mcNugget - I pray that you will one day marry a man that will take care of you - come hell or high water.
When the storm comes, he'll go out in the rain and cook you a full dinner - allowing you to just take it easy and hang out with your mom. This man will get rid of the HUGE spiders you come across in the middle of the night, and cook you breakfast in the morning. When you're 9+ months pregnant and the basement floods because of the hurricane- he'll go out in the rain and buy ridiculous yellow rubber boots, venture down into the disgusting basement, and as buckets float buy, take apart that broken sump pump and try to fix it - although he doesn't have the slightest idea what he is up against. He'll try anyway for you.
Now I also hope that you get all these traits from your daddy - so that you can take care of yourself if you need to. The 'just try it, because it can't get any worse' mentality - where you're not afraid to take risks is a beautiful trait that so many others don't have the courage or patience to wield. I want you to be able to laugh even when it doesn't go right and celebrate with pride at your accomplishments when it does.
This week, as we've gone through our first (relatively and thankfully non-eventful) earthquake and first hurricane - I like to think of all the times your daddy will come and help you in your own house if you need it. You have a great daddy, and we're both so lucky to have him. He keeps us safe and dry.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Nursery Preparations
Up until last week, I was under the impression that we would not be modifying our guest room into a joint nursery - other than moving the necessary furniture in and the guest furniture out. The husband, being the trouble-seeker that he is, decided to change that! Usually that's my job!!
So he proposed painting something to make our Valspar "Baked Scone" room into more of a kid space (and I think he even said "less boring"). I wanted to be on board, but I was absolutely lost. I told him I'd spent months thinking about it and yet couldn't come up with a great solution without painting the entire space - which I simply didn't want (him to have) to do! However, put some pressure on, throw some caution to the wind, and we were able to make some changes. And by we, I mean he. I took mcNugget and got out of town after the ideas had been discussed and agreed on.
First, I declared that the room had to match with the upholstery - since I simply couldn't handle redoing the crib skirt and the glider. I had the fabric to do a second crib skirt (finished last week), they were in perfect condition, and they were gender neutral. He agreed, so we chose that as our pallet. One of the polka dots on the fabric came quite close to being a match for our beloved "baked scone" (which you'll see changes colors dramatically depending on the light source)- so we were okay there. The wood tones in the floor and furniture matched the two shades of brown in the fabric - and the painted white trim matched a polka dot as well. So we were left with two shades of blue and two shades of green to work with.
I then went on google and used phrases like "aqua and yellow nursery" and "teal nursery with green accents" to get some inspiration. Surprising to me, there were a lot of rooms that made it work. Some were a little beachy, most of the rooms were blue with yellow accents instead of the reverse - and many of them had white furniture (which we don't have right now) - but we did like the colors together. There were even a few that mixed in lime green which we use as accents in the current nursery in baskets, the rug, a hanging toy storage, etc.
We then decided we liked the inclusion of stripes, and not just one like in mcNugget's current room, but a few. We also wanted to keep it bright - and possibly allowing us to even keep the colors after it was outgrown as a nursery (possibly when we sell or when the kids get bigger) - so we pulled in just the two blues and white. We used the stripes in his shirt from that morning as the pattern.
So he proposed painting something to make our Valspar "Baked Scone" room into more of a kid space (and I think he even said "less boring"). I wanted to be on board, but I was absolutely lost. I told him I'd spent months thinking about it and yet couldn't come up with a great solution without painting the entire space - which I simply didn't want (him to have) to do! However, put some pressure on, throw some caution to the wind, and we were able to make some changes. And by we, I mean he. I took mcNugget and got out of town after the ideas had been discussed and agreed on.
First, I declared that the room had to match with the upholstery - since I simply couldn't handle redoing the crib skirt and the glider. I had the fabric to do a second crib skirt (finished last week), they were in perfect condition, and they were gender neutral. He agreed, so we chose that as our pallet. One of the polka dots on the fabric came quite close to being a match for our beloved "baked scone" (which you'll see changes colors dramatically depending on the light source)- so we were okay there. The wood tones in the floor and furniture matched the two shades of brown in the fabric - and the painted white trim matched a polka dot as well. So we were left with two shades of blue and two shades of green to work with.
I then went on google and used phrases like "aqua and yellow nursery" and "teal nursery with green accents" to get some inspiration. Surprising to me, there were a lot of rooms that made it work. Some were a little beachy, most of the rooms were blue with yellow accents instead of the reverse - and many of them had white furniture (which we don't have right now) - but we did like the colors together. There were even a few that mixed in lime green which we use as accents in the current nursery in baskets, the rug, a hanging toy storage, etc.
We then decided we liked the inclusion of stripes, and not just one like in mcNugget's current room, but a few. We also wanted to keep it bright - and possibly allowing us to even keep the colors after it was outgrown as a nursery (possibly when we sell or when the kids get bigger) - so we pulled in just the two blues and white. We used the stripes in his shirt from that morning as the pattern.
As I said, I wasn't home when this was done. It took Bo nearly 4 hours just to do the taping - with a level and everything. I was so amazed and surprised and loving what he did, that now I can't wait to finish the room!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Rainy Day Laundry
Is there anything more perfect than staying inside with little to do on a rainy summer day? I'd choose to read a book if I didn't have to clean and work a bit, but our dear Shady thought napping would be better... in my clean warm laundry. I'm certainly not mad - but maybe a little jealous! I wish someone would put a warm pile of clean towels for me to snuggle in!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Crafting for Kate
There are some friends that you get in life that you always feel you can't do enough for. They are always there supporting you - being excited for you - and end up going way beyond your expectations for you... rain or shine.
