Salvaged Frame Project

Confession: I save stuff for future projects or purposes that I rarely get around to.

I'm a little embarrassed to say that the project I did today was actually about 7 years in the making.... but I finally got around to finding a purpose/ project for something I had tucked away!

My friend Nicole got married back in June of 2006. Some of the "groomscake" take-home treasures from that day were these simple, adorable Ikea picture frames that Nicole had used to make these:

It's just a gray piece of matte heavyweight paper with a white ribbon taped onto it, and in the middle of the ribbon is a tiny metal ring. (I am sure I actually have a few more of these hiding somewhere in my office!)

I saw this Pinterest idea months ago and decided that when I came across one of these frames from the wedding nearly 7 years ago, I would use it for this!

Voila! A little 10-minute project that I admittedly could have done forever ago with any design or free printable like this one.

All I did was:

• Wipe off the frame and use a damp Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to wipe off the dings and dirt, then wipe the frame off with Swiffer Duster Cleaner.
• Wipe plastic cover with Sprayway cleaner.
• Print off the free printable design (resized to fit the square frame), and cut the edges with my Fiskars straight-edge cutter. 
• Remove taped ribbon from gray heavyweight matte paper.
• Use glue stick to adhere printable to the heavyweight matte paper. 
• Put it all back together. 

I'm hoping to get more of these little projects done this next week!

Dip Day!

We do this super awesome event at my work once a year - Dip Day!

Last year, I was so new to the campus as an employee, I kind of opted out of participating. But this year, I decided to totally go for it! There are several categories, and I chose to enter into the "spicy" category.

Here's the recipe we (Robert and I) came up with:  Triple Cheese Cayenne Dip

1 lb. regular cream cheese (softened)
1/3 c. Beecher's Flagship cheese, finely grated
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, finely grated
6 oz. IPA beer (don't worry; the alcohol is completely cooked out of it!)
1/4 of a green pepper, diced
1/4 of a red pepper, diced
1/3 cup fresh basil, diced
1 1/2 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
Sea Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together, and cook for 40 mins. at 325 or 330 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir the ingredients about halfway through, and continue to bake.

To keep it warm, I kept it in my "Little Dipper" crockpot on warm until it was time to take it over for judging. We chose to serve it with tortilla chips.

It was a hit! My co-workers insisted on tasting it before the judging, and one of them even licked the spoon, lol!

Also, I won a prize! I won the spicy category! There were 13 entries, 83 votes and 4 categories. Super exciting! I chose a $25 Starbucks gift card for the "winner" prize, and a post-it note holder shaped like an apple for my desk as my "participant" prize.

I'm so glad I got to participate in a fun event like Dip Day today. :) 

32 Weeks/ Progress - For Elizabeth Johannah and For Us

We had a fantastic doctor's appointment on Friday!

Here's me at 32 weeks! (Sorry about the hoodie/ yoga pants - but I wear these yoga pants to work all the time because they're comfy and still a little dressy with my preggo blouses and such, and I was freezing tonight, so the hoodie stayed for the pic!)

I actually gained 2lbs!! (I was quickly reminded that actually means I've lost 33, but I'm still saying I gained 2 lbs!) My blood pressure was really good - 110/72! The M.A. said that's the lowest it's ever been (even though it's usually 120/74 or something). The doctor said I'm measuring right at 31-32 weeks on Friday (I'm 33 weeks tomorrow), so I'm a little small, but Elizabeth Johanna is growing right on track! Everything is looking good. No anemia, nothing to be concerned with. I did quietly smile when the doctor said that he "can tell I've been taking my extra iron," which I totally haven't. It was really hard on my system, and in order to take iron, I have to take like 4 other medications to ease the absorption - not worth it, and I refuse. It's unnecessary. Until and unless my test results show that I'm anemic or the baby needs it for some reason, I'm not taking anything extra! I did commit to taking more calcium, though. I definitely need that.

