

I also highly recommend meal planning. We meal planned for last week, and it was a relief to not scramble at dinnertime. This week, we have been so bold as to plan for the next two weeks- and made one big grocery shopping trip to get all the ingredients. Goodbye much-resented last-minute trips to the store!

Trap #2: Not having something to look forward to.

When I am in the midst of the tough part of the day (for me while on my maternity leave here, that would be chaos central: lunchtime. Baby Grace hits her major nothing-makes-me-happy fussy time, and James is in a hunger-induced craze... not to mention my own hunger... and let me tell you- there are tears!), it is really easy to feel like there is nothing good going on- and that is never true.

Even if it is something as simple as a little treat you are saving for yourself (and I mean little... mine has been Jawbreakers for a little while now, and used to be a Coke when I got to work), or a bigger weekend activity... don't forget about it when you are facing those tough times.

Trap #3: Not celebrating the successes.

It is really easy for a working Mom to feel like a bad Mom. Sometimes we see only the worst of our kids during the super-condensed time we have with them during the week. The food struggles, the bedtime struggles, the struggles to get them out the door.... they're there. So you'd think that we'd feel super happy when we had a success at home (or at work!). Instead, I, at least, used to let those moments pass me by and focus only on the struggles.

To break myself of this, I used to photograph the happy times. Like the happy time this morning, when the school buses returned and I watched them with my son.

By photographing these moments, there is undeniable proof of my Good Momness- it is there. By now, after those exercises, I know I'm a good Mom, and just take pictures for fun.

And here is my chance to brag on another recent success. James knows his first letter! He can identify the written capital letter A, and say it. That is tremendously exciting to me, and happened late last week. Go James! And me!

Trap #4: Not accepting help.

This is a tough one for a lot of us. Supermoms are certainly do-it-yourselfers. Granted, in lots of cases, there doesn't seem to be anyone to help out. Maybe there isn't a partner and family is far away.

While I'm beyond lucky to have an extremely supportive partner who contributes on every level, I haven't always found it easy to accept help. Now I communicate when there is something to be done (cleaning is cleaning, it isn't a skill only I possess) and talk when I need some emotional support. If you don't have that kind of partner, get online and reach out to other Moms! We're out there, online and talking! And it is helpful to talk.

I also enlist the help of my toddler and he does help, as silly as that sounds. It is good for him to learn helping, and good for me to feel like we are a team. His 20-month self helps unload the dishwasher, closes doors when asked, runs to check on the baby if she is crying (which she loves) and we're working on picking up toys. That last one being the biggest challenge.

Trap #5: Procrastinating.

Procrastinating buys me a boatload of anxiety. I'm all too familiar with this trap. It is much better to tackle the big scaries you might be dealing with, by at least doing something toward completing the big task or solving the big problem. And immediately it will seem less scary and more easily tackled. Send an email, make a task list, open the bill that needs to be paid, put your name and address on the start to a resume... just do something. And the anxiety will dissipate.

Basically, as Supermoms, we have to keep on top of our feelings, and that includes doing what we can to not feel overwhelmed. Let go of guilt, forgive yourself when things don't go perfectly, be kind to yourself... and for goodness sake... if someone asks you what you did today- DO NOT SAY "NOTHING!" You did everything and more. You're not perfect, but you are Super.

So give your kids a hug today, get to work and rock your Supermom self!

Etsy Ever After: My Favorited Things

2011-08-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

My birthday was this past Friday, and to continue celebrating... I'm sharing ten of my (truly random) Etsy favorited items with you. Maybe you'll find something here that you love, too, so you'll buy it and I can stop obsessing and spare myself the expense. Maybe that is my birthday gift to me (and not, um, the Etsy items that I have bought as of late).

1. Billboard Banner Planter

$18.00 plus $3.50 shipping from seller NottyPooch

A graphical punch of color to liven up any space, this planter really is recycled out of a billboard banner. The perfect home for succulents (my favorite kind of plant), it is a one-of-a-kind statement. A.k.a. billboard banner awesomeness!

2. Emerald Green Tweed Hobo

$95.00 with free shipping from seller CrystalynKae

This crossbody-capable medium hobo bag would look great for fall. Though tweed, it is weatherproofed to withstand rain. I'm in love with the rich colors!

3. Vintage McCoy Planter

$22.00 plus $13.00 US shipping from seller BeezusComplex

My love of yellow is going to be apparent in these favorites, and this lovely sunny planter is no exception. Yes, it is a planter, but it could be a wonderful catch-all on an entry table, too.

4. Feather Original Watercolor

$30.00 plus $14.00 US shipping from seller FairySomnia

This small watercolor painting would be right at home framed simply and leaning in a bookcase vignette. It has an academic quality to it, without being stuffy.

5. Little Sunshine Lamp

$45.00 plus $18.00 US shipping from seller FiligreeCreations

Hello, happy little lamp that would bring a bit of sunshine into any interior... It is handmade by wrapping sewing thread around a lampshade with nontoxic glue and just plain joyful.

6. Moby Air Plant Creature

$50.00 plus $12.00 US shipping from seller EarthSeaWarrior

Hands down, one of the coolest air plant planters I've seen yet. It would make me chuckle to have Moby as a desk companion, though I think he could hold his own in serious spaces, too.

7. Geometric Pendant Necklace

$34.00 plus $8.80 US shipping from seller snugstudio

Wouldn't this be perfect with the tweed bag above? It is actually available in three different colors, but the mustard color is my pick. The geometric shape is a nice break from ruffles, flowers and sparkles that have invaded jewelry lately. And by lately, I mean the past five years. Pair this one with a wrap dress in a saturated color like plum, ruby or dark teal.

8. Little Bully Planter

$24.00 plus $9.00 US shipping from seller snapdragontacoma

In addition to yellow, I might have a slight fascination with planters. Something I'm only realizing now. But how could you not want to adopt this guy? Vintage American with tons of character and purpose.

9. Vintage Equipment Case

$32.00 plus $12.00 US shipping from seller lacklusterco

I love a good box. For this one, I'm loving the idea of tucking magazines inside. This fiberboard beauty has been used and abused, but that is what makes it so lovely.

10. Jeweled Bird Crewel Embroidery DIY Kit

$30.00 plus $6.25 US shipping from seller TalkofFibers

This is one of the coolest craft kits around. I love the look of crewel embroidery, and how it is popping up in embroidery hoops as wall art. But this is not a skill I currently possess. This little kit teaches it all, and doesn't have you running around to craft stores for supplies. Makes a great gift idea, so remember this shop around holiday time!

There you have it. Ten of my real personal favorites. It is clear that my style slants toward function and design, with clean lines and bold colors. Yay, me!

...But I had an "interesting" birthday, that required a bit of a do-over, if that sums it up. The day started with a diaper incident, then I was too sick to make it out for a birthday dinner, one of my presents is lost in the mail and my alternate dinner plan ended up in the garbage because (gross!) my deli sandwich had a hair in it (gross, gross, GROSS!). In a bit of birthday luck, I spotted it before taking a bite. A pox on that deli joint, though. Jimmy John's in my area... you've been banned.

My do-over day was better, though. I was feeling a bit better, got to eat cupcakes and enjoyed a fantastic visit from family who babysat for us so we could catch a movie (Captain America). And today I unpacked a birthday gift I can't wait to put to use: a swanky crock pot to replace my much less swanky one that finally stopped working after ten years. I might try the Crock Pot Bread Pudding recipe from this page first.

I hope you had a great weekend!

All photos belong to the sellers. My posts are never sponsored.

Name that tune.

2011-08-02T01:43:00.003-05:00

I should be sleeping right now. James is sleeping. Gracie is sleeping. As a second-time mom, I should know better than to look the opportunity to get any sleep in the face and choose to do something like blog instead.

But here I am. Why? Because I caught a cold that almost had me out cold (yes, a cold in addition to a newborn and a toddler with his own cold AND molars coming in). But I am on the mend. And being able to breathe through my nose is making me too giddy to sleep. And blogging is keeping me off of Etsy...

So let's talk about how James and Gracie got named, instead of sleeping!

James is an easy tale to tell. My husband and I were "team green" with that pregnancy, so we took it upon ourselves to come up with boy and girl names. We independently made a list of each, then swapped lists and commenced vetoing the intolerable ones.

Veto criteria roughly included any names of people in our pasts we didn't like, names of people we'd dated, names of relatives (I will admit that I forgot about my Uncle Jimmy at this step)... and in my case kooky names that I'm glad my husband ended up vetoing. And no, I won't admit to them. But I will hint that some of the boy names had a heavy presidential last name slant. No, not Obama, though it certainly would have been interesting and entertaining (to me) for our son to have the initials O.G.

Then we did some hemming and hawing over the names that withstood the veto process. This was all done in our tiny cabin aboard a cruise ship in Alaska.

Here's the interesting part (finally?). James was spontaneously #1 on both of our lists. That didn't stop us from beating the dead horse on the rest of the possibilities. But it did make it super easy to settle on James!

Which leaves Gracie. I knew my husband loved the name Grace. Really loved it. I wasn't so sure about it back when it showed up on his girl name list on our Alaskan cruise. It wasn't on my list at all. Again my name choices were further out there and I needed saving from them.

But it turns out that I'd been listening to a certain song practically on repeat randomly in the weeks leading up to the anatomy scan. I became a Ben Folds fan when my husband introduced me to Rock This Bitch... something that still makes me laugh. So some of his songs ended up in my elite favorites iPod playlist (named Banana Pancakes, because those, too, are a favorite), and my ever-wise iPod kept choosing this one over and over.

Here is a thoroughly uninteresting video (unless you really like to stare at a static photo of Ben Folds) from YouTube so I can share the thoroughly meaningful Ben Folds song "Gracie" with you.

Walking out of the successful anatomy scan appointment from which we had the confirmation that she was 100% a she (per my doctor, who claims to have a 100% success rate on telling the sex of the baby and offered to pay for any pink baby clothes if she got it wrong), I pretty much declared/suggested that Grace be named Grace. My husband can thank Ben Folds for me folding on that. Or my iPod, maybe. But the song had seeped into my thinking so totally, I couldn't imagine not (nick)naming her Gracie.

Add to that the cuteness of the alliteration of a last name also starting with G. And that she could therefore be Grace, Gracie or Gigi (or all of them), as a result. It was too good to pass up.

"I would never try to make you be anything you didn't really want to be, Gracie Girl."

So, yes, on the blog my Sweet Baby James and my Gracie Girl both have song references as their post labels. And their names really suit them and will stand the test of time, so I consider that a big success.

Gracie Girl will be up shortly for her first feeding of the night. Then maybe I'll finally settle my giddy-to-be-breathing-easily self down for some sleep. Um, maybe after I sneak onto Etsy for a bit...

Happy Tuesday to you! May it be less bleary-eyed for you than it will be for me! (My own fault.) And I hope to be back to more frequent (and maybe less wordy) blogging, now that I'm feeling a little better.

Wednesday's Child is full of Whoa.