My friend Kate - who I've known for about 13 or 14 years now - is one of those people; and happens also to be the most creative, artistic girl I know. From handmade blankets and a handmade purse for mcNugget's first birthday - to the invites for mcNugget's baby shower - she can pretty much do it all flawlessly. I like to think I'm crafty - but my stuff always ends up with wiggly lines and extra threads. I'm quite in awe of her creativity, and want to return the favor - but knowing that many of the things I can do, she can do better!
So after buying some key baby gifts for her shower this weekend and sourcing the adorable cake from our friends, I looked high and low for a creative idea to make for her - with the expected wonkiness of a handmade item coming from me. After the search, I decided that I'd make her a mobile. Her colors were grey and yellow - with a hint of pink (she's expecting a baby girl just two months after we're expecting our boy... hello arranged marriage!). Kate's also in love with elephants, so here's the result:
The six elephants are made of felt and hand stuffed and hand sewn, each with a different color set between their body, ears and embroidery thread. We used the inside of an embroidery hoop at the top, padded with extra felt and then covered in a satin ribbon. I tied the elephants on so that she could change their height if she needed to. I hope her impending bundle likes it! I really had fun making it. I'll try to get a better shot of it up close when its hung.
And below is the cake we had made for her shower. I think it speaks to her craftiness (see the cute buttons on the top tier?) and of course ties in the elephant and color scheme. It was delicious.
To her ever-unbelievable character, in the middle of her opening up her presents at her baby shower, she handed me one. A baby blanket she made for my mcMuffin. Seriously, this girl is awesome and I hope everyone gets a friend like her someday.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Wandering Into Borders
My best girl is having a baby shower this weekend and with its baby-library theme, I needed to grab a book for her impending bundle (who I love already and am beyond excited to meet in a few more months!). So I went into Borders - remembering that they hadn't closed the one by my house. Apparently that's all about to change - they're even selling the cafe furniture! (faux leather chair or bar stools anyone?)
So anyway, after finding a great book for her - i mean her baby - I wandered around the store hoping for other treasures. Rubbing elbows next to moms who've dragged their kids out and then refused to buy them more than one book (while they had a bundle in their arms) and quite a few snickering teens can really make for some entertainment. I ended up walking away with a book for my sister who is travelling to Ecuador (and I had to put about 7 other things back that I wanted to get her), one of the Harry Potter books I was missing from our collection (someone keeps taking them!) and a book on our new digital camera (so excited about this one!)
I guess the highlight was this 20-something girl who looked like she had passed high school at least picking up the Taming of the Shrew, reading the back of it, and asking out loud "What the hell is a shrew?" HOW has she gotten this far in life without knowing that? It seemed that the play was completely foreign to her. Anyway, here are some other things I loved (or were shocked enough to capture on my phone) when I saw them:
So anyway, after finding a great book for her - i mean her baby - I wandered around the store hoping for other treasures. Rubbing elbows next to moms who've dragged their kids out and then refused to buy them more than one book (while they had a bundle in their arms) and quite a few snickering teens can really make for some entertainment. I ended up walking away with a book for my sister who is travelling to Ecuador (and I had to put about 7 other things back that I wanted to get her), one of the Harry Potter books I was missing from our collection (someone keeps taking them!) and a book on our new digital camera (so excited about this one!)
I guess the highlight was this 20-something girl who looked like she had passed high school at least picking up the Taming of the Shrew, reading the back of it, and asking out loud "What the hell is a shrew?" HOW has she gotten this far in life without knowing that? It seemed that the play was completely foreign to her. Anyway, here are some other things I loved (or were shocked enough to capture on my phone) when I saw them:
YES. Finally. They caught me by putting this strategically near Lovely Bones and Nicholas Sparks- but of course it was also directly across from the career section.
Eww. I don't like the original Pat the Bunny book much though - so the adult parody is okay with me.
(Yes, that's real AstroTurf!)
A little shout out to my husband with this one. We <3 Italy. Who knew there was already a book about his adventures there?
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Better Sleep for Baby
At 11 months, we saw a dramatic change with our McNugget going to sleep. She just wasn't ready mentally- too much to see and do. Although we tried it for "a minute", we weren't really "cry-it-out" parents - nor were we rock her to sleep every night parents. We realized we had to find another way to let our girl - who has always been a terrific sleeper - settle herself down.
Even though she was obviously tired, she just wasn't ready to be dropped off for bed after reading, prayers and pjs. We made a few changes in the couple of weeks that we were having sleep issues, and now bedtime is a 15 minute routine again!
See the difference where they're covering the window compared to where just the curtains are? LOVE them.
Even though she was obviously tired, she just wasn't ready to be dropped off for bed after reading, prayers and pjs. We made a few changes in the couple of weeks that we were having sleep issues, and now bedtime is a 15 minute routine again!
- We started winding her down with a different bedtime routine. We first let her play in her jumper or gave her a bath - since she loved both of those. It only took about 5 minutes for her to wear herself out using both methods.
- I decided to use the rocker for story time and prayers. If she still squirming around after 5 minutes, into the crib she went. If she needed a couple of minutes of extra cuddling - that was okay too. But we didn't rock her fully to sleep; we kept putting her to bed while she was still slightly awake. The rocker was just to 'settle' her for bed.
- We bought room darkening blinds. She's used to noise at daycare, but since its the summer and the sun is out until 9pm, it was hard for this early bird to understand why she had to go to bed! The old blinds had to go anyway - they had dangerous cords. We got these cordless darkening blinds at overstock.com (love that site!) for about $50 per blind. We were able to use a 10% off coupon, and they were cheaper there than we could find at JCP or Lowes. As a bonus we also got the 3% back from Upromise using their click through link.
See the difference where they're covering the window compared to where just the curtains are? LOVE them.
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