Tomorrow, Robert starts his new job at the bank. :) We've been pretty quiet about it until now, mostly because we were waiting until we knew for sure what he was going to be doing. Now that we know, I'm posting about it! He starts his training tomorrow, and he'll still be working in North Everett - just not at the restaurant, and he'll be working Monday-Friday only - no more weekends! I also want to take a minute and thank everyone who was so encouraging to him (and reassuring to me) throughout the process of applying and interviewing for this awesome opportunity.

As we get closer to Ellie Jo being here (yay!), we find more and more that we have to accomplish. Robert finally got a weekend free to work on her nursery furniture. It's new - was manufactured within the past two or three years, and we purchased it used for less than a month at a great price - but the color was terrible. It says it's a "cherry brown," in the listing we got it from, but it's really, really reddish brown. More red than brown, in fact. (See my post here to see what I mean). It wouldn't be so bad, except that we're doing her nursery in chocolate brown and pink - and it totally clashes and looks awful together. But I seriously could not pass up the amazing deal we got on her whole nursery furniture set - $250 for a crib with mattress, changing table with pad and dresser. All matching; all pretty much brand new. So daddy is working hard to paint it safely for his baby girl. It's going well, but I haven't taken any pictures yet. I'm waiting until Robert gets it all done and finished, because he's working so hard on it. He was able to find this amazing little kit thing that allows him to save a lot of time on the project - it's basically sanding, painting and top coating all in one, and it's a fairly simple process. It's 100% safe for Elizabeth, like I mentioned, and he's happy with the results so far! He's nearly completely finished with the crib, and he'll be doing the dresser next.

For myself, I've been getting more little projects going, like the bow clip holder. I got it all painted, now I just need to get some silky pink ribbon for the actual "holder" parts. I've got some more little things I want to get done soon, like the fabric blocks, a few more burp cloths, and some bibs. There's still more clothes to get up to my mom's so they can be washed, folded or ironed and hung or put away before they come here.

Basically, we've got this sort of project timeline:

• Finish painting nursery furniture
• Take daybed to my dad's with mattress/ sheets
• Move entertainment center to our room
• Move TV to office
• Clean out closet, put all items in a specific designated place or get rid of it
• Take rest of items out of the room, find them a home or get rid of them
• Once nursery is emptied, vacuum room & clean baseboards/ walls (me)
• Steam clean carpet in nursery (Robert)
• Put nursery furniture in nursery (Robert)
• Add hanging closet extender to nursery closet and put all of Elizabeth's clothes away (probably me and maybe my mom)
• Make sure mattress for crib and pad for changing table are clean and sanitized (me and Robert) 
• Put crib bumper and crib skirt in crib (me)
• Put changing table pad cover on, and add everything to the table - diapers, burp cloths, etc. - (me)

So, some of this is unassigned for now. Most of that is because I have no idea what my energy level will be like, and how tired Robert will be after work and such.

Promise to keep everyone posted. Hopefully, I'll have more pictures of projects to post this week, as I only have one week left of working my second job at H&R Block.

Here we go on to just 7 more weeks before we get to meet Elizabeth!

Gardening 2013 - New Beginnings

It's that time of year again - nearly springtime, and I'm ready to get my garden started!

For those who don't know, my garden is done solely in containers/ planters. They are located on our back porch, which faces west. Because of the positioning of our neighbors' houses, we get plenty of light exposure, as well as shade. Last year, we harvested peas, tomatoes, chocolate mint, chives, green onions, lemon balm, and a few varieties of lettuce.

So far this year, my chives have started to come back! And the green onions are still growing like crazy. So we're definitely doing those again. :) Additionally, the lemon balm is slowly coming back. The strawberries that we transplanted from a friend's garden didn't bear fruit last year (we weren't surprised). Hopefully, they produce some succulent strawberries this year!

Here's what (half) of my garden looks like currently:

From left to right, we have chives, lemon balm, strawberries, shallots, chocolate mint and an empty container (will probably plant some more lettuce or something in it this week). In the container just to the right of that last (black) one, there is another identical one that has the green onions and romaine lettuce seeds (just planted) in it.

Last weekend, I asked Robert to please get rid of all the dead stuff in the containers (we could clearly see what was coming back and what was dead). He did it quickly (it was pouring down rain right after he finished), and I was able to see what I needed to plant and where.

