New Additions

Tare and I have just finished a couple of new things for the Nursery (which, by the way will be occupied in a matter of WEEKS now!!) Its almost magical what a little sand paper and paint can do...

Out with the Old...

...and in with the New!

A little splash of color too...

Craft time

Last week I was free of all responsibility! No work, no kids, no husband (because he was studying). How many times do you find yourself not having to go to work, school, or take care of any kids? It was easy for me to realize I will never be in that situation again, so I decided to take advantage by using my sewing machine and making some crafts. Of course they are all for the baby :)

I made these burp cloths in sets of 2. The ones that are folded were pretty easy, but those double sided ones gave me a run for my money. I tried a different method on every one. I've never sewed anything before in my life so don't look too close or you'll see I'm the world's worst seamstress.

Here are a few little clips I made for Liv and tried them on Addie... She didn't like them too much. We'll see what my baby thinks about them when she gets here.

...and a few onesies. I made more than this but these were my faves.


Now I just need to learn how to make these little ruffles to add to the bum and they'll be finished.

It was a really fun week, the only thing that would have been better was if Brady wasn't locked away studying. I was able to be a normal housewife- cooking, cleaning, organizing, running errands, and taking care of things around the house. It was fun and made me nostalgic for the day that I will get to stay home. I really enjoy doing those things, but now I'm back in school. One day I'll get to be home again :)

On Thursday (my second day off) I started sanding the dresser. Brady was studying all day, so I took this project on by myself and tried not to bother him with too many questions on how the power sander works. He snuck in a couple pics of me though!

After getting all the drawers done, I had to take a friend to the airport. I had volunteered to take her and was planing on going without Brady (so he could keep studying), but as the time drew closer, he was done with his studying for the day, and I decided to beg him to come. After much persuasion, he agreed. Little did I know that was a huge blessing.

On the way home from the airport, we had our tire blow out. It was such a weird sound, for a second I looked at the car next to us and thought, "what is wrong with your car?" Then the noise grew louder and I could feel the car pulling. Brady was calm, and made his way across three lanes to the side of the highway. We were still in Salt Lake, and there wasn't an exit for a few miles, so we had no choice but to pull off on the shoulder. We were right under a bridge, so he had me go sit on the ramp under the bridge as far away from the cars as possible, while he changed the tire by himself.

my hero


me sitting on the side





Although I do know how to change a tire, I was very thankful that I didn't have to! Doing all the lifting and bending over on the side of the highway is probably not an ideal situation for a pregnant lady (or really anyone), and Brady was glad that he was there so that I didn't have to. It was kind of scary to be that close to cars, trucks, and semi's zooming by at 80+ miles per hour.

Afterward, we went and played games with his mom and sisters who are in town right now!

We found this rocking chair at DI. The frame was awesome, the fabric not so much. It was priced at $35, and brady was convinced that if it was just $10 less, then it would be worth it, so we left without the chair.

The next day at work I was thinking about that chair and decided that I really needed it. I had fallen in love with the frame and knew that we could figure out how to re-upholster it and make it work for us. Brady, being the intelligent husband he is, agreed to go ahead and buy it since I wanted it so bad.

We went back to DI and low and behold the rocker had been marked down to $25! I knew it had to be fate! I was feeling really good about this because now I knew I really wanted it, and we were getting it for the price that Brady felt was right.

It gets better, as we were checking out Brady just decides on a whim to ask the checkout guy if he can go any lower on the price. I am thinking, "this isn't an antique store or market, its DI. they don't barter", but to my surprise the checkout guy was in a great mood and said he would give it to us for $15! We were so happy about it, and now we knew it was worth it to try our hand at re-upholstering, even though we have no experience.

Before:

Brady did all the dirty work.

And when I say all, I mean that one day I came home from work and it was done! He surprised me with the finished product! I know he put a lot of work into cutting the old fabric off, unscrewing the boards, cutting the foam and batting to the right size and shape, and putting it all back together!



After:


We both picked out the fabric at a store that was going out of business, so it was also a steal of a deal. I'm so happy with the end result, and and excited to rock our baby in this chair that her daddy 'made' for her.

Tissue paper pom poms

Some people have been asking how to make these pom poms so here are the instructions, as seen on Martha Stewart weddings.

How to Make the Pom-Poms

You'll need tissue paper and 24-gauge white cloth-covered floral wire.

Hanging Pom-Poms

1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.

These are so great because obviously you can use these decorations for more than just weddings. You can also vary the sizes by cutting the tissue paper into smaller squares. I am going to hang some above our rocking chair in our baby girl's room.

Cheap and easy decorating. Don't you just love Martha!