Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Boppy Cover
Just trying to get some last-minute sewing projects finished. I'm using Hayden's old Boppy, which was boy-ish fabric, and very faded after my use and lending it out to a couple friends. It definitely needed some sprucing up, so I sewed up this cute little Boppy cover! It is removable for easy washing. It's a little loose, but I don't know if I ever washed the fabric before (I tend to be really lazy with that), so I'm assuming it will shrink a bit. Both sides were made with scraps from other projects which made this project free! I love the super soft and fuzzy side :)
Friday, December 25, 2009
Hayden's Christmas
This post is more for my benefit than yours, since I don't keep a journal...
Hayden has been begging for a train table for a month. He was absolutely certain Santa was going to bring him one this year. On the drive home, after spending Christmas Eve with my parents, Hayden was commenting on all the "Baby Jesus" stars in the sky. Then he said he wanted to talk to the moon. (We had told him earlier that night, that Santa was already up in the sky, flying around the world.)
This is what he said, "Hi Moon. Can you please tell Santa to stop at my house tonight when I'm sleeping, because I want him to bring me a choo choo train table. Can you tell Santa that for me please??"
When we got home, Hayden wanted to go strait to bed, but he wouldn't fall asleep for a while. Then he started yelling at me from his bedroom, telling me I needed to go to bed and sleep, because he wanted Santa to bring him a train table. He was really afraid if everyone in the house wasn't sleeping, he wasn't going to get it.
The poor kid slept terribly with nightmares, and in the morning was in a complete daze. He went to turn the Christmas tree lights on and sat down on the ottoman, literally 1 foot away from his bran new choo choo train table, all set up and ready. He didn't even see it! He looked at the tree and noticed there was a Buzz Lightyear stuffed doll thing under it and got excited. Then he started looking at all the wrapped presents (which had been there the night before and he'd already seen), and getting excited over them. I had to direct his attention to the choo choo train table, which was basically right in front of him. The poor kid was so tired!
Hayden's lack of excitement once he noticed the new train table
He's since woken up fully and is very excited over his new train table. He's been yelling up to the sky all morning, "Thank You Santa!"
Hayden has been begging for a train table for a month. He was absolutely certain Santa was going to bring him one this year. On the drive home, after spending Christmas Eve with my parents, Hayden was commenting on all the "Baby Jesus" stars in the sky. Then he said he wanted to talk to the moon. (We had told him earlier that night, that Santa was already up in the sky, flying around the world.)
This is what he said, "Hi Moon. Can you please tell Santa to stop at my house tonight when I'm sleeping, because I want him to bring me a choo choo train table. Can you tell Santa that for me please??"
When we got home, Hayden wanted to go strait to bed, but he wouldn't fall asleep for a while. Then he started yelling at me from his bedroom, telling me I needed to go to bed and sleep, because he wanted Santa to bring him a train table. He was really afraid if everyone in the house wasn't sleeping, he wasn't going to get it.
The poor kid slept terribly with nightmares, and in the morning was in a complete daze. He went to turn the Christmas tree lights on and sat down on the ottoman, literally 1 foot away from his bran new choo choo train table, all set up and ready. He didn't even see it! He looked at the tree and noticed there was a Buzz Lightyear stuffed doll thing under it and got excited. Then he started looking at all the wrapped presents (which had been there the night before and he'd already seen), and getting excited over them. I had to direct his attention to the choo choo train table, which was basically right in front of him. The poor kid was so tired!
Hayden pointing to the tree and not noticing the train table
Hayden's lack of excitement once he noticed the new train table
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Hayden's Prayer
Tonight, Hayden's bedtime prayer went a little like this...
"Heavny Faver. Thank you this day. Thank you baby Jesus. Bless baby Jesus bring me a choo choo train table. Because I was being a bad boy. Because Daddy called Santa and told him not to bring me choo choo train table. I really want one. Bless baby Jesus bring me choo choo train table soon. Like tomorrow. Because I really want one. And baby Jesus was born in nursery. Because I like nursery and I like baby Jesus. Help me sleep. Name Jesus Christ. Amen."
It's always interesting to see what he prays about. It usually includes a play-by-play of what happened that day. Today in his nursery class at church he learned about the birth of our Savior- hence the last part...and I was taking a nap this evening and had no idea a call to Santa was made, so this was news to me!
"Heavny Faver. Thank you this day. Thank you baby Jesus. Bless baby Jesus bring me a choo choo train table. Because I was being a bad boy. Because Daddy called Santa and told him not to bring me choo choo train table. I really want one. Bless baby Jesus bring me choo choo train table soon. Like tomorrow. Because I really want one. And baby Jesus was born in nursery. Because I like nursery and I like baby Jesus. Help me sleep. Name Jesus Christ. Amen."
It's always interesting to see what he prays about. It usually includes a play-by-play of what happened that day. Today in his nursery class at church he learned about the birth of our Savior- hence the last part...and I was taking a nap this evening and had no idea a call to Santa was made, so this was news to me!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Why I blog
THANK YOU all for the sweet sweet comments on the last few posts!! I usually try to reply to comments, but I've definitely been getting behind.
Friends like you are why I blog about the things I do! You all have much better comments than the half way, "it's nice" comments I usually get from the husband ;) I know he means more, but sometimes it's so fun to hear something more enthusiastic :)
Hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas season!!