I'm using SproutRobot to do my garden this year. (Yep, I found it on Pinterest!) I'm also starting some things from seeds, which I really haven't done for a long while (at least a couple years!) I do plan to get some starts from the food co-op as soon as I can get up there, as well.

This year, we will not be growing tomatoes, so that frees up 3 huge containers. I'm thinking bell peppers, or carrots and/or garlic would be good. :)

Here's a picture from last week of my chives, and a picture from this week:

That's a lot of growth in one week! Must mean things are warming up. I estimate about 4 inches of growth since last week! I told my co-worker I might have to make my famous cheddar-chive bites and bring some into the office if my chives keep growing like they are! I didn't even replace any topsoil or anything. Just left it from last year. Although I may do a sprinkling of topsoil in April over everything I have planted by then, but only because I know I won't have a lot of time to tend to things before the baby comes in May. :)

We'll see how our garden shapes up this year! I'm excited for it. :) What are you planting this year?

What's New This Week

We only have 8 weeks left until Elizabeth is due! I cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy has flown by. Even having been sick this whole time, and being super tired most of the first trimester (like, wake up, go to work, come home and go to bed, lol), it's been a very exciting time for us.

This past week, I posted pictures on Facebook of our piano that we needed to get rid of. Let me explain briefly why we have two, lol...

A few years ago, a good friend asked if we could give a good (temporary) home to his beautiful upright grand piano. He was downsizing, and knew that it would be a blessing to us. The plan was that I could have it tuned, teach piano lessons on it, and use it as much as I wanted - but there would come a day when it would go back to it's original home.

Well, during the interim, I was told that a couple at church was needing to find a new home for their small (spinet) piano. I asked Robert if we could take it, so that when the other one had to go back, I'd still have one to teach on and play. He said, "No. You already have one. When it goes back, we'll buy you another one." Eventually, that couple at church said they were going to take it to the Goodwill, so Robert broke down and said we could take it.

Sadly, we never had a chance to get it tuned or really use it. Since we found out we were expecting our sweet daughter, we knew the spinet would have to go. (The space where it was in my office was needed for the two bookcases in the nursery to be moved into). But I didn't have the heart to sell it (since we received it for free), and I really wanted to give it to someone who could use it and enjoy it. Thankfully, we posted pictures and found a home for it right away! It went to it's new home today, to be enjoyed and played. :)

Robert and Bryce were able to get it moved out to the garage on Friday night so it would be ready to go. Robert then moved both bookcases into the office - after vacuuming the carpets and wiping the baseboards! I was so thankful for a helpful, handy husband that day, since I worked a very long day at both jobs. :)

This morning, I carved out an extra hour and a half and caught up on emails and worked on a Pinterest project! I feel like the blog that it was posted on made it seem super simple (and it's not really complicated, truly), but the chenille really pulled a lot. Pinning is a necessity for this project. I did not wash the flannel or chenille before doing this project (because I was seeing how the results turned out before I did wash it for the next one), but I really think the only benefit to it might be the fluff being kept to a minimum from the chenille.

Here's a picture of the one I did!

I love that the whale fabric is a little different than the typical paisley print, flowers, or polka dots that you see on flannel for girls! :) I'll probably make some more later this week.

Today after work, I finally got my romaine lettuce and peas planted! I also discovered that my chives are growing like crazy! I took pictures, but for some reason they didn't get recorded on the card! I'll try to get some more tomorrow.

Anyway, stay tuned for more of this week's projects! :)

30 Weeks + Springtime Bursts

Here I am 30 Weeks pregnant with Elizabeth! (Ignore the weird shadowy things around me; my camera was acting up last night!)

There is TOTALLY a baby bump pushing out now! This picture is probably exaggerated a little bit, because I had my hoodie zipped up, too. But she's in there; kicking and moving around like crazy!