2011-07-27T10:57:00.000-05:00

She's here! She's two weeks old now! And she was born like whoa!

But let's back up a bit...

In my last blog post (July 12), I mentioned that I'd been having contractions seven minutes apart and was sure that they'd taper off and be considered false labor. Bwahahahaha. These would be the contractions that prevented me from attending a much-anticipated meetup at a chocolate shop that evening, resulting in a blog post, instead. I couldn't believe I had to miss the glee of chocolate and talking about makeup for what I knew was false labor!

Yes, well... that was completely delusional. Famous last words on the meetup board:

If for some reason I don't show tonight, it's because I'm in labor! lol!

Yeah, "lol" ...not long after publishing my last blog post, my contractions went from one eleven minute pause (causing me to get up and finish dusting a bookshelf... not coincidentally the last item on my "finish before Gracie" mental list) to being three minutes apart, to holy-crap-call-the-doctor two minutes apart. Alarmingly quickly.

I tried dialing the doctor but kept getting the digits wrong, so I finally basically threw the phone at my husband and had him do it. The doctor said to get to the hospital NOW! I was gobsmacked. Never in my mind did I think Gracie would come on her own, or before my due date. I was so sure I'd be induced the following week.

My husband scrambled to arrange for our son to be cared for by my sister and her husband, who blessedly flew to the hospital to meet us and pick him up as fast as possible.

Preparation for James saved our butts. He had a packed bag with detailed answers to any possible care question, along with a list of the bigger items to toss in the car. Meaning, we didn't have to do much thinking at the last minute there. James himself had already been fast asleep for a few hours, but was miraculously unbothered by being yanked from the bed and spirited away in the car for a late night adventure in his pajamas.

Yes, in his footed pajamas... which were the only misstep along the way. I didn't pack shoes for James, because, duh, he'd be wearing shoes. Except ...he wasn't. Something that only occurred to me the next afternoon, when James arrived at our hospital room... in socks. Oops.

It does remind me a little of the story of me (or my sister, not sure) being born. My Dad dropped at least one of my sisters off at a neighbor's house ... with her shoes on the wrong feet. Well, at least she had shoes.

We got to the hospital and I was eventually deposited in the labor and delivery suite. James was even welcomed to hang out with us while we waited for him to be picked up. It has become a vivid memory of James happily running circles in the suite and pointing out his Mama. We got seriously lucky that our teething boy had such an easygoing couple of days.

And here I am, in labor that night:

My night nurse was beyond fabulous. She got me all hooked up to the monitors and IVs, and checked to confirm that I was already almost 4 cm dilated- meaning, they were going to keep me that night for sure. Okay, she did have a little trouble getting that IV in. It is beyond ridiculous, really. I have the most visible and large veins and have never had an issue with blood draws, etc. But she attempted to put the IV into what must be the tiniest vein in my hand, and it wouldn't go in. She finally gave up and put it in my other arm. What can you do, other than just roll with it?

The night passed pretty uneventfully, but those contractions were building, building, building. I was on team epidural, but didn't want it until we could all be reasonably sure it would last through any pushing. Once lab work came through and my doctor gave the remote orders to keep me comfortable and happy (who wouldn't love a doctor like that?), the epidural was ordered.

The anesthesiologist arrived, and he was my other little bit of bad luck. He was new to the hospital, and had no rapport with my beloved Nurse Awesome. He also had a bad habit of asking questions and then not listening to the answer. And finally, he didn't wait the one minute for a contraction to pass, pushing forward with getting the epidural in place regardless.

Okay, not finally. The bad news is, he didn't place the novocain correctly. So I ended up feeling every millimeter of that epidural getting placed. It surprised me, so I jumped a little, which made it worse.

But the good news is, the epidural did go in, and worked like a charm. Whee! Pain free bliss! Contractions happening without my knowledge! Ramping up to full power! We settled in to try to get some sleep.

Hours in, we were both awoken by another patient's literal screaming as she transitioned in labor. Holy scariness. My husband and I both pretended to sleep through it, even as the screams of "help me!" became an outright screaming cuss fest. Whatever that poor lady was going through, I really felt awful for her. And worse, I became re-paranoid that my epidural would not last through transition. Once the screaming quieted, I couldn't take it any more. I knew we were both pretend sleeping. I whispered to my husband, "Um, do you think my epidural will still be working when it is time to push?"

We agreed, that woman's ordeal was very scary to overhear.

But, back to pretend sleeping we went.

We'd all originally thought I'd certainly be delivering overnight, but now it was morning and I was only at 7 cm. The epidural had slowed my progress a bit. Still, it was looking like it would happen that morning. The new nurse shift arrived, and I super lucked out. My new nurse was even better than my awesome night nurse! To help me progress, she laid me on one side for a half hour (literally, I couldn't move my legs at all, so she had to move them for me).

Then she came back and flipped me to the other side. That's about as exciting as things were getting, so my husband decided to visit the gift shop to get some daily newspapers for Gracie. This was around 8:30, and it turns out the gift shop didn't open until 9. My husband was thisclose to waiting out that half hour, and you can guess what would have happened if he did...

Yup, he would have missed his baby girl being born! My doctor had arrived with my husband thankfully on her heels. She checked me before my half hour flipped on my other side was up, and declared it time to push. Just like with James, this was a wonderful surprise. I had no idea that I was ready to bring Gracie into the world.

They got me all set up super fast, and I was pushing. Like, power pushing. Four short and fast (and in quick succession) contractions with "push, push, push, push, okay one more ...and rest!" and to my utter amazement, I saw my daughter being born at 8:57 am (which is the same time, two weeks later, that I'm writing this post) on the most beautiful, sunny, temperate summer day. Whoa!

I exclaimed, "She's cute!" And her cute self was immediately placed on my belly. I got to rub her down and snuggle her, still a little in shock that everything happened so fast. Then hand her off to the nurse so my husband could cut the cord and she could get measured and weighed.

She was pink and beautiful and healthy, coming in at 7 lbs 12 oz (compared to James's 8 lbs 2 oz) and 21.5 inches long (like James). Apgars 9 and 9. And her cry face a total copy of her brother's.

She was handed back to me all bundled up for a bit.

Then my husband finally got to hold his daughter! And off she went with him to the nursery to get cleaned up.

In the meantime, the nurse did compressions on my belly and started pitocin to get my uterus to contract back to size. My catheter was removed, but had to be replaced later for a bit because my epidural was still going strong. I was basically hanging out, feeling like this experience was so different from the delivery of my son (which I'd always thought was so easy and nearly perfect). Because it was...

No tearing this time, and only a small re-cut of a previous episiotomy. Very few stitches that took my doctor only a minute, compared to the 45 minutes of repair needed after James. Only one nurse in attendance, instead of a huge (emergency level) team. I got to actually see my daughter being born, and her brand new self was given straight to me. I'd been virtually the last person to hold my son. And with James, I'd been induced and only felt contractions for a small time. With Gracie, she came on her own and I felt hours worth of contractions. I was excited to get both experiences, knowing that this was my last pregnancy and delivery.

Gracie completes our family.

It took two nurses to get my numb self into the wheelchair (it was a double-wide wheelchair- the only one they could locate. I looked very silly in it) and get me up to my Mom and Baby room. They got me into the bed, and I started to get a little feeling back (starting in my toes, which my husband recommended I start wriggling... I did and the feeling crept back in my shins over the next hour or two). Nurses were in and out- my day nurse was excellent. Blood was drawn, my IV was unhooked (but stayed in my arm until blood results came back the next morning) and we ordered food.

The baby came back and it was a good, serene time. I wasn't in pain, our baby was healthy and it was looking like we wouldn't have to share the room overnight. I was able to get up and about and felt so great! Family came to visit throughout the evening, and our night nurse arrived. She was good, too, so we were feeling lucky (we had simply the worst nurses during recovery with James).

Breastfeeding was going fine, but I knew better than to assume that. I asked for the lactation consultant, and she stopped by with some tips. That, okay, didn't really help. So it is good that things were pretty much working on their own. And, hey, I scored some free soothies out of the deal.

I was hellbent on going home as soon as possible. I wanted my son back home with us, and didn't need any of the hospital services. I wanted my own bed! I told every single nurse and patient tech that we wanted to go home the next day. Illinois law requires the baby to be monitored for 24 hours, so we'd be free to start that process after 9 am.

Come 9 am the next day, we made a list of what needed to be done before we could leave. Yes, you have to be proactive, if you want to get out of there so fast. These tasks included: getting my IV removed, getting Gracie's jaundice, PKU and hearing tests done (all done by separate people), submitting the birth certificate forms, getting Gracie's hospital photos taken, and having the on-staff pediatrician examine and discharge the baby. And the midwife from my doctor's office also had to come by to examine me to clear me for discharge.

We rocketed through these tasks, with my husband going out into the hall to request the next task be completed every five minutes or so. By 9 am, we were almost through our list! Things were looking great for getting out on time. This would not have happened without my husband.

The nursing shift changed, and I got stuck with an incompetent nurse who seriously slowed us down. Oh, Barb... you are not going to like what I'm going to report about you on the post-delivery review form! After she wasted even more time telling me things I already knew (and had demonstrated my knowledge), I snapped at her a little. I swear, only a little. And we never saw her again. She pawned her (awesome! We loved her!) patient care tech on us to complete our discharge tasks.

We also got a roommate that morning, and it was highly entertaining to overhear her pondering who the father of the baby is. And it was seriously sweet hearing her coo to her newborn son. So I set down my book, laid back and listened to pass the time, to be honest. Still, I was very impatient to go home.

When I was finally delivered out into the sunshine, we were off to pick up James and head home as a new family of four. Feeling so, so lucky!

The hospital photographer had been very sweet, and captured a good series of Gracie with us as a newborn. Here I am with her:

And here she is, looking so much like a newborn James:

In two short weeks, she has already changed so much. Here she is at two weeks old now:

I'm so happy I got to share this news, (thank you for indulging my documenting all of this) and that I got to take a couple of weeks to enjoy this new baby and our expanded family.

And in other good news... no more weekly belly pics! Well, okay... one more. I am pretty excited that this one worked out. Got that last belly pic shot (with the balloon) in the nick of time.

Happy Wednesday to you! As the poem goes, Tuesday's child is full of grace (that would be James, ha ha), and Wednesdays child is full of ~~woe~~ whoa. My girl was born like whoa and that might just be how she lives her life!

Yes, frames would have been simpler.

2011-07-12T20:55:00.000-05:00

Here is my second post of the day, in an effort to wrap up updating you on my little shared kids room project... with high hopes that I'll be here to show you the final product tomorrow! Why only high hopes? Because I'm also timing some contractions while I write this. Luckily, they're averaging seven minutes apart, not the call-the-doctor five minutes apart. I would like them to taper off any time now, though. Not looking for a midnight run to the hospital here!