Friends like you are why I blog about the things I do! You all have much better comments than the half way, "it's nice" comments I usually get from the husband ;) I know he means more, but sometimes it's so fun to hear something more enthusiastic :)
Hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas season!!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Jingle Jammies
This week Old Navy has a sale on their "jingle jammies" for $7. Awesome deal! I've been tempted to go buy some every time their commercial comes on and Hayden freaks out and begs for some of his own. Tonight I remembered I had bought some fabric last month, for the sole purpose of making him some Christmas jammies, so I figured maybe I should at least attempt before buying some.
He thinks his new "jingle" jammies are pretty darn awesome! I started off with just making the pants, but then I decided I could try and make the shirt too, even though I was pretty scared to try!
Overall, I'm happy with how they turned out, but if I were to do it again, I'd do some things differently... such as USE A PATTERN!! And not try to finish a pair of jammies in time for bed, if I'm only going to start them 30 minutes before bedtime!
He thinks his new "jingle" jammies are pretty darn awesome! I started off with just making the pants, but then I decided I could try and make the shirt too, even though I was pretty scared to try!
Overall, I'm happy with how they turned out, but if I were to do it again, I'd do some things differently... such as USE A PATTERN!! And not try to finish a pair of jammies in time for bed, if I'm only going to start them 30 minutes before bedtime!
Monday, December 14, 2009
show-and-tell projects
Months ago we picked up a couple of pieces of real cheap furniture to use for Ginny's room. Dressers are few and far between out here in my small, University student packed, little Montana town. I'd been looking for a low and long dresser so it could double as a changing table. When I walked in to a small little rummage sale my UV housing was having, I snatched it up as fast as I could at $10. It was big and in semi-good condition. It was ugly as heck, smelled a bit like smoke and had burn marks all over it. It was perfect! Everyone thought I was crazy when I snatched it up so fast and excited. Guess they'd never tried to find a used dresser in this town!
It sat and sat until I finally found time to paint it, inside my tiny little 3rd bedroom. I didn't want to do much sanding, but I really needed to get rid of the smoke smell, so I used some really good, smoke blocking primer and primed the heck out of the inside and out. Then I painted it black, because I'm still on my black furniture kick. I think black furniture looks good with every season, and makes anything else look nice and well put together! The most expensive part was spending $13 on these handles at Lowes. I wouldn't have even spent that much on handles, but the holes in the drawers were in really weird spots for a standard drawer pull, and I wasn't in the mood to patch up and re-drill holes. Overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out, and it gave me so much more storage space to hold all of Ginny's adorable little things!
My second item of furniture is the crib. We were driving down the road and Dirk thought he saw a dresser among a big pile of furniture with a "FREE" sign. We made a quick U-turn and I went and found a crib in beautiful condition that seemed very sturdy and still had all the hardware. We shoved Hayden's car seat over as far as it would go, put down the back seats and put it in the back of our car. I used about 5 1/2 cans of black spray paint, and very carefully painted it. When I start spray painting something, I always wonder what I got myself in to, because spray paint looks terrible and cheap when you first get started. But if you keep going and are patient with your layering, spray paint can really turn out great! Even my opinionated little brother (who thought I was ridiculous for even trying) was very impressed! I love how it turned out. Looks like it was factory painted. While looking up the manual online to make sure I correctly put the crib together, I discovered it is a high-end designer crib that originally retails for around $500-600! And I found it on the side of the road for free :)
I stored all kinds of junk under the crib and I was tired of looking at it, so I quickly sewed up this crib skirt the other day. I hope to some day get around to putting some cute stitched embellishments on it, but for now it's doing a good job hiding my junk!
I don't think I ever posted a picture of the quilt I spend forever making! It really wouldn't have taken so long if I didn't get confined to my bed with the flu for a week in the middle of working on it. I still plan to have some cute stitching done with a long-arm quilter, around the brown border, but for now it will do. There's a couple things I'd change if I did it again, but over all, I love it and am so proud of it! I love that it's girly, yet not over-the-top.
Some more random furniture re-do's... I picked up this table, new-in-box from Goodwill for $3. It was an overstock item from the dorm room collections from Target, and had a hideous design on the top. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at the time, but decided it was the perfect victim for my first try at Mod-Podge-ing furniture! I'd seen this done a bit around blogland, but never had a piece of furniture I was brave enough to try it on. I used one of my favorite fabric patterns from Alexander Henry, and used a lot of Mod-Podge to glue it on, then a lot more over the top to seal it, and make it very hard and furniture-like. I love the result. I was tempted to paint the base black, but that's a bit too much effort for me right now! The table is actually quite sturdy and has a very heavy base, and is the perfect size for a small corner... I wish I would have picked up a few more while they were available!
And my last little show-and-tell project is this chair. I found it in a dumpster pile this summer while we were out on a long walk, and I dragged it all the way home! It was in perfect stable condition, just ugly, covered in crayon, and the cushion had been peed on. I tossed the cushion right away and there the ugly thing sat for months. While I was waiting for my dresser paint to dry, I decided to give it a coat of it's own. I stapled on about 3 times as much padding as a chair like this would normally have (hey, I'm hurting these days!), and then spent about 3 hours trying to decide which piece of my fabric stash was going to get used for the seat. I decided to cut up a dress I had made 5 years ago for my sister's wedding and haven't worn since. This was the first cute pattern fabric I've ever bought and I've loved it ever since. I think it's what helped start my fabric collection!
So there's a few things that have been keeping me busy. I will hopefully have some more projects to share in the near future... hopefully before Ginny comes!
