A Tour of the Unfinished Nursery

A couple of months ago my sister suggested that I should take pictures of the nursery and post them, since waiting until I FINISHED the nursery would probably be too long.

I, of course, was offended.

Now, 2+ months later, I am humble enough to share the unfinished pictures with you.

I repainted this rocking chair, and sewed the pillow.  I still need to do a larger cushion for the seat. {Fox put in carpet and base trim, and did the basic white paint, as well as putting in a new light fixture.}

I repainted the hook strip, frame, and shelf.  I also photoshopped the picture of the temple so that it would match the color scheme more.  I still need other things for the shelf...I want an {unbreakable} owl and otter.  The sign is from when Chick was first born.  I made the bracelets.  {They are still WAY too big}

I made this diaper stacker using an online tutorial, but the ruffle and front pintucks were my own ideas.  It hangs on a tension rod on one side of the closet...which works double duty by keeping the older kids out of the closet.

A framed picture of the babies.  I repainted the dresser, but you can't see it in this picture.  Next to this is a changing pad.

I modpodged paper onto letters, and hung them using velcro.  And I made a fabric flower.  It's about two feet in diameter.  It's still a little flopsy...you can see the pin that I added for stability "until I can sew it."  This grouping is over the dresser.

 

This is a picture grouping that will be next to the door (the little shelf and hooks are on the other side).  My sister Melinda gave me the letter hooks and they are perfect.  The pictures aren't final...I was just figuring out the frames.  The top left frame is a magnet board and I made a set of magnet pebbles.  I also made the crib sheet underneath.

 

And finally, my favorite part: the squiggly wall.  My sister Judy helped paint the stripes while my Mom watched the kids, and later I freehanded the squigglies while my sister Laura watched the kids.  Eventually I'll put up a large black and white print on canvas of the baby girls on this wall.

 

I still want to make curtains and bedding...the fabrics have been in a neat little pile in my room for months.

 

This post was typed one handed...please excuse any typos.  I have two sweet little girls sleeping on my lap. : )

The Sweetness at the bottom of the pie

I just totally *lifted* my post title from the title of a book that I haven't even read...but I do like the title and I do think it applies to my day yesterday.  I didn't actually have any pie, mind you, but I did have a lot of sweetness.
The sweetness started at 5:30 a.m. when I got to wake up and have my lovely pregnancy insomnia at a more reasonable hour and with the company of my husband.  We watched a show together on the laptop, and then I went back to sleep for a few minutes while he got up and took care of the kids.

The sweetness reached maximum sweet when it was time for me to wake up and Chick came in to talk to me.  She told me how many days until her birthday, and that she knew I was tired and that the babies needed breakfast, so she was going to bring me breakfast in bed.
Monkey helped her.  Breakfast consisted of: orange juice, peanuts, blueberries, crackers, and wheat chex.  All but the o.j. was served dry on a plate, atop a bed tray.  The girls stayed and talked to me the whole time that I ate-- explaining how they decided on each type of food, why it was healthy for me and the babies, etc.  Monkey kept touching it.  I suspect the presentation and content of breakfasts in bed will get better as the years progress, but the sentiment and effort will never be beat.  I sure love those girls.

During breakfast in bed I was informed that when I got up I was going to make them pancakes and Daddy was going to make bacon.  Pancakes weren't really in my hurried morning plan, but I didn't want to mess up their plans, so I made time for it.

After breakfast, dressing, and getting a salad tossed together, I ran the kids to my aunt's place for a few hours.  Then I was off to a Relief Society function "Demo, Dine, & Design" where I saw how to do several things, ate a DELICIOUS lunch, visited with great sistas, got a lot of good twin advice from a mom of twins, and learned how to Nifty Knit.  (Since then I've finished two baby hats...pretty quick and easy!)  It really was fantastic and relaxing. 

Then I went to the thrift store to take a quick look at their maternity clothing (I got all of mine out, and though there are a few pieces of which I will never tire, I mostly felt uninspired by the wardrobe in general).  I was pleasantly pleased with the selection that I found at the thrift store.  I walked away with two new shirts, black yoga-style pants (which I intend to live in), a new dress that will fit a REALLY BIG belly (I think), black slip-on flats, and a baby layette pattern that I doubt I'll have time to sew, but it was so precious that I couldn't resist. (http://images.patternreview.com/sewing/patterns/newlook/6310/6310.jpg)

Then I picked up the kids.  They had a great time, and my aunt was still alive, so it was a win-win-win for all of us.