But onto this final little project. In the spirit of using what I have on hand, instead of buying new things and ignoring what I have on hand... I wanted to use the four Crate and Barrel green bulletin boards I'd received for my birthday almost a year ago (yup, they're no longer carried, I waited so long) in the kids' room. They were always intended for James's room, but I hadn't figured out a way to work them into what had been a finished room.

When the toddler bed went in, it was evident that something needed to go above it. It is the wall that can be seen from the hallway, and the bare spot there really stood out. Here's a (dim, sorry) photo of the bare wall, pre-bulletin boards (and other changes):

Up went the four bulletin boards. I love the extra dose of green in there.

The next step was to get or make some artwork to sit in each frame. I wanted a cohesive, non-messy look. I also wanted something fun (hello- room for kids!), and something to tie everything planned for the room together.

The site that actually came through for me was Heartsy, the site much like Groupon, but for Etsy. I saw a fine art photographer's work on there, and snapped up the deal. My order from bomobob on Etsy was made with a quickness, and within a week or two, my photos arrived. This is the variety of 5x7s I ordered:

The perfect finishing touch for the room. Great colors to tie in the quilts, wall color, and multitude of other accents, and a great subject matter. Just plain fun.

So I had the photos and I had the bulletin boards. The photos looked too small all alone on the boards, so mats were required. But I didn't want plain or plain colored mats. So I turned to mod podge and an old dictionary my husband had rescued out of his classroom's recycling bin, to dress up some cheap white mats.

Let me tell you to whom this dictionary was presented: Poop Head. I love this page!

I wanted two mats from the J (for James) section and two mats from the G (for Grace) sections. Little illustrations or particularly good words were attractive.

So I set to work making each arrangement. Each got mod podged in place on the fronts. For each mat window, I cut a large X from corner to corner, and folded each part of the X back, mod podging it to the back of the frame. I also mod podged the edges down, in a similar way.

Here is a completed mat.

A piece of transparency film then got acid-free taped to the back of each mat, and the photos were then taped behind this.

But now I needed to get this configuration onto each bulletin board. After lots of consideration (I was close to using velcro), I went with simple silver pushpins. These are high up enough to not be a hazard to James. I made a little placement template (gotta have consistency!) using a piece of paper to use on each.

And here is the final product, up on the wall (with a ribbon mobile hanging in front... this is a very updated image, unlike the others). I wish I had a clearer shot for you, but James is asleep right now... no access to the room to re-shoot these.

Way to complicate things, though, right? Frames would have been so much easier, and cheap. They could have been painted that lovely green. I could have still incorporated some variation on a mat. But, I'm happy to be using the bulletin boards. They are a nice presence in the room.

That's the final little project I have to share with you for the room! I'm excited to show the completed room tomorrow, and then move onto the various other projects I've crammed in pre-Gracie.

Have a good Tuesday, and hope to see you back here tomorrow! (But, yes, the contractions are still there, seven minutes apart.)

Fun on top of fun.

2011-07-12T13:12:00.002-05:00

You know what's fun to a toddler?

...Having a nice metal grate at their disposal to pound on and run toys up and down. Not the worst thing in the world, but the location of said grate is. Right where my son's toddler bed is located in the re-arranged shared kids' room. Meaning easy, leisurely access and potential to delay naps and goodnights. Plus, I needed to cover up that grate, because it was really grating on my nerves!

The grate is an access panel to some of our utilities, so it needed to stay accessible. First, I was going to simply cover it by taping up a page from a National Geographic calendar (my son is getting into naming animals, and the photos were nice enough). But everything else had a more permanent feel to it, so that made it look like a sad effort.

Recently I hit our local Ikea and took a look at their kids' section. It is a fun place to wander through (on a non-busy weekday), though I rarely come away with anything. That day, I did come away with an impulse buy that proved to be the answer to the grate issue. These Kusiner Wall Pockets, for only $3.99:

I finally got around to giving hanging them up a stab. I chose screws for stability (since they would be tested by a toddler boy) and angled out the end loops, so the pockets couldn't simply be pulled off the wall. Here they are screwed in over the grate:

...But I hated the look of the bare screws. So I decided to hot glue some blue felt circles over each screw, to hide them. What did I use as my circle template? A Tums, naturally. What many pregnant women have at arm's reach! Here are the circles hot glued over the screws. Much better.

And finally, here are the wall pockets in use. Two of the pockets will go empty, due to the toddler bed's rail location. But the other four can hold lots of toddler treasures, like stuffed friends, small books and a favorite of James's: a little family photo album.

James seems to prefer these pockets to the fun of the metal grate, even in all of its noisy glory. James, like most toddlers, likes to take things out and put them away. Over and over and over. As he does, with these pockets. I change up the contents sometimes, so new discoveries commonly await him. A big hit.

And I like the lack of grate-pounding noise, and that the pockets can be lifted for access to the utilities beneath the grate.

This was one of the last little projects that is leading up to me being able to share the completed room. I was actually going to post this yesterday, but the pregnancy has finally become uncomfortable for me, and I needed to rest, instead.

I'll probably post the other remaining project today, and will try to do a reveal tomorrow! Meaning- yes! It is done, in time for Grace's arrival. Which will happen any time now!

I'm not a quilter...

2011-07-10T16:55:00.005-05:00

... I just crush (on them) a lot. And putting together a to-be-shared bedroom for two kids of different genders was the perfect excuse to indulge in the total luxury of two one-of-a-kind, handmade quilts to complete the room and make it work into the future.

Naturally, I headed to Etsy in my quilt pursuit and combed through all of the selections. I narrowed the favorites down to what I deemed was the best option. Which was an artisan who demonstrated tremendous skill, a mind-boggling eye for putting together tons of different fabrics and, most importantly, the willingness to work on my project.

The wonder-quilter ended up being Andrea, from RoseTreeOriginals on Etsy (and Facebook). And my experience couldn't have been better. (And no, this is not some sponsored post.)

So what was my project? I requested two full-size (for room to grow) quilts that were gender neutral and also went together... but were not replicas of each other. I am not trying to do matchy-matchy for my kids' room! I also provided an inspiration pic of curtains from Anthropologie to give a flavor of where the room was headed (which is in a vintage and modern and eclectic and colorful direction).

Basically, I wanted two handmade quilts that one might see in Anthropologie.

A deposit was made for materials, then Andrea went to work. Here are the final results. This quilt is for James:

Here is a detail shot. Because the full-quilt shot doesn't really do it justice.

And this quilt is for Gracie. You can see a bit of a summer girl influence here, versus the winter boy influence above:

A detail of Gracie's quilt:

They each included a personal note from Andrea (and this also shows that each back was also very beautifully detailed, and of matching fabrics):

Here's a look at the full back:

I am just wild for these quilts! They are exactly what I wanted, and so much more. These are great heirlooms for my kids. I know the quilts will comfort them when they are sick, thrill them when they are used in blanket forts and keep them warm at night. I don't get sentimental over much, but these quilts bring out the sentimental side of me. The kids can keep them forever, and if they don't, well, Mama is happy to keep them herself, ha ha.

Here is a happy James, sitting on top of both quilts shortly after I received them.

You know, I can do a lot of things. Many of them crafty. Lots of them artistic. But I know my limits, and this project had to go to a pro. I wouldn't have been able to put the multitude of different fabrics together, or come up with the pattern, or the fabric for the matching borders, or do any of the technical work to actually produce them.

If you are looking for a custom quilt and would be in-over-your-head trying to make one on your own, then proceed directly to RoseTreeOriginals! And check out Andrea's blog, too. Thank you, Andrea, for two gorgeous quilts and all of your talent! I am in love with the quilts, and can't stop looking at all of the different fabrics you put together. Amazing!

To the thrifter go the spoils.

2011-07-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

James and I set out for three thrift stores this morning, to take part in the i <3 thrifting party going on today, hosted by Mr. Goodwill Hunting. We hit up our local Goodwill (naturally), and two different shelters that support homeless shelters for women.

I really do love thrifting, and it is best done early in the day (before it gets really busy). At Goodwill, they were still putting new merchandise out. I organized our morning so I hit each store as they opened, since they each opened an hour after each other.

Here I am afterward, with my favorite finds. I would have sported an i <3 thrifting t-shirt, but there is no way I'd get one over the baby belly.

And here's a look at the spoils of our morning:

All for James: books (50 cents each), Lincoln Logs ($6), Bath ABCs Toys ($1.30).

For James and Grace as a dress-up chest: Lidded Basket ($12).

For Me! Pear Wood Bowl ($1), Wood Plant Stand ($2), Green Vase ($4), Striped Scarf ($2).

I spent under $30 for everything. The scarf was the best deal, but only because I love it so much. Only $2! I spotted it in a cabinet being used as a prop beneath some jewelry. And I'll use the green vase to hold our dishwashing pacs, which we've had to relocate to the counter because James can get the packaging open.

New items are donated and put out all the time. So get out there and thrift! It is fun, socially supportive and can save you big (if you have specific needs in mind).

Did you end up thrifting today? If you blogged it, let me know in a comment and I'll check it out!

Will you be thrifting along?

2011-07-08T21:08:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning, James and I will strike out for our (okay, my) favorite thrift stores (Goodwill and two smaller charity-based resale shops) to join in on the first-ever i <3 thrifting party, hosted by Mr. Goodwill Hunting, aka Rashon Carraway.

Here's a link to the details. But it's really quite simple. Get together with friends or soon-to-be friends (or strike out alone or with your toddler, if you're me!) and hit the thrift stores to show them some love. We're all invited to the party.

I'm going to attempt to start to build an imaginative play box for James (and Grace). So I'll be on the hunt for things like hats, scarves and accessories. I know I haven't seen much of these around, but who knows. We might get lucky.

I didn't try to hook up with any local i <3 thrifting groups, because I didn't know what my pregnancy status would be. But, hurray- I'm still here and ready to go on the hunt.

I hope you get out there, too!

38 weeks.

2011-07-08T14:53:00.000-05:00

The countdown to Gracie is really on (I'm under 10 days until my estimated due date today), though my latest OB appointment confirmed my suspicion... No progress! Which is just fine by me, since my OB is out of town this week, and I'm not really looking to have Gracie early. Everything else is also going well. My weekly non-stress test showed a great heart rate and good movement on the baby's part.

And I'm banging out last minute projects left and right. Yes, the Rock n' Play is up here and ready for Gracie. And the hospital bag is packed! I just have some big cleaning projects I'd really like to tackle... and some freelance work... and then maybe I'll relax a bit finally.

Otherwise, we're just waiting for some progress to be made. Next check-up is Wednesday, then it is on to my due date and the eventual decision-making 40 week OB appointment.

But while I'm still in my 38th week, here is a look at how big my belly is getting. And how the baby has dropped!

What I'm wearing:

Old Navy Maternity Dress

(Old) Merona Leather Flip Flops

...A super-easy outfit for another hot day.

Have a good weekend!

Fix-It Friday

2011-07-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

After a long break, I decided to whip up a little Fix-It Friday image retouching again. This is a weekly event hosted by I Heart Faces, in which we can all access the same "problem" photo and "fix" it to our tastes. My tastes, as you've seen before, run clean and natural. With a black and white version from time to time. Without further ado, here is this week's fix!