It sat and sat until I finally found time to paint it, inside my tiny little 3rd bedroom. I didn't want to do much sanding, but I really needed to get rid of the smoke smell, so I used some really good, smoke blocking primer and primed the heck out of the inside and out. Then I painted it black, because I'm still on my black furniture kick. I think black furniture looks good with every season, and makes anything else look nice and well put together! The most expensive part was spending $13 on these handles at Lowes. I wouldn't have even spent that much on handles, but the holes in the drawers were in really weird spots for a standard drawer pull, and I wasn't in the mood to patch up and re-drill holes. Overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out, and it gave me so much more storage space to hold all of Ginny's adorable little things!
My second item of furniture is the crib. We were driving down the road and Dirk thought he saw a dresser among a big pile of furniture with a "FREE" sign. We made a quick U-turn and I went and found a crib in beautiful condition that seemed very sturdy and still had all the hardware. We shoved Hayden's car seat over as far as it would go, put down the back seats and put it in the back of our car. I used about 5 1/2 cans of black spray paint, and very carefully painted it. When I start spray painting something, I always wonder what I got myself in to, because spray paint looks terrible and cheap when you first get started. But if you keep going and are patient with your layering, spray paint can really turn out great! Even my opinionated little brother (who thought I was ridiculous for even trying) was very impressed! I love how it turned out. Looks like it was factory painted. While looking up the manual online to make sure I correctly put the crib together, I discovered it is a high-end designer crib that originally retails for around $500-600! And I found it on the side of the road for free :)
I stored all kinds of junk under the crib and I was tired of looking at it, so I quickly sewed up this crib skirt the other day. I hope to some day get around to putting some cute stitched embellishments on it, but for now it's doing a good job hiding my junk!
I don't think I ever posted a picture of the quilt I spend forever making! It really wouldn't have taken so long if I didn't get confined to my bed with the flu for a week in the middle of working on it. I still plan to have some cute stitching done with a long-arm quilter, around the brown border, but for now it will do. There's a couple things I'd change if I did it again, but over all, I love it and am so proud of it! I love that it's girly, yet not over-the-top.
Some more random furniture re-do's... I picked up this table, new-in-box from Goodwill for $3. It was an overstock item from the dorm room collections from Target, and had a hideous design on the top. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at the time, but decided it was the perfect victim for my first try at Mod-Podge-ing furniture! I'd seen this done a bit around blogland, but never had a piece of furniture I was brave enough to try it on. I used one of my favorite fabric patterns from Alexander Henry, and used a lot of Mod-Podge to glue it on, then a lot more over the top to seal it, and make it very hard and furniture-like. I love the result. I was tempted to paint the base black, but that's a bit too much effort for me right now! The table is actually quite sturdy and has a very heavy base, and is the perfect size for a small corner... I wish I would have picked up a few more while they were available!
And my last little show-and-tell project is this chair. I found it in a dumpster pile this summer while we were out on a long walk, and I dragged it all the way home! It was in perfect stable condition, just ugly, covered in crayon, and the cushion had been peed on. I tossed the cushion right away and there the ugly thing sat for months. While I was waiting for my dresser paint to dry, I decided to give it a coat of it's own. I stapled on about 3 times as much padding as a chair like this would normally have (hey, I'm hurting these days!), and then spent about 3 hours trying to decide which piece of my fabric stash was going to get used for the seat. I decided to cut up a dress I had made 5 years ago for my sister's wedding and haven't worn since. This was the first cute pattern fabric I've ever bought and I've loved it ever since. I think it's what helped start my fabric collection!
So there's a few things that have been keeping me busy. I will hopefully have some more projects to share in the near future... hopefully before Ginny comes!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
It's beginning to feel like Christmas!
This afternoon it started to snow. Like really SNOW! None of that pretend, fake, tiny little stuff. These were big, fluffy, flakes! We put on some Christmas music and listened to Hayden sing along as we all watched the magic unfold outside. It was really nice to just enjoy the moment for a few minutes before we had to get ready to go to our Christmas party.
We had a visitor from Santa Claus! Hayden had been looking forward to this all week and knew just what he was going to ask him for. He's been practicing and practicing what he'd say, and he even decided all on his own, he'd better say, "Please" to Santa. When the feeble, not so jolly, old Santa came in, Hayden's face lit up with excitement! It was so fun to watch him. He got really quiet, then said in a wondrous voice, "It's Santa!"
We stood in a very unruly line and Hayden started to get a little disappointed. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "I want to tell Santa what I want, but all these big giant kids are in my way!" Then he started to get really nervous as we got closer. When it was finally his turn, he refused to sit on his lap, and was a bit nervous at first, but with a little prompting to tell Santa what he wanted, he got excited and yelled, "A choo choo train table!" Then he said, "please" and sweetly said, "Thank you" as Santa handed him a bag of goodies. Then he ran away as fast as he could!
...He was pretty nervous!....
...getting a reminder from Mommy on what he was supposed to be doing up there...
...finally getting to ask Santa for a choo choo train table...
...Thanks Santa!...
After the party we went outside to find lots of snow and still more falling! We got in the car, put on some Christmas music, and went for a drive to look at lights. Hayden loves to look at Christmas lights and gets excited over the most simple and not so well put-together displays. He makes everyone's lights seem fabulous! As the song, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" came on, he started singing along, and as I listened carefully, I noticed he was singing almost every single word on time, not after he already heard it! I can't believe he knows this song already! I guess he really was paying attention when I sang it to him so many times in a threatening voice!
Other favorite songs that he is getting REALLY good at singing along to are "Little Drummer Boy" and "Angels We Have Heard on High". I love listening to him sing! It is so adorable and he is actually figuring out how to carry a tune rather well!
When we finally made it home, we got out of the car and Hayden got so excited over the snow that was still falling. It was such a fun moment watching him play. He didn't want to come inside at all, even though his hands were freezing!