We hurried home to make homemade pizza and take baths, and when we got home I was greeted with a working HH who... (drum roll please)...was working on the living room ceiling!!!!!  Hooray!!!

And that is my day.  It was really great, and such a nice way to round out a very eventful week.  Though the week had some hard things, it really turned out well.

HI!

I only have a minute, but I miss blogging : (

I mentioned in my last post that I was working on the downstairs.  Still no "after pictures," but today I did some of the color painting.  It's a light avocado color (I don't think the swatch shown is green enough, but maybe it's just my computer?).  It'll be paired with a robins egg blue.  The actual color names are: Greentree and Wintergreen Ash.  Whatever.  Anyhow, most of the room is a creamy white, but there are accents in these colors.  I'm pretty excited.

I knew in my head that I wanted a blue-green-(slight)yellow palatte (I like the peaceful analogous combination--it reminds me of an impressionist pastoral painting).  I found fabric for the curtains, but hesitated.  Now the fabric is nowhere to be found.  I bought solid fabric and am going to paint the stripes on.  Wish me luck.  Seriously.  I'm nervous.

The party for my sister...oh, I haven't mentioned that.  My sister recently got married and isn't having a reception.  So I volunteered to throw a family party for her.  I didn't want it here, but for lack of a better space.... Anyhow, that's what started all of the work downstairs-- if we can fix it up down there then we'll double our party space.  Anyhow, here's the invitation that I designed for it:

Ok, so the party, is in less than a week and a half.  eeeeee.  I'm excited, but have much to do before then.  I'm actually considering hiring a cleaning lady for a few hours.

I haven't started teaching the kids Italian yet, but I have exposed them to more Italian than before, and it's been fun to hear some Italian "jibberish" being spoken.

I found a compromise for the recliner.  I'm replacing the missing spring, and I ordered a slipcover today.  Cross your fingers.  I hope HH appreciates my efforts : )  Stay tuned for "after" pictures of that too.

Since it wouldn't be a proper post without pictures of my kids:
Monkey stuck a bobby pin into an electrical outlet and burned her fingers (& a spot of the carpet).  I'm really glad that that's all that got damaged and that she's fine otherwise.  Scary.  We now have the annoying plug covers on all accessible outlets.

Speaking of bobby pins: Chick was holding a bobby pin and said that she was going to pretend that it was a "smoke stick."  She said the girl on "The Trouble with Angels" had a smoke stick.  At another point in the day she said, "I'm going to kill myself."  Turns out it was a quote from that same movie.  The movie is now banned.

I'm just waiting for Moose to choke on a bobby pin, and then I will ban those too.

The kids had a tent and fort set up while I did my monthly layout.  I always think their play is cutest when I'm supposed to be working.

To redeem the above stories about Chick: she gave her first talk in primary on Sunday and did a fabulous job.  She's a good public speaker.

(Next year Monkey will be a sunbeam, and I'm dreading when she is assigned a talk.  There's no way that she'll do anything of the kind.)

Well, I guess I gotta get to bed.  Tomorrow is a trial day at the gym, shopping for stuff for the party, making soup and bread, and a blue painting day : )

A Newsy, My-Blog-Is-Getting-Backlogged Post

KCWC Days 5,6,7:

About a year ago I bought this tunic at the thrift store specifically to refashion because I liked the fabric.

Chick's new tunic-y dress:

The neckband is made from a costume that was being made for a production but then wasn't used.  The underlining is an old slip (that was my grandma's and then mine & the waistband was wearing out but the fabric still was wearing like armor).

My favorite part?  The mismatchy fabric covered buttons.

Monkey will be getting a very similar one, but I haven't gotten to do it yet.  Her's will be made from the sleeves.

When Monkey's is done I'll post pics of the girls wearing them.

Other Sewing Adventures:

The first episode of Project Runway: They had the designers take something out of their suitcases to refashion.  Then the twist? They had to pass their item of clothing to the person next to them.  So they had to use a random article of clothing.  They had 15 minutes to sketch, and 5 hours to sew.

When I watched it I thought I'd really like to give myself the same challenge.  So I had my sister randomly select something from the thrift store for me to refashion.  She picked this dress:

Even though she took color into consideration for me, it was very true to the show because I would NEVER have picked that dress.  The fabric isn't dye-able, and the skirt fabric isn't bleachable (the top bleaches into a pretty orangy yellow, though).  But there was a LOT of fabric to work with, because the dress was huge. 