Original image:

Improved image:

Steps:

1. In Photoshop CS4, go to the Adjustments Palette and apply a Photo Filter. I used a Warming Filter (LBA) at 13%, preserving luminosity.

2. Again in the Adjustments Palette, apply Levels. This is where we get the model to pop out of the background, and fix how he is underexposed (I did not do this through an Exposure filter, because the background was already blown out). The settings I used for the Levels are, from left to right: 11 (black), 1.53 (grey), 241 (white). Now he pops off.

3. Duplicate your background layer. You'll be playing around with burning in areas of the image, so you want to preserve an original version to default back to, if needed!

4. In the Tools bar, choose the Burn Tool (it looks like a hand making a circle, which is how we old schooler darkroom devotees used to burn in film print areas). Using a BIG diameter (since you get to work on a lovely, BIG original image) brush, for example 400 pixels, set at 100% exposure, go in and burn the background in a bit. I burn at 100% for the sake of being able to see the full impact. Then I....

5. Change the opacity of the burned layer (sitting on top of the original) to scale back the burning to a desired level. The goal is to keep the model popping from the background, but also keep the background from being too weak. I also like how burning in brings out the rusted siding.

6. That's the final product, but to save it for web... image size down to 72 dpi. Then apply an Unsharp Mask filter and Save for Web as a high quality JPEG. That's it! A fast improvement.

And here is a Black and White version:

Steps:

1. Starting with your improved color version, flatten the image (and save it under a different name).

2. In the Adjustments Palette, apply a Gradient Map using white to black.

3. In the Adjustments Palette, apply Levels. This is where you fix any muddiness that might be showing up. The model popping is especially important in black and white. My settings are as follows, from left to right: 14 (black), 1.36 (grey), 244 (white).

4. That's it. To save it for web... image size down to 72 dpi. Then apply an Unsharp Mask filter and Save for Web as a high quality JPEG. Done!

I didn't crop the image, because it was already following the rule of thirds quite nicely.

Happy Friday to you! Weekly belly pic coming later. I just need to drag myself off this couch to get dressed first...

Yarning about a wreath.

2011-07-07T19:51:00.000-05:00

I started this project yesterday and finished it early today, in a fever over realizing I had a place for it. Still, I am late in jumping on the yarn wreath trend... a trend that hit the blog world like wildfire over a year ago.

My utter delay in even attempting one stemmed from the belief that they are hard to keep clean (which will prove true, though I will lint roll mine periodically) and that I had nowhere to put one. Until yesterday.

For the space I'd identified, I needed a small wreath. I went with an 8-inch form from Joann's (to save you the trouble, neither Hobby Lobby nor Dollar Tree had the correct type). I also had to buy the yarn, but I had all the other supplies on hand. From other projects I never completed, honestly.

Here are the simple (but time-consuming, in Step 1's case...) steps.

1. Hot glue a bit of yarn down on the wreath form.

Then wrap the yarn around and around and around and around... for a very long time, pulling it snug after each addition. You want full yarn coverage.

(I added a second layer of hot pink as an accent- this is where you can personalize as much or as little as you want!)

2. To make a large Zinnia-type flower to add, cut a 1.5 by 12 inch strip of felt. Again, this is for a large flower- size everything down by experimenting, if you want different sizes.

Cut into the felt strip to make a fringe.

Cut out a 1.75 inch (conveniently- the diameter of a Target spice bottle) circle of felt.

Hot glue the fringe to the circle in a spiral.

Finished flower! I experimented with yellow, because I knew I wouldn't need my yellow felt to go against yellow yarn. It ended up being overwhelming in size for my little 8-inch wreath, so this was a good idea.

3. Make more flowers of varying sizes. And some leaves.

I'd done some experimenting with flower size and color, so now I unintentionally have some extra flowers for possible headbands for Gracie...

4. Add some beads to the chosen flowers by threading a needle and sewing beads to the center of each flower in a cluster. Also sew in a vein for each leaf.

5. Figure out the rough placement for the flowers (which I skipped ahead to before beading them).

Then hot glue the arrangement down, starting with the bottom-most pieces. For me, it went leaves, then pink flower, then blue flower, then orange flower. I also threaded a piece of pink yarn on the back for a hanger. Here's the final product:

And here is where I hung up my little wreath contribution for Gracie. It is on the side of the second dresser in the kids' room... which will be Gracie's dresser. The wreath is visible from within the crib, and can be seen when entering the room. It's another way I'm balancing the masculine and the feminine aspects of the gender neutral shared room.

So, I was late to join in on this trend. And to add to that, a confession: the yarn wrapping went a little rocky, at first. I'd gotten the incorrect idea in my head that my huge ball of yellow yarn was too large to pass through the hole in my small wreath. So I "brilliantly" transferred a section off onto my hand, and gaily passed that small ball through the wreath over and over... until it was a tangled mess. Which I gamely tried to untangle time and again.

This wasted tons of time. I finally gave it, cut the tangled mess off and glued down the end. I started again with, whatdoyouknow, the big ball that I'd thought wouldn't pass through. And it easily did. Doh.

All's well that ends well. Happy Thursday!

Happy Independence Day, America the Beautiful!

2011-07-04T14:46:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July, from James and I!

You're the emblem of the land I love. The home of the free and the brave.

We had a great time at our town's Independence Day Parade... especially James. He was thrilled to pieces to see fire truck after fire truck (we happen to have many stations in our larger town), police on motorcycles, marching bands and even a jazz band on a float.

For my part, I was happy to see the local food pantry collecting donations as it went along, and a decorated truck from a favorite resale shop in town. And I was happy none of us melted in the insane heat. Though James came close.

Last night, after James was fast asleep... we snuck out onto our balcony and enjoyed a temperate night listening to fireworks explode all around us.

Today is for grilling shish kebabs for the first time and just spending time together. In other words, doing exactly what we want! Celebrating the freedoms many fought for and are continuing to defend on our behalf every day.

I hope you have the day off and get to spend it however you like! Happy Independence Day, United States of America!

37 weeks.

2011-07-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

It's here, it's finally here!

What thankfully isn't already here (or who, rather)... is Gracie. My hope that she makes it to 40 weeks still stands. And she is still awfully active, giving no indication of slowing down soon. Which might mean I'll get my wish!

I've been busy getting our place mucked out in anticipation of Gracie's eventual arrival, when I know I will no longer be interested in such tedium as cleaning out drawers, dusting shelves, wiping down cabinet fronts, and the like. But the cleaning is immensely gratifying, especially the baseboards. One little wipe of their dusty selves and they gleam! Yes, this is some kind of nesting crazy.

Along with the nesting, in comes the serious summer heat. Reflected in my outfit for this week's snapshot.

I'm wearing:

An Old Navy stripey maternity tank over a white Pea in the Pod tank.

An Old Navy maternity jean skirt.

Merona mustard-color sandals from last year.

I used my camera remote to snap this, and my son was a little disturbed at the camera firing seemingly on its own. He came by for a shot or two to take a good hard look at the situation.

That's pretty much his fake smile, by the way. At 18 months (Tuesday), he already has the fake smile mastered, probably because my camera is usually out and he wants to humor me. Oh, and I just noticed he is carrying around one of my lipglosses that he frequently raids from the bathroom cabinets. Ha!

Being full term is really great, but it being July is even better. It is like a finishing line that I'm crossing, because no matter what... Gracie will be born this month!

And as I'm writing this, I can hear near and far neighbors shooting off their own fireworks, which means it must be the 4th of July weekend. Sorry dogs who are most assuredly hiding under beds out there.

We hit the local parade (photos forthcoming) and have a couple of barbeques in our future. So far, a really great weekend.

Have a great weekend, yourself!

Happy flowers for Gracie.

2011-06-25T17:08:00.000-05:00

My Mom has a major green thumb.... something I don't think I inherited. Yet, she has still entrusted me with watering her plants in the past, including her gorgeous orchids. I have a favorite among her orchid kin, just by its name alone: Happy Girl, per its tag.

from Flickr

I think that is simply the best name ever for a flower. And while the flowers we just planted do not have any such cool names, they are inspired by that orchid's name. And meant to welcome home our baby girl, if they can stick around that long (despite my lack of a green thumb- luckily my husband is a bit more gifted in that area). I'm loving having a summer baby (soon) to inspire our balcony plantings this year!

Before tackling the planting, we'd already made one change from last year. We went from two motion armchairs (which I sold on Craigslist) to one bench that doesn't move at all. And not moving at all is the whole point, after fighting those chairs for two years now. They really like to tip over in the strong wind that tends to hit our top floor balcony. I'd set pavers on the base of each to keep them upright, and that had worked. But it turns out that pavers attract toddler feet like nothing else, and James was tripping on them every day.

Bye bye chairs, bye bye pavers... hello bench!

Bench purchased at World Market (cushion from Home Depot).

That is not the original cushion. The original cushion was much cushier. And I got the brilliant idea to lovingly ScotchGard it, which may have led to its demise. It held water after a rain. As in, days later you could tip it, and out would pour gross and probably unsafe water. So out went that cushion, and in came this chair cushion from Home Depot that I punted with... not ideal, but it does not retain water!

And I'd impulse bought this handpainted pig (this is a style I love, but can't reasonably incorporate inside. No such excuse outside!) from TJ Maxx a couple of weeks ago. James likes to pat it:

With the bench and pig in place, it was time to tackle our planters, which we did today! On what was a beautiful, sunny day that has now suddenly turned overcast. Good thing we didn't dawdle.

We are lucky enough to live about a block from a nursery that has beautiful flowers at reasonable prices. Hurray for supporting local businesses! That's where the best of our flowers came from, though a few others snuck in from the Home Depot in town.

Here's our blue pottery planter, bursting with Zinnias:

And our two copper planters:

And, bonus- we had enough flowers and soil (after, um, an unplanned second soil run) to fill some smaller planters that were called up to duty from our storage area. Like this one:

Here is a look at how the main corner came together (the opposite corner houses our not-exciting, but much-loved grill):

Our balcony is happy now, indeed. And ready to welcome home a happy (we can hope) baby girl in the next few weeks.

With that happy thought, I'll leave you with some flower photography from today. I stopped being lazy for a minute and got out my nifty fifty lens for the occasion.

Happy flowers! Enjoy!

A little spot for little kid art.

2011-06-24T14:34:00.000-05:00

I think I partially decided to have kids just so we could play with finger paints, crayons, chalk and playdoh together (and legos, but that's another story). But having a sweet little boy who loves to do creative play made me realize that art... piles up.

There are a few known solutions:

- Enjoy the art for a little while (on your fridge, if you don't have non-magnetic stainless steel like us), then recycle it.

- Photograph the artwork to compile it into a book someday, or shrink it to thumbnails and make it into a poster like this:

from OhDeeDoh

- Throw the art in a binder or box, to present to your grown up kid.

- Make a kids art gallery and frame that art!