I love this time of year. Having a kid this age makes it so much more magical and fun!
...practicing what he's going to say to Santa...
We had a ward Christmas party at our church tonight. They had a delicious dinner prepared for us, and lots and lots of desserts were brought. Hayden had lots of fun running around with his friends. Then when the primary children acted out the nativity, the little kids sat on the floor in front of the stage and watched. Hayden decided to stand in front of these kids and pretend he too was a part of the nativity and acted out the story and pretended to talk on the microphone. He's such a little show-off!
We had a visitor from Santa Claus! Hayden had been looking forward to this all week and knew just what he was going to ask him for. He's been practicing and practicing what he'd say, and he even decided all on his own, he'd better say, "Please" to Santa. When the feeble, not so jolly, old Santa came in, Hayden's face lit up with excitement! It was so fun to watch him. He got really quiet, then said in a wondrous voice, "It's Santa!"
...after he noticed Santa walk in the room, he watched in awe...
...I tried to take a picture of his excitement, but he got embarrassed and kept telling me not to take a picture of him, but to take a picture of Santa!...
...I tried to take a picture of his excitement, but he got embarrassed and kept telling me not to take a picture of him, but to take a picture of Santa!...
We stood in a very unruly line and Hayden started to get a little disappointed. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "I want to tell Santa what I want, but all these big giant kids are in my way!" Then he started to get really nervous as we got closer. When it was finally his turn, he refused to sit on his lap, and was a bit nervous at first, but with a little prompting to tell Santa what he wanted, he got excited and yelled, "A choo choo train table!" Then he said, "please" and sweetly said, "Thank you" as Santa handed him a bag of goodies. Then he ran away as fast as he could!
...He wouldn't even look at him at first!...
...He was pretty nervous!....
...getting a reminder from Mommy on what he was supposed to be doing up there...
...finally getting to ask Santa for a choo choo train table...
...Thanks Santa!...
After the party we went outside to find lots of snow and still more falling! We got in the car, put on some Christmas music, and went for a drive to look at lights. Hayden loves to look at Christmas lights and gets excited over the most simple and not so well put-together displays. He makes everyone's lights seem fabulous! As the song, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" came on, he started singing along, and as I listened carefully, I noticed he was singing almost every single word on time, not after he already heard it! I can't believe he knows this song already! I guess he really was paying attention when I sang it to him so many times in a threatening voice!
Other favorite songs that he is getting REALLY good at singing along to are "Little Drummer Boy" and "Angels We Have Heard on High". I love listening to him sing! It is so adorable and he is actually figuring out how to carry a tune rather well!
When we finally made it home, we got out of the car and Hayden got so excited over the snow that was still falling. It was such a fun moment watching him play. He didn't want to come inside at all, even though his hands were freezing!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Christmas decor
I absolutely love decorating for Christmas. I start early, and I don't stop making things and putting things up and arranging things until Christmas day! I have a weakness of wanting to spend more on Christmas decor than I do on the necessities, so every year, when we make our Christmas budget, part of my allotment is put toward allowing me to buy some new things. Needless to say, I'm TERRIBLE at sticking to that. I do try to shop frugally or make a lot of my own things though, and so far I'm really happy with how our place is looking!
My "mantel"... I'm liking lots of red accents this year.
I like to decorate by putting things in jars- peppermint candies and a random assortment of craft bells I've collected over the years...super cheap and simple!!
I love my little reindeer I painted last year- it started off as a cardboard type do-it-yourself craft from Hobby Lobby (I miss that store!!!). For just a couple dollars, he's one of my favorite decorations to put on display.
This is my favorite ornament on my tree. It's a Jim Shore ornament I picked up a few years back. It makes me happy :)
I love nice nativity scenes- not too fond of the cheap/affordable, porcelain painted ones. I always like the sets that seem to run in the price range of $60+ (yikes). It's the one Christmas decoration I really want a really nice one of, but why oh why do the nice ones have to cost so much?? This year I found this cute little "holy family" set for $6!!! Joseph stands about 8 inches tall and the details are really quite nice. And at that price, it's just perfect for now!
I usually HATE the stuff, but this year I was craving some GLITTER and SPARKLE! A couple years ago, I picked up a HUGE jar of Martha Stewart fine crafting glitter in "antique silver" for $2 (I know this b/c the price tag is still on it!). This stuff usually retails for over $10 a bottle. I'd never used it, because I usually don't like glitter. I bought it because it was a good buy, and I'm so glad I did. People, if you want to try glitter, but hate the cheap, grade school type stuff, this is fabulous. It is cut so finely, I think it's more like a "dust". And even better, it cleans up soooo easy! Not once have I found random glitter bits hanging around, and I promise you, I am NOT a clean crafter. I also love this color because it's sort of silver, sort of gold. So of course, I've been glittering everything I can get my hands on lately!
I saw some cute glittered votive candle holders at Michael's for $6 a piece. I went to the next aisle over and found some plain glass votive holders for 2/$1. Brush some mod-podge on them, sprinkle with glitter, and there you have it. The same thing for way less!
I bought this ceramic bird at a cute little home decor store. It was rather vintage/chic and not really my style. But it was only $1.50, so I brought it home and glittered it!
How's this for frugal glittering... I mod-podged these letters with scrap book paper a year or two ago. I decided this year I didn't really like them and thought about putting new paper on. Then I realized another layer of mod-podge and glitter was much easier! I'm all about the quick and fast outcome crafts! (seriously- I attempted a slow craft a few weeks ago and it has been put away for next year!)