Here's my sketch:

I hadn't started the dress when, during KCWC, I saw the BurdaStyle/Rowenta Project Runway Competition!  I had to finish KCWC, but then this week I got started on the dress to enter the contest.  But it's been a busy week, so most of the sewing took place yesterday (the last day to enter).  I did exceed 5 hours, and though I have a finished product to enter (at almost the very last possible minute, because that's how I operate, unfortunately) I am doing some tweaking today to make it a better fit for me specifically.  But here's my entry:

The bodice pattern is a copy of a blouse in my closet.  The back is strips sewn together because I didn't have enough fabric to cut it in one piece, but I like it like that.  My life is full of happy accidents (Moose).  The skirt is just wide strips sewn into gathered tiers, and shirred at the waist.  The satiny trim is what the crazy original puckery stippled fabric looks like when you iron it!

This week:

I went to the Relief Society General Broadcast last weekend, and we had a dinner in congunction.  I loved the cupcake decor, and I got to bring home these beautiful flowers (which I'm still enjoying everytime I'm in my kitchen).

I took the kids to the Picture People at the mall for Moose's baby pics and a picture of the three all together.  Monkey had to be bribed just to be IN the picture (I couldn't afford to get her to smile, though).  Moose, though very smily usually, was tired and not so cooperative.  I think I should get an award for attempting it by myself.  Here's the link, though.  I bought #3 & #10.

I was busy with slightly sick kids, my new calling, babysitting, rotating toys, etc.  HH worked late every night.  So no improvements for the home.  But we sodded this little bit of land recently (to the left of Chick in the picture).  It's been dirt and weeds for the past couple of years.

A while ago:

We got a new car.  It's been a couple of weeks now.  Anyhow, I really like it.  It has some really great features, and best of all it seats seven : )

Ok.  Next time I'll tell you about Victoria!

KCWC: Days 3 & 4

I'm super lame.  Day 3 was spent working on the ruffle dresses.  I was up until 1 a.m. working on them.  But sadly, I didn't measure well to begin with.   I'm not using a pattern, and I'm not even clear on the process to arrive at the finished product.  So I made them too small and must now order more fabric.  I do have hope that they'll turn out well in the end, but getting to that point might be a long haul. 

There's a tiered pink satin skirt, with a neutral (white & beige) chiffon ruffle skirt over that, and a beige, pink, gray chiffon ruffle skirt on top.  The bodice will be gray-- Chick's will be drop waisted, and Monkey's will be empire waisted.  Little cap sleeves, and probably some chiffon ruffle flowery-thing up near the neckline.  Possibly a sash. 

Anyhow, KCWC day 4 was spent putzing around.  I got out a project that I came up with a year or so ago, but had stashed away before actually doing it.  It's another matchy-match thing for the girls, but won't be completely matching because Monkey has grown in the past year, so I had to alter my plan for hers.  Sewing time for yesterday and today have been ineffective cutting out & planning days.  I have yet to actually start sewing it.  I've just been tired....

HH, on the other hand, has been productive.  The "fuzzy wall" that was stripped naked over a year ago (!) is finally making progress.  My sister L came to help me mud it last week, and HH has sanded it and put a second coat on.  I'm starting to feel hopeful that it'll be a normal wall someday!! wahoo!

He also put in a new doorbell & porch light!  Yay HH!  (I bought them...can I say Yay Me?). 

Other than that, I dehydrated a bunch of bananas this week. basta.

The Hot New Trends this week are:

tea parties

studying geography

wearing headbands as necklaces

wearing lots and lots of hairclips

and being cute.

You know you want to.  Everybody is doing it.

On an unrelated note: I finished a little crafty project.  I found number tiles for a few cents each at the thrift store a while ago.  One was broken, but they were the right numbers.  So I broke the other two and made a mosaic house number sign. 

before:

after:

Hopefully soon I'll post an "after" picture with a new porch light....

Impromptu Sleepover

On Thursday night I had a little sleepover. The guest list included: Charlotte (my midwife), Carmen & Stephanie (Charlotte's backup midwife & assistant), and my Mom. They all came at around 2 or 3 a.m., and all but my Mom left at 6:30 a.m., because it was really not that exciting of a sleepover.

HH helped to decorate for it by putting up a pool in our bedroom, and then he went to work later than normal. I had hoped that he wouldn't be going to work at all on Friday, but since there wasn't much going on & the sleepover was breaking up, he went ahead and left.

All in all the sleepover was anticlimactic. In fact, though I still can't believe it, I measured a 2 on Wednesday morning, and then at the end of the sleepover I still measured a 2.