My solution fell somewhere between enjoying the art for a little while and framing the art. How? This style of art storage frame:

from Target (yes- available in stores!)

One piece of art gets shown matted in front, with up to 50 other pages of art being stored behind it. Genius!

To complicate things, though, I only had one small wall space to place such a frame, and I wanted one for each kid. The Target frame was too big, so I had to order 8.5" x 11" similar frames from Amazon (naturally, for more money. Sigh.) They are no longer available on Amazon, so I won't bother to link you. You probably have more wall space available than this, anyway:

And you're probably saying... what wall space? Well, that little spot between the light outlet and the bookcase. Just enough space for two 8.5" x 11" frames. Really.

Here is one of the frames opened up, ready to be filled:

The extra artwork gets stored behind the solid white. I quickly filled both frames with some of James's finger painting artwork (one frame will belong to Grace when she's of art-making age) and hung them up:

And here is a look at the original spot, with the frames hung up:

It is really fun to have a revolving gallery of James's art up on the walls, in a non-cluttery way. The frames are easy to take down, fill up and re-hang. And now that spot looks very finished.

But I can't let you go without showing you some of James's very latest artwork, since these photos were actually taken quite a while ago (I have a back log of blog posts to get on here...). He's progressed to gluing cut out paper onto construction paper, and the collage of cats just totally cracks me up. The kid likes cats!

The artist is waking up from his nap, so that's all for today.

Happy Friday! Hope you have a great weekend lined up!

36 weeks.

2011-06-23T21:20:00.000-05:00

I had a OB appointment this week, and it was a little eventful. My weekly non-stress test revealed that I'm having contractions that I can't feel. This resulted in a cervix check that revealed that I am not dilated at all (phew). But I was then asked when I had James (it was 40w5d).

...Despite having had James past my estimated due date and not showing any dilation, my doctor seems to think I'll be delivering Gracie early.

I have to say, I wasn't so convinced. Until my doctor dropped her news on me: she is on vacation the first week of July. I'll be 38 weeks then, and yes... this may be tempting fate too strongly. We'll see, and I'll just deal with it if a different doctor ends up being the one to deliver Grace.

I also had a routine ultrasound that showed my fluid level to be borderline. Booooooo. If this doesn't improve in a week, I'll be facing an induction. So I now have to drink even more water everyday to try to get those fluid levels back up. Which means, if you need me, you can probably find me in the bathroom.

We did get another printout of Gracie's face (with fingers on her forehead). All my previous claims that Grace looks different from James are officially being rescinded. Take a look:

Until I go into labor, I will continue to stuff myself into clothes that are barely accommodating me. The number of shirts that are still working is dwindling. Here I am this week in this shirt's last wearing- it no longer really covers the belly:

I'm wearing:
Patterned shirt that I swear is making my belly appear larger than it is, from Old Navy.
White tank top from A Pea in the Pod.
Old Navy low-rise maternity jeans. Probably time for the full-panel style, if I had them!
Merona sandals from Target.

I've made a little headway on packing the bag for the hospital. I've at least listed out the intended contents and begun piling them on top.

One of these days, those items will end up in the bag. And James's blue bag will also be packed for his stay with whichever family can keep him on the necessary day. Okay, and busted- that's the Rock n' Play still unpacked there, too.

This weekend, we're committed to buckling down and getting ourselves ready for Grace. Installing the carseat bases, washing the swing and packing those bags. We'd also like to finally get some flowers in the planters outside (we need soil and flowers, so... everything).

Getting those planters ready brings me to... I had a little scare this afternoon. I frankly overdid it by buying two super heavy bags of rocks from Home Depot (so we have rocks, but no soil or flowers for the planters...) and loading them into my cart and then into my car by myself. Stupid pregnant woman move. When getting out at my next stop, I noticed my thigh was wet and there was a wet area on the car seat.

I couldn't tell where the moisture came from- was it my water bottle I'd been dutifully drinking from... or me? Eeek. I decided to do a "wait and see" approach, meaning continue on with my day and see if there is any more potential leakage.

There hasn't been. So we may all assume my water bottle is the culprit, even though deep down I can't be sure. I will no longer be setting my water bottle between my legs when driving, I can tell you that much. It will stay in the drink holder.

Happy Thursday!

A Day for Dads.

2011-06-19T22:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

Today belonged to my husband (a serious WonderDad) for us, because my own Dad happened to be out of town for the day. But he's not far from my thoughts. Here's a small old pic of a wee me and my Dad snoozing together. My Dad is a master snoozer, and this photo is worth sharing for the couch alone:

I got very lucky in the Dad department (kind, generous, genius, very family oriented), and so did James. So how did my husband want to spend his day? In a typical WonderDad way.... doing things for his family.

All I could really get him to give in to was at least sleeping in, so my day started with the usual 6:30 am James wake-up call (he graciously turns on his own mobile to keep himself entertained while I drag myself out of bed slowly).

James and I had a good morning going over colors in his books (his latest interest), creating a crayon masterpiece on a card for Daddy and generally waiting for Daddy to wake up. Once he did, they had a little time to play together before I whisked James off to Target to give Daddy the next best thing to sleeping in: a little time alone in our place. (Which, as an aside, he spent cleaning the kitchen, not even relaxing.)

I opened our door and out James flew into the hallway. As a true testament to how much James adores his Daddy, he positively panicked when he realized Daddy wasn't coming with us, flew back and pounded on our door to be let back in. This is a boy who lives for going outside. We have to force him to go back inside, but here he was begging to be back inside with Daddy. I picked his brokenhearted self up and dragged us off to do some weepy grocery shopping.

We shopped for supplies for the main request of the day: my husband wanted to grill us dinner. That was his for real Father's Day request. Here is James stuck like glue on Daddy's leg while he gets the grill ready:

And here are James (teething, not his usual happy self) and his Daddy, with James showing off the gift he picked out for Father's Day (what my husband wanted... good job, James!):

And here is another example of how deep the father/son bond goes. My husband would coat the world in barbeque sauce if he could. James, it seems, has found the same passion:

I can't say enough how James (and Gracie) lucked out in the Dad department, like I did. In the patience, love and silliness departments, my husband is the best.

And he puts us first. So a big, grateful thank you to him tonight.

And Happy Father's Day to you!

35 weeks.

2011-06-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

Even better than being 35 weeks... today, I'm exactly one month away from Gracie's July 17th estimated due date! We're getting very excited to have her join our family. She hasn't slowed down at all, even though she's kind of running out of room:

That belly feels as big as it looks, too. I stuffed myself into:

Old Navy navy (photographing black in my corner with poor lighting) t-shirt.
Old non-maternity low-rise capris from Kohl's... which will only work until Gracie drops.
Target sandals from last year.

With one month to go, I have a few little tasks to address. Like packing this bag for the hopefully-brief hospital stay:

And setting up this bassinet-alternative next to the bed:

But all I really want to do is crawl back in here and sleep until this cold goes away:

My husband has been getting up early with James all week, giving me extra time to try and kick this coughing. Very, very nice of him- even while he's not feeling so great, himself. And I've even been taking naps, even though I am so not a napper by nature.

But no feeling bad tomorrow, no matter what! My husband and I are having a date day to celebrate our third wedding anniversary (earlier this week)... really celebrating that we wake up every day and continue to choose each other, and how wonderful that is.

James will be enjoying the company and plethora of toys at his grandma's house. We'll be catching a movie and then trying a local brewery. A funny choice for a pregnant lady, sure, but they have potato skins on the menu... and that makes it a must-try.

Happy Anniversary to my husband, with thanks for choosing me every day- and Happy Weekend to you!

I love lamp.

2011-06-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

I've had this lamp for well over a decade.

It has graced living rooms most often, but has been in James's nursery since that project was tackled in 2009. And while I love lamp... I don't love lamp's shade. And improving the room to accommodate both kids was excuse enough to at least get the poor lamp a new shade.

And while I'm talking excuses, I have to mention that I'm sick.

Image from http://theoffbeatreport.com/

Boo. I caught a cold, and as all currently and have-been pregnant ladies know, this is the pits. There are virtually no useful medications that can be taken (and I'm nowhere near codeine level in sickness), so the mucus is running amok. Making me feel very lightheaded. And like my eyeglasses weigh 100 pounds. So I've switched into my contacts, and will attempt to write this post and have it actually make any sense at all.

Back to the lampshade. The lamp itself is vintage Ikea (the bells hanging off on a string are from... my travels. Vague enough? Honestly, I can't remember where I picked these up years ago), and the not-well-fitting lampshade originated from Target. I knew it didn't fit well. The scale is off and it was always a little wobbly on there. As a result, it didn't get treated very well. And had the scars to show it.

Enter this lovely new shade. I do love me some burlap! And some Target (some things never change)!

Better, right? Bonus... this new shade takes a CFL bulb well. And while this lamp is already looking better, I (naturally) couldn't leave it alone. Send in the pom pom ball trim!

No, I'm not kidding. Keep in mind, this is a kids' room. Gotta send in the fun where you can. So, I hot glued that trim around the edge. If you are wondering, the lampshade took one yard of the trim... if you pull really hard. Which is my way of telling you to buy a little more than a yard.

I liked the trim, and knew James would, too (this kid is observant). But I had yet another idea to try... incorporating some photos onto that large blank burlap space. First I tried these owl clips I had on hand:

I wasn't in love with how the photos (I just grabbed what was on hand for the test) didn't lay flat. So off the clips came, and I was onto the final idea. I picked up some multi-color raffia ribbon at World Market and wrapped it around the middle of the shade (knotting it off). I tucked a few photos my Dad had just sent over into the band, and there was the look I was going for!

This definitely works in our kids' room, where I continue to maximize each surface. I realize it may therefore not work for you. But the general idea (in other colors) would translate well for an office accent, or surely a playroom.

Now, back to laying down for me. Meaning, more progress on the kids' room will have to happen another day. Happy Tuesday to you!

34 weeks.

2011-06-11T20:43:00.000-05:00

Another weekly belly pic post in the nick of time. Tomorrow I officially move one week closer to my estimated due date. But for now, I'm still in my 34th week of this pregnancy. And this week... has been a little rough.

Yesterday I came down with a cold (sore throat, sinus pressure, etc.) that nearly has me down for the count. But no rest for the weary, I had a garage sale for which to prepare! And that garage sale happened today. Despite unseasonably cool temperatures and some rain, I was still able to walk away with enough fun money to fund date nights and eating out for a while. Which was the whole goal!

But afterward, I'm a bit of a mess. I took a wrong entrance for a highway (meaning, going East instead of West). On a route I've driven approximately one billion times. That added twenty useless minutes to my drive home.

Once I got home, my throat felt like it was on fire and all of my joints hurt from sitting in the car after overdoing it at the garage sale. Whee!

Gracie girl doesn't take a sick day, though, so she's still kicking up a storm today. My sisters got to feel her move, so that was nice. And did I mention that our date nights and eating out are now funded from my garage sale proceeds? It is worth mentioning more than once. Hurray! Plus, everything left was immediately driven to AMVETS, so it is blissfully out of my life forever.