I've also glittered some pine-cones from outside, cinnamon sticks, and the base of some red candles that were just missing something.
*I've been asked a few times how I glitter so much without having the glitter rub off the final project. I'm sure you could use some sort of expensive crafting spray adhesive, but I just do a fine mist of the hairspray from my bathroom. It holds it on like a charm!
So there you have it. A few of my inexpensive decor ideas... At least a few to make it more shiney and bright!
My "mantel"... I'm liking lots of red accents this year.
I like to decorate by putting things in jars- peppermint candies and a random assortment of craft bells I've collected over the years...super cheap and simple!!
I love my little reindeer I painted last year- it started off as a cardboard type do-it-yourself craft from Hobby Lobby (I miss that store!!!). For just a couple dollars, he's one of my favorite decorations to put on display.
This is my favorite ornament on my tree. It's a Jim Shore ornament I picked up a few years back. It makes me happy :)
I love nice nativity scenes- not too fond of the cheap/affordable, porcelain painted ones. I always like the sets that seem to run in the price range of $60+ (yikes). It's the one Christmas decoration I really want a really nice one of, but why oh why do the nice ones have to cost so much?? This year I found this cute little "holy family" set for $6!!! Joseph stands about 8 inches tall and the details are really quite nice. And at that price, it's just perfect for now!
I usually HATE the stuff, but this year I was craving some GLITTER and SPARKLE! A couple years ago, I picked up a HUGE jar of Martha Stewart fine crafting glitter in "antique silver" for $2 (I know this b/c the price tag is still on it!). This stuff usually retails for over $10 a bottle. I'd never used it, because I usually don't like glitter. I bought it because it was a good buy, and I'm so glad I did. People, if you want to try glitter, but hate the cheap, grade school type stuff, this is fabulous. It is cut so finely, I think it's more like a "dust". And even better, it cleans up soooo easy! Not once have I found random glitter bits hanging around, and I promise you, I am NOT a clean crafter. I also love this color because it's sort of silver, sort of gold. So of course, I've been glittering everything I can get my hands on lately!
I saw some cute glittered votive candle holders at Michael's for $6 a piece. I went to the next aisle over and found some plain glass votive holders for 2/$1. Brush some mod-podge on them, sprinkle with glitter, and there you have it. The same thing for way less!
I bought this ceramic bird at a cute little home decor store. It was rather vintage/chic and not really my style. But it was only $1.50, so I brought it home and glittered it!
How's this for frugal glittering... I mod-podged these letters with scrap book paper a year or two ago. I decided this year I didn't really like them and thought about putting new paper on. Then I realized another layer of mod-podge and glitter was much easier! I'm all about the quick and fast outcome crafts! (seriously- I attempted a slow craft a few weeks ago and it has been put away for next year!)
I've also glittered some pine-cones from outside, cinnamon sticks, and the base of some red candles that were just missing something.
*I've been asked a few times how I glitter so much without having the glitter rub off the final project. I'm sure you could use some sort of expensive crafting spray adhesive, but I just do a fine mist of the hairspray from my bathroom. It holds it on like a charm!
So there you have it. A few of my inexpensive decor ideas... At least a few to make it more shiney and bright!
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Pregnancy Lists
I keep getting requests for a new blog post about all my projects I've been working on... or my Christmas decor... I've started both, but neither have made it to "publishing". I'm just having trouble getting myself to take the time to upload pictures. You see, the laptop doesn't like to upload my pictures, and the husband doesn't like all my thousands of MB of pictures taking up space on his computer. The problem is, my desktop is in the room that is cold, messy, distracting with too many other projects to work on, no comfortable chair, and no Christmas tree lights to squint my eyes and stare at for hours on end. Sitting at the desktop is just no fun. So until I get a little bit more motivation, we'll have to do with some lists.
I like lists. Lately I like to make lists for everything. Then I write the list down in 3 different places. Then I rewrite and revise the lists. They're mostly to-do lists, and they mostly never get accomplished. Here's my lists on thoughts on pregnancy... since that seems to be the most prevalent thing on my mind at all times lately.
(in no particular order)
Ten best things about pregnancy
1. Feeling like I always have a secret... something that is temporarily all mine and no one else's.
2. My boobs get bigger :)
3. Strangers seem much more kind and courteous
4. Being able to use pregnancy as an excuse to con strangers into being more kind and courteous (like convincing them to let you cut in line for example) ... not that I do that sort of stuff....
5. Feeling kicks and wiggles and watching my belly wave like the ocean
6. sex dreams. (just keeping it real here!)
7. Not feeling so guilty about sleeping in until noon :)
8. Looking at cute baby clothes!
9. Imagining tiny little fingers and toes and fuzzy heads and cute little cheeks that I'll one day get to snuggle with :)
10. Nesting instincts. I get sooo much more accomplished when these hit!
11. Always getting dibs on using the bathroom first :)
12. Getting free upgrades on airplanes and in hotels (haven't gotten to take advantage of it this time around but I did a lot when I was pregnant with Hayden).
13. Not feeling like I should change out of my sweats after 3 days of wearing them, just to go to the grocery store.
14. Decorating and organizing the baby's room.
Ten most ANNOYING things about pregnancy
1. weird dreams... like dreams that keep you wondering all day long why the heck you dreamed about that. and yes, sex dreams go in this category too.
2. That in-between time when no one can really tell you're pregnant, but you feel very overly pregnant
3. People assuming I can eat all you want now, but really it's the only time in my life that I actually REALLY watch what I eat and try to be healthy.