I've decided that this sleepover is the downside to a homebirth--you can't just be sent home & it's quite embarrassing.

I refuse to call it what some might (the opposite of TRUE), because though I thought that maybe I'd made the calls a bit prematurely I thought FOR SURE that this was IT. AND PLEASE no one leave a comment saying "You'll know it when it's time" because this is my 3rd time and I really did think that Thursday night was IT.

But, though my measurement didn't change, and the contractions went away eventually, I am no longer getting kicked up near my ribcage...the kicks are now closer to my lack-of-bellybutton (which is incredibly sore now). So I don't know if that's a common thing, but I do think that things contracted down & the baby is more scrunched than before. ...maybe it's just wishful thinking. I'm doubting everything now. What do I know?

Oh, but at around midnight that night I did lose my mucus plug (sorry, TMI?). Kind of exciting. HH says that I saw it when I was expecting Chick, but I really don't remember ever seeing one. So now it's documented. Thank your lucky stars that I'm not such a hard-core blogger that I would take pictures, lol.

Anyhow, here's a picture of me, in what I thought was early labor at the start of week 38.

Here are my cute girls.

Here's the picture wall : ) I still have one more frame to fill--it's going to have an applique in it, but I haven't made it yet.

Here's a before pic of the center frame.

Right now HH is working on putting railings on our back deck. We had a picnic lunch in the backyard, and Chick and I went to a super fun birthday party for one of her friends from preschool & church.

I've spent my free time this week working on Monkey's baby book, which I hope to finish before having another baby join in the fray. I'll post some pictures of my handiwork when I feel more inclined to take pics. I've gotten 10 pages done (5 2-pg layouts) + finishing up some that had things missing. I still have at least that much left to do, though, so I'd better go get busy.

And for the record, I'm guessing that this baby is a boy. What do you think?

Oh, but before I go, I've been asked to teach a project at Fantastic Friday at church. It needs to be something that can get done in an evening...what project would you want to do at a Fantastic Friday (uh, that I've done...I know, that narrows things down a lot)?

Getting some Closure

Friday evening/night I had a lot of contractions. They weren't especially strong, but they did persist regardless of change in activity, and in the early morning hours they were pretty regular & seemed stronger than earlier. The tricky things had me fooled--I even called my midwife at 4 in the morning (she'd rather be called with a false alarm than not have ample warning since she has to drop everything that she had planned).

Anyhow, it was a false alarm (and I'm SOOO glad it was because all of my family was going down to my uncle's memorial-- 2+ hours away, and who would come help out?!!). I was pretty excited thinking that the baby was coming, but I had one thing that really bothered me to not have done: the closet doors.

After that night of poor sleep, HH gave me my Mother's Day breakfast in bed a day early : ) and then I fell back asleep and slept until almost 10:30!! Unheard of. It was wonderful.

Then, to make the day even better, HH spent the whole day painting and hanging the closet doors for me : ) They don't have handles in yet, but here are some pictures (complete with a crazy baby).

HH thinks that the room is boring now, with "nothing to look at" ...as if I want to look at clothes hanging in the closet & storage boxes on the shelf! To remedy the "boringness" I ordered prints of some pictures to finally get that photo arrangement finished. Stay tuned.

So yesterday was really the great mother's day, but today has been a lovely, sunny Sunday. Chocolates and a cute framed picture of chick that she decorated in nursery at church : ) A stop at the park to watch the stream for a few minutes, a very refreshing nap after church, and HH took the girls out into the yard while I made dinner (plus extras for freezing) in much appreciated solitude.

a little home refashion

I finished a little basket refashion:

before

after

Also, HH put up the new dining room chandelier this weekend : ) Obviously we still have the ceiling to do, but that can't be done until we redo the kitchen cabinets (because we're taking down a wall at that time)...baby steps, folks. (He also got the lumber for the deck railing, which will be a HUGE comfort to me with these little people running about).

I've also gotten all of the frames up in my room, but some are still empty.... A couple will have temporary pictures in them until later this summer--there's no way I'm taking a family picture with me huge at the end of the pregnancy (and lacking one imminent family member). Anyhow, I'll post pictures of that wall soon...and wouldn't it be nice if we could get the darn closet doors up for the picture too? (Not to mention getting the closet doors up for the birth that will take place in there!).

Speaking of birth, on Monday I was dilated to 1.5 and was "soft." I guess I'm glad to not be further along at this point--I start layout today so I don't want to have the baby until after next Wednesday. Oh, and the baby's heartbeat is totally normal now : )