Here's this week's belly progress pic from early this morning. Still getting bigger, with still more baby growth to go!

My garage-sale-running clothes consisted of:

Favorite (old) grey and green Old Navy hoodie
Green Liz Lange for Target t-shirt (last seen on clearance)

Old Navy low-rise maternity jeans

Skechers casual flats

... I've since changed into "boo, I'm sick" pajamas.

In better news this week, and to make a long post even longer... the very kind and talented Lizzie, who is the genius behind Pretty City Things (check her blog out!) passed along the Kreativ Blog Award to me. A bright spot in the week!

A couple of things to know about Pretty City Things... first, the pretty city to which Lizzie refers is our very own Chicago, Yay! So we know she has great taste in cities. She lives in a gorgeous industrial loft you should check out and she is not afraid of color. Applause for that! She and I have the same thinking on kids rooms (meaning: color is good), though Lizzie gets more props for having an organized design board... whereas I kind of throw my projects at you little by little. Hoping for a final reveal... um, eventually.

Since the rules of being honored by the award are as follows:

1. Copy/paste the Kreativ Blogger Award picture onto your blog

2. Thank the person who awarded it to you and post a link to her/his blog

3. Write 7 things about yourself we do not know

4. Choose 7 other bloggers to award

5. Link to them

6. Notify your 7 bloggers of their award

... I will now tell you the following seven things about me that you do not know.

1. Having a garage sale makes me want to avoid having a garage sale ever again (though chances are I'll go through this all again next year) and makes me want to be more careful with my buying. The sight of a garage sale piled high with things I no longer want or need makes me feel a little sad.

2. I quit my job in March, despite the bad economy and being visibly pregnant. It is damn near the only irresponsible thing I've done in my life so far (I saved up for a whopper of an irresponsible move, I guess), and it had to happen. Nine years there was long enough, and I had the title and responsibilities I'd been aiming for.... what went wrong is that I could no longer deal with a major personality at the job and it became an important dealbreaker. Life is too short to work with some people and their problems. And if I had getting to say, "Take this job and shove it" on my bucket list (if I had a bucket list), I could cross it off.

3. I'm on pinterest. Find me at http://pinterest.com/susaneva/ ...and if you need an invite, comment below with your email address and I'll invite you ASAP. It's a fun time.

4. I originally went to college to become a veterinarian, but several necessary-seeming (and required) experiments on animals left me feeling like I was doing more harm than good. So I decided to simply make animals a part of my non-professional life, and focus on design. Since then, I've had three cats, two hedgehogs, a dog, a conure, a cockatiel and a beta fish. Many of whom are no longer with us. I'm left with one cat... and at this point, I already know that she will be my last cat. I'm over it. So it is a good thing I didn't become a vet. But, shhhhh, I do think about getting another beta fish from time to time.

5. I tend to write more when I'm tired or not feeling good. Hence the length of this post.

6. I might pack my hospital bag (and James's overnight supplies, in case they are needed) and pull out my Fisher Price Rock n' Play to set it by the bed this week. It marks the week that I packed my hospital bag with James, though it continued to sit there for almost six more weeks.

7. I'm having a coral moment. It is showing up in my makeup (lipstick and blush), accessories, clothing and even my freelance designs. It'll pass, so I will sit on my hands instead of painting a wall that color.

Okay, and now the fun of awarding seven other bloggers myself! I encourage you to give these a visit.

1. Love Your Space

Gotta love Heather! She shows you her projects, even when they aren't going perfectly. Though most of the time, you'd agree, they are!

2. Strawberry Swing and Other Things

I find great inspiration here, and have pinned more than a couple of pictures from E's blog to my pinterest boards.

3. PB&J Stories
Pamela has DIYing down, and she shares her how-tos with you!

4. But What I Really Hate is Laundry
Want budgeting inspiration and good ideas in general? Head here.

5. Domestic Jenny
Jenny's got lots of exciting life changes going on (going back to school and moving), and through it all, lots of great design taste that doesn't slow down!

6. Finley's Corner

New mom to a gorgeous baby girl! I keep an eye on this blog for obvious (Grace, ahem, Grace) reasons. Way to stick through bed rest like a champ, Mama!

7. You Paid More Than Me

Stephanie will walk you through great deals she comes across, and her latest (very ambitious, to me, projects... like reupholstery).

And for the length of this post, I should also be awarded Longest Post Ever. So I'm leaving you with that, and say... Happy Weekend!

Bye bye, buses.

2011-06-09T11:26:00.000-05:00

My son has an adorable, unabashed love of school buses. Where he used to wake up and chatter on and on about Daddy (he's a big fan of Daddy), he now wakes up and chatters on and on about buses.

He wakes up and brightly says, "Bus!" Then "Bus?" ... and finally, in conclusion... "Nooooo." Seconds later, starting the chatter over again, with so much hope that Mama will come in and whisk him to the window to watch buses.

We live overlooking an elementary school, with an impressive 11 buses reporting to drop kids off and pick kids up every school day. So, yes, sometimes James gets whisked straight to the window to say "Hi!" to the buses, if he wakes up at the right time.

And we rarely miss the big event, which is the kids pouring out of the school and into their buses after school. Then it is time to say, "Bye bye, buses." With much solemnity on James's part. You want to hang with him? You must respect the bus.

But now it really is time to say, "Bye bye, buses" because it is the last day of school. The kids even had early dismissal. Here's a quick shot of their departure this morning.

Thus starts the long, hot bus-less season of summer. But while the buses are gone, the many, many, MANY times a day question will remain. ...."Bus?"

My husband (all credit goes to him) found the answer to our no-bus dilemma (trust me, when your son so sweetly asks about buses, you will really, really want to find him one to look at) on Youtube. And I wanted to share it here, in case there are other little bus-obsessed toddlers.

James is now into all forms of transportation, including trains and airplanes (or, according to James- Mains and Alldones. Yeah, we're working on those.) So we'll be hitting up Youtube for those, too. These kinds of assets are so important to have for those days when your kid isn't feeling good, and there isn't much you can do for them. Except cuddle them and cozy up to some safe little Youtube entertainment. If The Wiggles aren't on...

Happy summer!

33 weeks.

2011-06-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

Confession... this photo was from earlier this week (local Chicago area people will know by my outfit... I'd be melting in that today!). Just getting around to posting it now! Which means... this week was a busy one.

And it, of course, included a quick, routine visit to the OB. Everything is still on track. Gracie's measuring in the 70th percentile, which makes me blanch a bit (then get over, because, really- what can I do about it?). But the office said they are only concerned if a baby is in the 90th of higher. So, okay. In the end, she'll probably be around the same size as James.

I have my last every-two-weeks appointment in two weeks, then we are onto the weekly fun. Which means I'm getting close to the end of this (my last) pregnancy! With the way Gracie pummels my body, that is a happy thing.

Here's how I dressed for in-between weather earlier this week (since then it has been tank tops and skirts, and summer dresses.... and hiding in the air conditioning):

I'm wearing:

Merona moss green cardi bought on clearance last week. Yay!

Floral pattern tank that is a maternity hand-me-down.

Old Navy low-rise maternity jeans, as ever.

Target sandals from last year.

The shirt ends where my hand ends. What's amazing is that this shirt is a hand-me-down from my much-taller sister. She wore this throughout her pregnancy with my niece who was born in late August. How, I ask you, is it possible that her shirts are barely covering my belly anymore, and I have weeks to go! It is a true mystery to me. And a good thing that I have a few shirts of my own to get me through.

This weekend really kicks off summer for us. My husband is on his summer break from teaching (though the work never really takes a break) and it is hot, hot, hot here. It is going to be a really nice summer together. I hope it will be a great summer for you, too!

Next week I'm committed to putting more finishing touches on the danged kids' room! And our garage sale (at my sister's) is next Saturday. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Happy Saturday to you!

Etsy Ever After: In a Fog

2011-05-31T13:42:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I combed Etsy for some awesome treasures (okay, I have done some Etsy buying for my home and kids, but they came from my standing favorites list). You could say I've been in a fog, much like our area this weekend.

Here is a look at our fogged-over view that lasted all morning this past Sunday:

But more important, here is a look at some Etsy "fog" finds!

1. Fog Fairy Wrap

$32.99 plus $5.00 US shipping from seller papershootingstars

This seller's one-of-a-kind designs are worth a look. Serious window browsing here, with wishlisting of some really special tops. This one is so breezy and casual, in a whisper of fog grey.

2. Fog Mineral Eye Shadow

$2.49 plus $2.25 US shipping from seller starshinecompany

Okay, I know this eye shadow is named fog... but isn't it minty goodness? There are endless options when working with pure, vegan mineral shadows like this. A soft wash of color over lids with a dry brush, or a stronger statement with a wet one. It can be layered over other colors, or used as an eyeliner. It can even be used wet over a pencil eyeliner, to create a really fabulous sheen that you only get from mineral shadows.

3. The Fog 8x10 Fine Art Print

$20.00 plus $1.95 US shipping from seller newamsterdam

I had to get some fabulous fog photography in the mix here, and there is no better subject than Chicago (in my Chicago suburbs opinion). Lovely, right? The steel bean is our Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor. Beautiful in any light, but really refreshing in foggy conditions.

... but we can't neglect New York. Take a look at this:

This New York City photograph is from seller goldstreet. Only $15, and not your usual view.

Okay, one more photo and then I'll stop. Let's get out of the city, too, and enjoy the quiet beauty of nature:

This Texan deer from seller slightclutter is $20 for a signed 5x7.

Now back to the list.

4. Rain Handmade Earrings

$27.00 plus $7.50 US shipping from seller wildwomanjewelry

Just like fog itself, these earrings have a quiet elegance about them. The mixed metal look makes the earrings supremely versatile, and the glass beads add a touch of a vintage feel.

5. Dire Situations Grey Origami Petal Skirt

$110.00 plus $6.00 US shipping from seller minxshop

Yup, this is the splurge item on the list. But it is special, right? The designer has a very fluid aesthetic and what she's drawn to is represented here magnificently: the eclectic and unexpected.

6. Miniature Bunny

$15.00 plus $2.00 US shipping from seller minxshop

This little guy is packed with lots of personality in his little 2 inch stature. The seller mentions that he would love to have tea with you or be a travel buddy. He'd be cute as a present topper or as the present itself!

7. Vintage London Fog Knit Coat

$95.00 plus $16.00 US shipping from seller clevernettle

Vintage for sure, and possibly hailing from the 1940s, this knit coat is heavy and warm. Wrong season, right? Yes, but I can't let a good find go unrecognized. It has a big collar (which is a big draw, to me) and closes at the neckline. Meaning the rest swings open in a lovely way!

8. Evening Painting of Mist and Fireflies

$20.00 plus FREE US shipping from seller etceteraeast

Glitter, acrylics, watercolor and sea salt are all used in this little mixed media painting. Gorgeous colors for above a desk or in a bedroom framed and placed on a shelf. I love the blues and yellows with the green undertones.