4. The doctors telling me to exercise more and to start "training for a marathon". ugh!
5. Getting scolded for how much weight I've gained, too quickly.
6. My personal identity disappearing, and suddenly the only thing I'm known for is "being pregnant"
7. Going through more than one pair of underwear in a day... especially annoying when it's more than two... or three... or when I run out of underwear before laundry day comes.
8. Prenatal vitamins. gross. huge.
9. Acne worse than when I was in high school
10. Not being able to eat the cookie dough :(
11. My crotch feeling like it got attacked by a baseball bat
12. Acid Reflux ALL.THE.TIME.
13. Listening to random strangers tell stories about how "this one thing happened to my cousin's husband's best friend's pregnant wife...."
14. Getting in and out of my car that is obviously too low to the ground for a pregnant woman.
15. People being overly cautious of me. Like suddenly it's not safe for me to stand on a chair to hang something on the wall.... ......
16. crying at everything. Like billboards. Or cell phone and toilet paper commercials.
17. Not being able to wear my cute high heels without falling over
18. Not being able to look sideways while in an elevator or escalator without falling over.
19. Some of my favorite foods and smells are suddenly disgusting to me.
20. Only being able to take Tylenol for pain... because I might as well eat a Smartee
21. Everybody suddenly seems to walk WAY too fast...
22. My butt hurts. Technically it's my pelvic bone. Either way, I hurt, down there, all the time.
23. Excuse me while I go pee...again...
Ten most annoying things PEOPLE SAY.... *and my response (if I had the guts)
1. How are you feeling? *pregnant. fat. hungry. my butt hurts. i just peed my pants again. annoyed that you're the 50th person to ask me that today.your breath smells
2. You're having a boy. I can tell.
3. How are you feeling?
4. Are you sure you're not having twins? *Are you sure YOU are not pregnan?? 'cause you're looking awfully fat...
5. How are you feeling?
6. You're barely even showing, in fact, you're smaller than last time. *Really? Is that why all my maternity clothes are TOO SMALL and my belly knocks things over as I walk through the stores, and everyone stares at me?
7. How are you feeling?
8. So was this planned? *seriously? Do I look 16 to you? Yes this was planned. (I had a stranger ask me this recently)
9. You look cuter in maternity clothes than you do in regular clothes. *Wow. Thanks. I'm not quite sure how to respond to this one.
10.Are you nervous about the pain during delivery?? *ummm... would YOU be nervous if you knew you had to push out an 8 pound turd? Yeah, I thought so.
11. Are you pregnant? *no. I just walk around all day with a basketball under my shirt for kicks and giggles.
12. Can I feel your belly? *ALWAY, I mean ALWAYS asked by a really nasty, creepy looking stranger in a check-out line at the store.
13. How are you feeling?
Okay- so I'm obviously not good at keeping lists to just 10 things, but it felt nice to share my thoughts :) Now I'm off to arrange my 12 pillows in the bed so I can attempt to fall asleep before the pain hits.
I like lists. Lately I like to make lists for everything. Then I write the list down in 3 different places. Then I rewrite and revise the lists. They're mostly to-do lists, and they mostly never get accomplished. Here's my lists on thoughts on pregnancy... since that seems to be the most prevalent thing on my mind at all times lately.
(in no particular order)
Ten best things about pregnancy
1. Feeling like I always have a secret... something that is temporarily all mine and no one else's.
2. My boobs get bigger :)
3. Strangers seem much more kind and courteous
4. Being able to use pregnancy as an excuse to con strangers into being more kind and courteous (like convincing them to let you cut in line for example) ... not that I do that sort of stuff....
5. Feeling kicks and wiggles and watching my belly wave like the ocean
6. sex dreams. (just keeping it real here!)
7. Not feeling so guilty about sleeping in until noon :)
8. Looking at cute baby clothes!
9. Imagining tiny little fingers and toes and fuzzy heads and cute little cheeks that I'll one day get to snuggle with :)
10. Nesting instincts. I get sooo much more accomplished when these hit!
11. Always getting dibs on using the bathroom first :)
12. Getting free upgrades on airplanes and in hotels (haven't gotten to take advantage of it this time around but I did a lot when I was pregnant with Hayden).
13. Not feeling like I should change out of my sweats after 3 days of wearing them, just to go to the grocery store.
14. Decorating and organizing the baby's room.
Ten most ANNOYING things about pregnancy
1. weird dreams... like dreams that keep you wondering all day long why the heck you dreamed about that. and yes, sex dreams go in this category too.
2. That in-between time when no one can really tell you're pregnant, but you feel very overly pregnant
3. People assuming I can eat all you want now, but really it's the only time in my life that I actually REALLY watch what I eat and try to be healthy.
4. The doctors telling me to exercise more and to start "training for a marathon". ugh!
5. Getting scolded for how much weight I've gained, too quickly.
6. My personal identity disappearing, and suddenly the only thing I'm known for is "being pregnant"
7. Going through more than one pair of underwear in a day... especially annoying when it's more than two... or three... or when I run out of underwear before laundry day comes.
8. Prenatal vitamins. gross. huge.
9. Acne worse than when I was in high school
10. Not being able to eat the cookie dough :(
11. My crotch feeling like it got attacked by a baseball bat
12. Acid Reflux ALL.THE.TIME.
13. Listening to random strangers tell stories about how "this one thing happened to my cousin's husband's best friend's pregnant wife...."
14. Getting in and out of my car that is obviously too low to the ground for a pregnant woman.
15. People being overly cautious of me. Like suddenly it's not safe for me to stand on a chair to hang something on the wall.... ......