We had another doctor's appointment on Friday. I'm still losing weight. (Shocker). But, they said as long as I'm doing good with my water/ fluid intake (and I am!), I'm doing fine. I might have a longer recovery before I can return to softball/ recreational activities due to the muscle mass that I've lost, but they're not thinking it'll be a huge setback for me. :)

At this appointment, we reviewed my 27-week test results, and everything is perfectly healthy and normal. We thought for sure they'd tell me I was anemic, but nope! Everything's great! Yay!

Elizabeth is measuring about 1-2 weeks ahead of where I am currently. They think she's long and skinny like her daddy. :) At work today, we were all talking about what we thought she'd look like, and what her features would be like, etc. The consensus is that she'll be built like her daddy (tall and slender), but have petite features and be super active like her mommy.

In other news, spring is definitely on it's way! It's time for me to start my gardening again!

My chives are coming back! :)

Shallots are coming back!

Everything else in this pot besides the scallions died off - and my scallions are coming back!

Lemon Balm coming back! (through the dead stuff that I have to pick off).

 

 

So I am super excited to get back into gardening! I need to get up to the Co-Op in Skagit Valley and get some starts again of whatever I want to grow this year. I'm thinking no more tomatoes, though. I'll probably do more herbs and veggies.

What are you growing in your garden this year?

DIY Valance

*Post updated with pictures 3/11/2013*

We got a project done in the nursery today!

The valance for Elizabeth's nursery is now up! :) YAY!

I am going to do my best to describe how I did it, even though it's nothing fancy or special. :)

First of all, let me start off by saying I am NO sewing expert! Nor did I use a "pattern." I combined some ideas from myself, my auntie, and some other DIY things I have seen on Pinterest.

Secondly, the pictures were rushed today. I didn't mess with my ISO or getting a good angle or anything, and the lighting was changing so much that we didn't have a chance to get the pictures done before it changed. Sorry!

Without further ado, I'll start with some basic measurements:

My curtain rod was about 51.5" from hook to hook. So, I measured out about 77.5" (lengthwise) of fabric. 

I eyeballed how long I wanted the valance to be. It seemed that approximately 18" (including 2" overhang for the top) was about right. So I cut about 22.5" width.

First step was to iron it all out. 

Next, I folded over what would be my bottom seam about 1/4"-1/2" and ironed that down. I stitched it together with a light pink bobbin and a chocolate brown top thread, using a simple stitch. (I did this for every stitch on this valance. Also, since I used brown for my top thread and I didn't want the pink being prominent, I stitched this "blind," or with the folded edges underneath. It may or may not be the "right" way to do it; but it's just how I chose to do it).

I folded each side over 1/4"-1/2", ironed them down, and stitched those together, too. *VERY IMPORTANT to do this next, otherwise you won't be able to get your valance on your rod!*

• Next, I folded the top down about 4.5" and did a stitch lengthwise all the way across. The stitching was approximately 1/8" from the bottom (unclosed) part of the fold.

• Once that part was done, I had my husband measure the rod width at its widest point (it has a thinner end that slides in and out for easy adjustment). He said it was about 5/8", so I did two more seams approximately 1 1/4" apart, starting 2" down from the top (fold). You end up with 3 seams across the top. 

Voila! That is my very simple valance! :) Again, I may not have done it "right," or "typical," but it was just how I wanted it. I'm sure you could glam it up a bit, perhaps adding a contrasting bottom layer (if you want it layered), or some fancy stitching patterns. Total time to complete this project was approximately an hour and 15 minutes from measuring and cutting to hanging it up.

We can't wait to bring baby Elizabeth home to her nursery so she can enjoy the valance mommy made for her! 

Relaxing

Betcha didn't think you'd see that on my blog, did you?! Hehe. :) Wonders never cease!

Despite all of the craziness of life lately, I've decided that I have to find time to relax and do stuff for myself.

This includes:

• Reading more
• Following through on some of my DIY, Baby, and other Pinterest board pins
• Taking a bath at least once/ week
• One organizing or cleaning project per week (I swear, this is relaxing to me!) 
• Anything else Robert and I come up with

Because I'm working 45-50 hours per week, I've found that I'm craving R&R time. Especially being 30 weeks pregnant (new post coming soon, I promise), I'm simply exhausted. Though I have more energy than I did in the first trimester (and even some of my second), I also get tired quickly.