9. Silk Charmeuse Trimmed Tank Top

$45.00 plus $4.75 US shipping from seller lanastepul

Ending my haze of fog-inspired Etsy items with a dreamy tank. Love the long length of the tank and the stormy color. More than that, the silk shoulder bow. The right accent for the right tank. Easy to pair with black pants (or even a vibrant solid pant color), shorts or dark wash jeans. This is one tank that can go almost anywhere.

Our fog only lasted one morning, but these items will go as far as you want to take them. Enjoy!

All photos belong to the sellers. My posts are never sponsored.

Cookie Dough Truffles... yum!

2011-05-28T19:42:00.000-05:00

Cookie Dough Truffles. That's right... I said Cookie Dough Truffles. I've upped the ante from Oreo Truffles and gone cookie dough. And the best part? They're egg-free, so us pregnant ladies can eat them without another thought.

Okay, that's not the best part. The best part is that they are cookie dough filled goodness.

I saw this recipe not too long ago on a messageboard, and had to try it. To save you the trouble of hunting it down from wherever the true original source was (I really have no idea), here is the recipe and the steps. Make it now, seriously.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine at room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk or soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package chocolate candy coating (I use Candiquik brand found at Target- pictured below)

Directions:

Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. I used my trusty workhorse decade-old KitchenAid stand mixer.

Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt, and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Mmmm, cookie dough...

Cover and chill dough for 1 hour. I recommend scraping off (okay, let's be honest.. practically licking off) the excess dough on your mixer blade at this point, since you're done with it. Yum!

When dough is firm enough to handle (it may help to lightly flour your hands), form dough into 1 inch balls and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place sheet in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes. Here are my dough balls all ready to be chilled:

Melt chocolate candy coating according to package directions. Here is the kind I use:

Working quickly, use two forks to dip cookie dough balls into candy coating to cover them in chocolate. Tap fork on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Here is what that operation looks like:

Chill until set. Here's the final product:

Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week... as if they will stick around that long.

I made these earlier in the week for my husband's department. Good reviews, so I am making another batch tonight to bring to a barbeque tomorrow.

...Did I say yum?! Yum!

32 weeks.

2011-05-27T21:20:00.003-05:00

32 weeks and all is well! I'm at the every-two-weeks for doctor's appointments portion of the pregnancy, which will quickly become weekly appointments before I know it! Not really looking forward to that, but it is all part of getting to the point of holding baby girl in my arms. Very active baby girl, who has the talent of kicking the sore (much kicked) spot on my hip and ramming a butt into my ribs at the same time. She's going to be a tall one, like her brother. Though perhaps a bit more rambunctious.

Three day weekend on tap! We have concrete plans (a barbeque with friends on Sunday) and loads of other looser possibilities, including an art fair to kick off the art fair season, a walk to the local farmer's market, firing up our own grill for hamburgers (a step beyond our usual hot dogs) and hitting the parks around us. Whatever we end up choosing, we'll relish the three days of freedom.

Here's how 32 weeks is looking. A very cool morning broke into a gorgeous afternoon, which is a good excuse to throw on some color.

I'm wearing:

Blue 3/4 length sleeve cardigan (old hand-me-down from In Due Time brand)
My usual maternity jeans from Old Navy
Old Navy zebra flats, bought on clearance a month ago

James and I had a particularly awesome day today, even getting out on the balcony to tackle some concrete with chalk. And to learn "inside toy" (for example, his toy shopping cart filled with other inside toys) versus "outside toy" (chalk, which only snuck inside once. Not bad for his first day of the "outside toy" concept). Here he is, diving right in (that's a chalk holder that promptly stopped working after this pic was taken):

We may not have (or want) a yard (meaning, having to mow a lawn), but we do have fun play space for James. A space that we are still working on... see that upside-down planter? We'd like to right it and put some plants inside sometime soon. But not this weekend. This weekend is for rest and fun!

Have a restful and fun weekend, yourself!

Punting with two paintings.

2011-05-22T14:54:00.021-05:00

As I've been finishing the kids' room transformation (which only really involves furniture additions, placement and wall art, since the room was gender neutral from the start), two spots in the room were really bothering me. And I knew... they'd never stop bothering me. So it was time to tackle them with some quick (some might say frenzied and obsessed...) art projects.

The first problem spot was above what will be James's toddler bed. Other artwork (not yet revealed) is well above the bed- higher up because there are tacks involved. So high up, that the resulting space beneath them seemed like a mistake. Hence, the first painting punt.

For both paintings, I used materials I already had on hand:

Acrylic paint (I have a seemingly endless supply from past painting projects)

A 12x12 canvas that is 1.5 inches deep (at one time, years ago, I was going to create a quad of paintings. But I ended up scrapping that idea and going with only one, which now hangs in our bedroom)

Drawing paper (not really needed- any thicker paper would do here, but this is what I had on hand leftover from art school, um... over a decade ago)

Mod Podge Matte (is there a project that I do without this stuff?)

Paintbrushes

Water cup (I borrowed one of James's cleaned-out plastic butter containers that he loves to stack and organize)

Sharpie marker (helps if yours aren't running out of ink, like mine)

Xacto knife, scissors and cutting mat.

And for the first painting, this was the very loose inspiration- yup, the sun from A Very Hungry Caterpillar (which I can recite by heart at this point, because it has become a favorite for James):

First, I gave the painting a blue background that would tie in some elements already in the room (hurray for custom artwork!):

Next, I roughly painted up some of the drawing paper.

I cut strips of another piece of paper I'd similarly painted, to make the rays of the sun (somewhat like the Hungry Caterpillar sun rays). Then I also cut out the circle of the sun.

And here is where I admit that I completed the project... mod podging the pieces onto the canvas, and placing some desired writing in the middle of the sun.

A day later, I didn't love it. It was knocking the room out of balance visually with its brightness. The type I threw onto it seemed like an afterthought, though it was an intention of the piece. So, hmph.

I went back to work on it, brushing some coppery paint around the edges and painting yet another piece of drawing paper to create an inset circle. Then I used more drawing paper to create a text banner with a Sharpie and some paint. And did more mod podging to create the final, finally-happy-with-it project, seen here hanging on the wall:

Yup, "Keep smiling." This is a little tribute to my Dad, who ends every phonecall with my sisters and I with, "Keep smiling!"

Now that I had one painting and still more leftover supplies, I was itching to fix the remaining problem spot. This hanging alligator organizer is undeniably adorable. You might even say that you like it better than the artwork that has since replaced it. But it in no way fit into the room's look, in the end, and I could no longer overlook that. So down it came.

The second painting came together much like the first, in layers- and with more layers added when I decided to do the text banner look, instead of text directly on the heart. Here is the final product of painting two:

Where "keep smiling" comes from my Dad, "Lovey" comes from my Mom- and is what she calls me. Not coincidentally, it is what I call James sometimes (and Gracie will share the same fate).

Here is the second painting hung up, fully replacing the alligator (see ya later, alligator). I added two heart hooks that I already had, from World Market. I was randomly there today- they still have them.

And with that, the two problem spots were fixed. I hang James's next-day clothes on one hook- Gracie will get the other hook.

The paintings didn't take very long- put together in spurts over two days. One nice things about acrylics is how fast they dry! And the same can be said for Mod Podge, when you keep the layers nice and thin.

Happy Sunday to you!

31 weeks.

2011-05-21T18:15:00.003-05:00

I'm getting this post published just in the nick of time- my weekly changeover day is tomorrow! But here I am, still in my 31st week of this pregnancy. And it has been a busy week... with lots of freelance work, getting some fast artwork completed for the kids' room (to show you tomorrow) and tackling some deep cleaning. I'm talking cabinet fronts, the fridge and the pantry. Clean, clean and clean.

Making me tired, tired and more tired. But it is good to get this stuff done while I can still do things like reach my feet. Oh how nice it will be to be pregnant during flip flop weather, though! Winter boots were a bear to get on in my ninth month last time.

Here's a look at 31 weeks. Hard to believe I will look back on this picture and call that belly small! It certainly doesn't feel that way.

I'm wearing:
Gap Maternity Knit Wrap Shirt (bought on clearance this fall)

Old Navy Low-Rise Maternity Jeans (ever present, and old)
Merona Sandals (old)

This past week, I gleefully prepared and delivered (to my sister) all of my previous winter maternity wardrobe for a garage sale. Oh how I love to clear stuff out! It all included my corporate maternity wardrobe... so, naturally I got an email days later asking me to come in to my very corporate old office to do some freelance work. Isn't that always the way? Ah, well. This is the position from which I intentionally resigned, so I probably wasn't going to take them up on it, anyway.

The sun has broken through this morning's foggy haze and we have really been enjoying this sunny, temperate spring day. James's grandma came by, and we all hit the park and continued on for a walk. Since then, we've been all about our balcony. What a nice time of year!

I hope that you've been having a beautiful Saturday, too!

Chalky White ...Dresser Side

2011-05-16T14:40:00.000-05:00

Anyone else a Boardwalk Empire fan? Chalky White is a great character, partially because he is played by Michael Kenneth Williams... who played the absolute best character on tv ever. Yes- Omar Little. Oh, indeed, Omar.

From http://obit-mag.com/articles/a-mans-gotta-have-a-code

And what does Chalky White have to do with this post? Nothing, other than Chalk will forever be called Chalky White in my head, and subsequently lead me to quote the Wire for a while thanks to his role being played by Michael Kenneth Williams (Oh, indeed. It's all in the game. Omar comin'!).

...And I brought a bit of Chalky White to James's room lately, on the side of this Ikea Hemnes red-stained dresser. Shown here pre-chalkification:

When you're fitting two kids in one regular room, you've got to get creative with your use of surfaces. Yes, I have an idea of installing a craft center in our main living space in the distant future. In the meantime, here's a little surface to rock with chalk.

First, I started with a roll of Contact brand Chalkboard Contact Paper (which I ordered here, from Amazon). Why Contact Paper instead of chalkboard paint? Because I wanted the chalkboard aspect to be removable, so the dresser can go back to just being a dresser someday. Here's the product:

One thing to love about Contact paper: the cutting grid on the back. I measured the inset space of the dresser side, and cut out a panel to fit.

Then came the (yes, totally sucky) task of getting the Contact paper smoothed onto the dresser side without any bubbles. How? By going slowly, smoothing with the side of my hand, and peeling back a bit to re-start a segment whenever a bubble started to form. Bubbles along the side can often be smoothed out without peeling back and re-starting, so I always tried to move the bubbles to the edge and out first.

Once in place, the "chalkboard" needed to be primed. I grabbed a piece of white chalk and used the side to cover the entire surface in chalky white, then erased it all off.

These are my chalkboard supplies (ordered here and here, from Amazon), which I keep in an opaque vintage vase high up on a shelf in the nearby hallway. No reason to have all of these out all the time, unless you want your toddler to giddily taste test all of them. And then probably throw them all on the floor and smash them. Whee!