16. crying at everything. Like billboards. Or cell phone and toilet paper commercials.
17. Not being able to wear my cute high heels without falling over
18. Not being able to look sideways while in an elevator or escalator without falling over.
19. Some of my favorite foods and smells are suddenly disgusting to me.
20. Only being able to take Tylenol for pain... because I might as well eat a Smartee
21. Everybody suddenly seems to walk WAY too fast...
22. My butt hurts. Technically it's my pelvic bone. Either way, I hurt, down there, all the time.
23. Excuse me while I go pee...again...
Ten most annoying things PEOPLE SAY.... *and my response (if I had the guts)
1. How are you feeling? *pregnant. fat. hungry. my butt hurts. i just peed my pants again. annoyed that you're the 50th person to ask me that today.your breath smells
2. You're having a boy. I can tell.
3. How are you feeling?
4. Are you sure you're not having twins? *Are you sure YOU are not pregnan?? 'cause you're looking awfully fat...
5. How are you feeling?
6. You're barely even showing, in fact, you're smaller than last time. *Really? Is that why all my maternity clothes are TOO SMALL and my belly knocks things over as I walk through the stores, and everyone stares at me?
7. How are you feeling?
8. So was this planned? *seriously? Do I look 16 to you? Yes this was planned. (I had a stranger ask me this recently)
9. You look cuter in maternity clothes than you do in regular clothes. *Wow. Thanks. I'm not quite sure how to respond to this one.
10.Are you nervous about the pain during delivery?? *ummm... would YOU be nervous if you knew you had to push out an 8 pound turd? Yeah, I thought so.
11. Are you pregnant? *no. I just walk around all day with a basketball under my shirt for kicks and giggles.
12. Can I feel your belly? *ALWAY, I mean ALWAYS asked by a really nasty, creepy looking stranger in a check-out line at the store.
13. How are you feeling?
Okay- so I'm obviously not good at keeping lists to just 10 things, but it felt nice to share my thoughts :) Now I'm off to arrange my 12 pillows in the bed so I can attempt to fall asleep before the pain hits.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Laura....and the boys?
Only about 7 weeks left until the arrival of our newest family member!! I've been told it's a girl. It appeared to be a girl on the screen. But I can't help but keep having these "nightmares" that my baby will come out and surprise us all! I guess "nightmare" isn't really the word- because I just want another baby, but I am so ready for a girl, and have given away all my little boy things! So if this little person comes out a boy, I'm in big trouble! I'm tempted to ask my doctor to give me another ultrasound just to check, but I'm pretty sure it's too late in the game for that, and she/he is too squished in there to even see anything.
So cross your fingers for me that my little one wasn't hiding a little something and that I will get my girl!
And in the event that all is well, and it is a girl- well, I need a new blogger name to call myself. I won't just be "Laura... and the boys" anymore. I can't seem to think of anything at all, and I'd really like not just a new name, but a name for my blog. After 3+ years of blogging, I still haven't thought of anything more clever or cute than "Neill Family"...boring!
So, any ideas? Throw them out there!
So cross your fingers for me that my little one wasn't hiding a little something and that I will get my girl!
And in the event that all is well, and it is a girl- well, I need a new blogger name to call myself. I won't just be "Laura... and the boys" anymore. I can't seem to think of anything at all, and I'd really like not just a new name, but a name for my blog. After 3+ years of blogging, I still haven't thought of anything more clever or cute than "Neill Family"...boring!
So, any ideas? Throw them out there!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Colors of Fall
Our trees are lacking pretty color changes this year, and it has forced me to look for beauty elsewhere.
I love the golden glow of all the dried grasses and weeds. Especially when the sun is hitting them.
I'm not sure if this one has changed much from other times of the year, but my mom's hen & chick plant had a little survivor poking out from the leaves in the flower garden. I thought the purple-green contrast was so pretty.
I love the golden glow of all the dried grasses and weeds. Especially when the sun is hitting them.
I'm not sure if this one has changed much from other times of the year, but my mom's hen & chick plant had a little survivor poking out from the leaves in the flower garden. I thought the purple-green contrast was so pretty.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Educating Hayden
Trying to explain pregnancy and a new baby to a 3 year old has been quite amusing.
Sometimes when Hayden is being curious about my belly, I will talk to him about his new sister that will be joining us soon. I tell him she can hear him, so he can talk to her now and tell her about all the adventures they will have. He gets really close to my belly-button, which is the door to her home, he's decided, and talks to her. Then he puts his ear right up next to my belly and gets a discouraged look on his face. "I can't hear her. She's not talking to me. I don't think she's home."
Hayden likes to give me "belly kisses", which consists of his bare belly against my bare belly. Last night Hayden was comparing my size of belly to his. He noticed mine was much bigger than his, so I asked him why. He says, "because there's lots and lots of chocolate milk in mommy's belly." I ask him if his baby sister is in there too, and he says, "No. Just chocolate milk. Mommy drinks ALL my chocolate milk."
Today, Hayden was bouncing off the walls, as normal, and came up and tried to "goose" my boob. As in, he used his tiny little claw like hands to try and pull my nipple off. (I can say that right? I don't think any boys read my blog!) Oh my goodness it hurt like hell!!! I got mad at him and he ran away crying. Then he came back and we had a talk about how he had to be nice to mommy. He said, "Grabbing booboos doesn't hurt, it tickles!" because apparently it tickles when he and Daddy wrestles. I tried to explain to him that it hurts Mommy, and he has to be nice to Mommy's booboos, because Ginny was going to need them so she could eat her food. (It was a little awkward telling him this, but hey, he's going to see it eventually...). Hayden got a really confused look on his face, then through tears, he perks up and says, "Ginny doesn't need to eat Mommy's booboos. That's disgusting!"