Last night, I made a new kind of scrub for the shower. Mostly, because I cannot use any bath or shower gels right now (I get migraines and throw up with any strong scents). The only kind I can use is the Bath & Body Works Lavendar-Vanilla Sleep brand of products, and I'm out. But I also had a tiny bit of coconut oil I wanted to use up, and plenty of dry milk left over from Christmastime. :)

This is the recipe I used:

Image and recipe from: http://blogs.babble.com/the-new-home-ec/2012/02/27/how-to-make-irish-cream-sugar-scrub/

It's pretty simple:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. dry milk
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (I used more like 2/3 cup)
• 2-3 drops peppermint oil (I used 3)
• Green food coloring (I used none)

Mix it all together, and you've got a fabulous new scrub!
 
I have to say, I absolutely love the texture and consistency of it! It reminded me of fluffy snow, and it felt fantastic on my skin in the shower this morning. I even used it on my face!

I did not use green food coloring in it. I might, if I ever make something like this for a gift. I might use a little honey in it next time I make it, just to smooth it out a little bit more.

Anyway, I'm off to finish watching TV with my hubby for the evening, and then take a relaxing bath. :)

March Goals/ February Update

Forgive me; most of this post is all about goals/ ambitions/ projects that are baby-related!

Here are my February Goals:

Hair bows!

• Get the office in order (starting with one small task every day) - Robert did it all for me, and it's not totally done yet.
• Keep up with picking up/ vacuuming/ dusting - We both did a really great job!
• Finish 2 more DIY Projects for Ellie Jo from Pinterest - Yes! Keri & I totally had a crafting morning last week, and I also made some bows from her tutorial for Ellie Jo!
• Keep up with my Bible Reading in 1 Year - STILL haven't missed a day! :)
• Try to find a new home for the piano in the den - Not yet. We'll be doing that this week.
• Keep up with attendance sheets for Awana Games - Perhaps actually being able to attend the practices would have helped me be able to do that. But due to my working 50+ hours/ week right now, I was unable to do much of anything for Games.
• Return library books and start over with a new goal of 1 book per week - Returned them; haven't started a new one.
• Take a bubble bath to relax - Haven't.Had.Time.
• Find a new set of 5 tall votive holders for on top of the mantle (me and my gracefulness totally kersmashed one of them over Christmas, sigh. And since one is already broken at the top, it's time for a new set). - Can't find a set! :(
• Help Robert as much as I can with the furniture projects (as much as I can) - I haven't hardly done anything. Robert has done everything for me. :( I haven't been able to find enough time to help out around the house much at all.
• One is moving the piano out of the office
• Two is moving the two bookcases from the guest room/ nursery into the office
• Three is moving my daybed, entertainment center, and TV to my dad's house 
• Four is getting the crib, dresser and changing table all ready to go 

As you can see, it was pretty much epic failure. It's not for a lack of trying. It's for a lack of time. I've been working crazy hours since it's tax season, and I'm up at H&R Block 4 nights a week and all weekend. 

I'm thankful for everything Robert has been helping me with, and I'm thankful for a clean house. I suppose that's about all I can say, lol!

We have 2 1/2 months left before Elizabeth is here. Can't believe how fast the pregnancy has been! I'm still getting sick pretty much every day. But it's less than it was before! Starting next week at our doctor's appointment, we'll be going in every two weeks after that. :) 

Here's what I'm thinking for March! 


Goals for March: 

• Get rid of the piano
• Get the bookcases out of Elizabeth's nursery and put them in the office
• Get the closet in the nursery cleaned out
• Get the day bed in the nursery to my dad's house
• Find a place for the small entertainment center and TV in the nursery
• Start and finish a new Pinterest project for Elizabeth
• Experiment with a new recipe
• Go to bed before 11:00pm as often as I can 
• Pick a project off of my "Things I Want To Sew" board on Pinterest and do it! 
• Find something new to do with Etsy