Okay, here is where some time went by. I was mentioning unfinished projects last week, and this was one of them. I finally buckled down and drew something for James on the chalkboard. He was so thrilled to host Mama in his room for that much time! And this is what I drew for him:

His pal, Green Monkey. See, Green Monkey is much beloved by James:

And here is the chalkboard/end of dresser with everything put back around it.

James only sat nicely on my lap for so long (though he stopped for a sit often). The rest of the time... he played with his toys and books. And his clothes. Yup, he can get his drawers open and gleefully threw every last piece of clothing in his bottom drawer onto the floor. Since it is an uncommon antic for him, I let him go at it while I drew, drew, drew.

The chalk drawing didn't take very long, but in the life of a toddler... it took a long time. But James did help me put his clothes away when I was done.

James showed definite interest in getting to do his own artwork on the chalkboard, so the monkey won't be around long. Soon there will be adorable shaky toddler lines and dots, and many broken pieces of chalk.

That's what it's all about! Happy Monday!

30 weeks.

2011-05-13T20:48:00.003-05:00

I swear, I have more to blog about besides belly pics.

I will get my act together and complete a few "in progress" projects once and for all and then document them, already! It isn't that I haven't been busy. Quite the opposite, plus I keep assigning myself new projects (and I keep getting freelance projects that are time and energy vampires). Let's also just say, garage sales are a mammoth undertaking even when not pregnant. But when pregnant, you certainly pay for a day's worth of physical work with the practical inability to move the next day.

And the garage sale isn't even until next month. But compulsive me had to spend all yesterday sorting and pricing everything, to deliver what I could cram in my car to my sister's house this weekend. I simply can't wait to get it all out of our storage space! And I can't wait to stop spending time in our storage space! Do I even need to tell you about the centipede I came across? My shoe was hovering over it for the take down, when it was spared by a nosy neighbor stopping by to chat me up. Now it is still on the loose down there. Shudder.

It all made for a tired me today. As reflected in the following:

Not exciting, but I'm wearing:

Liz Lange for Target T-shirt (so comfy, I recommend highly)
Old non-maternity Capris Pants from Kohl's
Old Merona Sandals (in reality, I was barefoot pretty much all day... no need for shoes when I barely even hobbled out to the balcony.)

...But look who made a cameo appearance there! My little photo assistant followed me back and forth between the camera and my weekly photo spot. I usually take these photos on Thursdays, when he's not home. But yesterday was too busy, and now that I see how thrilled James is to "help" me with the shoot, it is tempting to move them to Fridays!

And here is my photo assistant begging me to take him outside. Which I did. Who can resist such a little guy saying "outside" in his little boy voice?

This weekend will be a busy one, celebrating my sister's birthday (and unloading a carload of garage sale items) and then attending a baptism for my very sweet and sassy little niece.

And maybe, just maybe, completing a project or two before getting slammed by more freelance work.

Happy Friday to you!

29 weeks.

2011-05-06T13:30:00.003-05:00

I'm celebrating 29 weeks this week, and with it... lots of random comments saying how good I look for being due in June. The only problem? I'm due in mid-July! Ha ha, whoops. Not as impressive, I guess. I am measuring right on time for July 17th.

And my outfit from today confirms that stripes are figure challenging, but I love them, anyway. This shirt is bona fide maternity, and has lots of room to grow. Which I will- trust me that I will look like I am defying gravity by the time I get to 40 weeks! Which is a short 11 weeks from now. Getting very excited to meet Gracie girl!

What I'm wearing:

Old Navy striped maternity shirt (recent, but no longer on site).
Old Navy maternity jeans (old).
Old Navy loafers (old).

This is our big weekend, Moms! Hope you get to spend it with your Mom, or get appropriately spoiled for everything you do if you are a Mom yourself.

My day is tomorrow, which kicks off with us taking James to a village-sponsored event where kids get to explore emergency vehicles and construction vehicles up close! I can't wait to see the glee on my son's face. Then it is a nice, casual dinner out and maybe a movie with my husband. Perfect.

Mother's Day itself will be for our Moms. A lunch and then a dinner. It will be nice to see family!

Have a great Friday!

28 weeks.

2011-04-30T08:09:00.003-05:00

Another week down in possibly the rainiest April on record here. Today may be the tipping point on that one. We were initially promised a brilliant, sunny, warm spring day. Alas, it is overcast and windy, and will rain tonight.

The spring clothes will get to come out and play soon. Until then, I'm still drawing from the fall/winter maternity wardrobe I used with James... with some non-maternity sprinkled in, when I can swing it.

What I'm wearing:
(old) H&M non-maternity long-sleeve shirt (with brown Old Navy maternity tank you can't see undeneath).
(old) Old Navy dark brown maternity corduroy pants.
(old) Target Merona brown boots.

12 weeks to go until my due date! (Well, less than that, since I'm posting late this week.) On the one hand, I wish time would fly by faster so we could meet this girl. On the other hand, my son is testing the boundaries of toddlerdom and with it, my sanity. So one kid is definitely enough for right now!

Still working on the shared kids room. I've stumped myself on how to mount some artwork (all because I'm trying to use what I have... and what I don't have is four matching frames that would be oh-so-simple to work with, comparatively). And I have one more item to order, which is backordered right now.

Happy Saturday to you! Hope yours is not rainy, and that you and your loved ones are all safe after our southern storms.

A little game spot.

2011-04-27T11:39:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I spied a photo of this game being played by a friend on Facebook... and had to know what it was!

From Amazon.com

It's Word Spot. I pretty much ordered it immediately. When my game came, I was initially disappointed to see that it is firmly a game for two players (I'd had visions of bringing it to my family's holiday celebrations, where we tend to pull out board games). Then I decided that this was a good thing. My husband and I don't usually pull out games, and here was one that could sit out all the time for long-term matches.

This was our first Word Spot match, hastily played on our kitchen counter peninsula.

Three-letter words ran amok and I very much lost this first round. Let's blame it on being distracted by how untidy the whole thing looked. With the intention of having the game out often, if not all the time, this wasn't working for me. Especially the post-it notes indicating whose token area was whose, and the coke bottle cap indicating whose turn it was.

Plus, I was not looking forward to moving this to clean the counter (or, more likely, trying to clean around it).

I hunted around our condo and delved into the storage unit to try to locate a tray for the game. I considered using a cookie sheet and covering it in fabric via this tutorial, but even my largest un-used cookie sheet was too small. This game sprawls out.

So I hit the thrift stores. Even there, frames were more than I wanted to spend (being that they were priced for the artwork shown inside them, which I didn't want). Then I tried Homegoods and Hobby Lobby (and found trays that may have been large enough, but came with a similarly large pricetag for kind of a silly purpose).

Finally, I sulked off to Walmart and found a decent option. An 18x24 frame for $10. Home it came!

I pulled out a fabric remnant leftover from a chair pad recovering project to fill the frame. I wanted something easy to clean (no felt), but not super slippery. And not too distracting. So this one worked. I put it wrong side up and placed the frame's plexiglass on top to trim the remnant down.

Then folded the fabric over the edges and taped them in place. To be clear, the fabric sits on top of the plexiglass, not beneath it. Here's how it came together:

And here's our first match, post-update. Much cleaner, and can be picked up and moved for cleaning. And apparently not distracting, as we suddenly came up with four- and five-letter words for this round.

Instead of the coke cap to indicate whose turn it was, I took a little rooster out of our barrister bookcase. My parents brought it back for me from one of their travels (I think this one is Russian). This is the completed second game.

And here is the rooster crowing over the winner of this round.... me, me, ME! Particularly over my use of the word "Ether" after lending a hand to grade a chemistry memorization test the night before... in which "Ether" ended up being part of an answer. Not sure if I'll be invited to keep helping with grading now...

Hurray for having a little game out to play! Happy Wednesday to you!

Happy Earth Day

2011-04-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

Today I thought I'd recognize Earth Day with one of the Rs.... My favorite R. No, not recycle (that's a good one, though). Re-use. As in... re-sale.

I've taken the opportunity to scope lots of local resale spots and take advantage of resale events. I already have lots of Christmas taken care of for James (it will be a very lightly loved Little People Christmas for him- no pics, because they're already stored away), and have augmented his book collection.

There's one resale shop that has children's books for 25 cents each, and they're always nice and clean. Plus, there are sometimes good clothes for kids. Here's a sample of what I've found or been given by my sister, who passes along what my nephew and niece are no longer using:

But I've gotten a few things for myself, too, here or there. Like a mug I couldn't resist, though it is a little too small for my daily Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte. Regardless, the mug is still a happy presence in my cabinet.

And my most expensive resale purchase to date, coming in at $37.95... this off-center framed watercolor from 1969 (that I bought when I bought Gracie's artwork). Love the frame and love the spooky woods subject matter.

I had a spot for it that had been a little awkward and needed some help:

Such a visually-heavy piece really fixed the awkwardness and brought the little spot to life:

The original price of the (poorly) framed watercolor was $39.95. How'd I swing getting $2 off? By signing up for Club Goodwill. Go ahead and giggle, but it saves you 5% off of every purchase of $20 or more. Which hardly ever happens (unless you are on a Goodwill spree of some kind), but it is nice to have when it does.

At another charity-based thrift store (to benefit a women's shelter), I found a new friend for Grace, whom I've titled Miss Kitty Girl. It seemed like she needed a proper name, after all.

Miss Kitty Girl enjoys a cup of tea in my mug, since I'm not using it.

Look, she even has bloomers. Don't tell Miss Kitty that she was only $2. Or that I showed a pic of her showing her bloomers. She'd be mortified.

With a promise to keep re-using, and taking a real joy in what I've been able to find used for our home... Happy Earth Day to you!

27 weeks.

2011-04-21T20:11:00.000-05:00

27 weeks and all is well! I had a doctor's appointment today, and got my three-hour glucose tolerance test results. Normal! I got to celebrate with a Steak n' Shake vanilla shake, care of my husband. Good stuff.

But, getting the results dissolves my built-in excuse for the sugar fest I've been indulging in... Downing Twixs, Snickers and even Dunkin Donuts munchkins this morning under the guise of getting while the getting's allowed is officially over. Back to the normal level of indulgence for me, which is far less frantic.

Gracie's a healthy girl by all indications. Measuring at 60% and moving nearly constantly. She has attitude, trust me when I tell you this. And is content to lay cross-wise, kicking my now-very-sensitive left hip bone.

Here's how 27 weeks with an up-high-again baby was looking on this cool but sunny day (I say "was" because right now I'm in mismatched lounge clothes to relax and watch The Office):

I'm wearing:

Thermal black cardigan, Old Navy (no longer on site)

Black and white snake pattern long-sleeve jersey top, Old Navy (no longer on site)

Maternity jeans

Bare feet, sorry, because my at-home pedicure was drying. My son has a "charming" fixation with standing on my feet when I sit on the couch. It ruins my toenail polish so fast!

Hope you have tomorrow off and get a chance to enjoy it. In any event, have a good day!