Sometimes when Hayden is being curious about my belly, I will talk to him about his new sister that will be joining us soon. I tell him she can hear him, so he can talk to her now and tell her about all the adventures they will have. He gets really close to my belly-button, which is the door to her home, he's decided, and talks to her. Then he puts his ear right up next to my belly and gets a discouraged look on his face. "I can't hear her. She's not talking to me. I don't think she's home."
Hayden likes to give me "belly kisses", which consists of his bare belly against my bare belly. Last night Hayden was comparing my size of belly to his. He noticed mine was much bigger than his, so I asked him why. He says, "because there's lots and lots of chocolate milk in mommy's belly." I ask him if his baby sister is in there too, and he says, "No. Just chocolate milk. Mommy drinks ALL my chocolate milk."
Today, Hayden was bouncing off the walls, as normal, and came up and tried to "goose" my boob. As in, he used his tiny little claw like hands to try and pull my nipple off. (I can say that right? I don't think any boys read my blog!) Oh my goodness it hurt like hell!!! I got mad at him and he ran away crying. Then he came back and we had a talk about how he had to be nice to mommy. He said, "Grabbing booboos doesn't hurt, it tickles!" because apparently it tickles when he and Daddy wrestles. I tried to explain to him that it hurts Mommy, and he has to be nice to Mommy's booboos, because Ginny was going to need them so she could eat her food. (It was a little awkward telling him this, but hey, he's going to see it eventually...). Hayden got a really confused look on his face, then through tears, he perks up and says, "Ginny doesn't need to eat Mommy's booboos. That's disgusting!"
Here is my belly at 30 weeks. Only 10 weeks left. Sorry for the lack of smile... for some reason, again, the one with me not smiling is the one that shows my belly the best.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Halloween!
Hayden has been sooo excited for Halloween this year. It made it a lot of fun! I made him a robot - "CANDY-BOT" costume, by his request to be a robot. I was hoping it would have turned out looking nicer and less messy, but it turned out to be a big hit while we were walking around! It made it especially happy when the very-busy-with-their-party college boys thought it was the coolest ever... or when the mom on the phone squealed and had to tell the person she was talking to, every single detail about it!
We went trick-or-treating, traditional, door to door style. I was pretty excited about that. I think that way can be a lot more fun then just a giant gathering at a church or something.
We started out early so we could beat the cold that never came (it was about 50 degrees!).
Hayden was hilarious, because he couldn't move his arms much, so he was unable to put candy from one hand in to his bucket in the other. He couldn't reach doorbells either, so we'd go up to the door, I'd ring the bell, then make sure at houses where he was able to choose candy, I'd have to take it from him and put it in his bucket, otherwise it ended up on the ground, every time! Once Hayden figured the system out (after about 3-4 houses), he started to say the most adorable things like, "Thank you Sir." or "Thank you Mommy" (to a very pregnant woman) "Thank you kid" (to a teenager).
My favorite that happened a few times, "Thank you Honey!" hahaha oops! He also started saying "Happy Halloween" at every single door after he'd say thank you. After a while when we had some houses with Christmas-style lights, and he started saying "Happy Halloween, Happy Christmas".
He'd heard it so much through the night, that he started telling people, "I LOVE your costume!", even to people who weren't dressed up! He was so animated, having so much fun, and was cracking everyone up.
Dirk decided at the last minute to grab his machete to go with the shirt he was wearing. One of the first costumes we saw last night was a really gross zombie who was more than happy to pose for a picture! The hunter and the hunted...
At the end of the 2 hour walk, covering about 15 blocks, my feet were tired and Hayden informed us he was all done and wanted to go home. He sat in the wagon, practically frozen in place by his costume, and kept saying over and over, "This was a great day!".
Hope you all had a fun and Happy Halloween!
We went trick-or-treating, traditional, door to door style. I was pretty excited about that. I think that way can be a lot more fun then just a giant gathering at a church or something.
We started out early so we could beat the cold that never came (it was about 50 degrees!).
Hayden was hilarious, because he couldn't move his arms much, so he was unable to put candy from one hand in to his bucket in the other. He couldn't reach doorbells either, so we'd go up to the door, I'd ring the bell, then make sure at houses where he was able to choose candy, I'd have to take it from him and put it in his bucket, otherwise it ended up on the ground, every time! Once Hayden figured the system out (after about 3-4 houses), he started to say the most adorable things like, "Thank you Sir." or "Thank you Mommy" (to a very pregnant woman) "Thank you kid" (to a teenager).
My favorite that happened a few times, "Thank you Honey!" hahaha oops! He also started saying "Happy Halloween" at every single door after he'd say thank you. After a while when we had some houses with Christmas-style lights, and he started saying "Happy Halloween, Happy Christmas".
He'd heard it so much through the night, that he started telling people, "I LOVE your costume!", even to people who weren't dressed up! He was so animated, having so much fun, and was cracking everyone up.
Dirk decided at the last minute to grab his machete to go with the shirt he was wearing. One of the first costumes we saw last night was a really gross zombie who was more than happy to pose for a picture! The hunter and the hunted...
At the end of the 2 hour walk, covering about 15 blocks, my feet were tired and Hayden informed us he was all done and wanted to go home. He sat in the wagon, practically frozen in place by his costume, and kept saying over and over, "This was a great day!".
Hope you all had a fun and Happy Halloween!
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