Random Thoughts

It's the final countdown

2009-06-22T21:52:00.005-05:00

3 days until my due date! Pictures were taken right at 39 weeks. I think that I felt a few contractions on Saturday night, started getting a little nervous, rolled over to my left side and they went away. Whew! :) Craig asked me on Sunday why I got nervous! Sure, I know what has to happen, but I'm not sure knowing makes it any easier!
My first guess was that I'd deliver early, on June 9th, which is our anniversary. I've since changed my guess to a week overdue, which is July 2nd. Only time will tell.

My belly looks so much larger when it's bare.

37 week photo shoot

2009-06-12T21:30:00.003-05:00

My friend, Jill, offered to take maternity photos of me when I was at 37 weeks and she did a great job! We had fun, but I don't exactly consider myself to be too photogenic. That's why I really like all of the belly shots. I'll have to post more photos, but here's only one for now. I need to have Craig take some more this weekend as I passed the 38 week mark on Thursday. 13 days to go...crazy.

Update on turning the baby - she ended up turning on her own the day of the external version (Friday the 5th). The nurses are pretty sure that she was still transverse before they gave me a relaxant so I didn't have any contractions. (I was actually having contractions, but they weren't strong enough to feel.) The doctor came in 45 minutes after I was given the relaxant, he did a quick ultrasound and we saw that she was head down. Little stinker! I'm glad I didn't have to actually go through with the version though. I was supposed to have another doctor appointment today, but my doctor was delivering a baby, so it's now rescheduled for Tuesday.

Turn baby, turn

2009-05-29T22:35:00.003-05:00

Pictures were taken on Thursday, May 28th, when I was exactly 36 weeks pregnant. I found out at my doctor appointment this week that the baby is breech and somewhat horizontal. Her head is in the upper right side of my tummy. (You can't tell in the pictures.) If she doesn't turn by late next week, doctors are going to perform an external version and try and turn her physically. I want to avoid a c-section, but I'm not looking forward to an external version either, so we're sure hoping that she turns and heads south by next week.

34 weeks, 3 days

2009-05-20T20:46:00.003-05:00

Getting closer...

Before/After Swing

2009-05-07T21:31:00.004-05:00

My sister loaned me the baby swing that she used for my nephew, Devin, who is now 12. Being frugral, I'm all about borrowing baby items or purchasing used items, but sometimes, the items could use a little cleaning and/or updating. I had to chuckle after seeing the dinosaur fabric that was used on the swing cushion. It would have worked perfectly fine, but I dug through my fabric stash and found something a little more modern/me, made my own pattern from the dinosaur one and whipped a new one up. The white nylon strap was also "not so white", so it spent a night soaking in vinegar and then a trip through the wash and it now appears brand new.

After

Before

32 weeks down, 8 to go

2009-04-30T21:22:00.003-05:00

As you can see, my belly has grown larger over the last few weeks, but I'm still able to do pretty much everything yet, including painting my toenails! The baby is around 15-17 inches long and weighs around 4 pounds. She'll continue to gain about a 1/2 pound/week until I deliver. She hasn't been as active as she was as she's running out of room. I wish I could figure out what's poking me on my right side at least 10 times a day! I've noticed my hip joints have felt a little sore this week, so my body must be starting to loosen up for the big day.

30 weeks, 3 days

2009-04-30T21:20:00.002-05:00

28 week baby belly

2009-04-02T19:19:00.002-05:00

I think it's official. I have a baby belly. The naked belly in the second picture looks so much larger to me. I thought the baby had turned over the weekend as she's been breach since the ultrasound, but she either turned back or else never turned as I still feel her kicks on my bottom, left side. My pregnancy continues to go well and my energy levels are still high, so no complaints besides the buring in my upper ab muscles.

I had a dream last night that I had the baby 10 weeks early. We drove to the hospital (about 15-20 minutes away), had the baby and were back home, all within one hour. It was amazing how simple labor was!

Nusery decor

2009-03-09T20:49:00.007-05:00

I fell in love with this antique hutch on Saturday while visiting a new little shop downtown Lakeville called Pink Door Boutique. I've been looking for a similar piece to match my dresser that I received on freecyle.com (see last picture in this post). Being frugal, I highly contemplated making the purchase. I oohed and aahed over it for at least 30 minutes, wandering around the store and always coming back to this piece. I finally pulled myself away and went home and told Craig about it and he said, "When should I pick it up?" I told him I didn't buy it and he asked, "Why not? I'll be ready in 5 minutes and we can go back and get it." Yay! It was priced at $195, but other hutches in the store were priced at $450, so right there, I felt like I was getting a good deal. It was even on sale for 15% off, so the new total was $165. It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but I loved the idea that it was refinished, we're supporting a new local shop in town (which has MANY adorable things) and it'll go perfect in the baby's room. The owner's father refinished all of the furniture in the boutique and happened to be there when we went back. I visited with him about possibly refinishing the free dresser too, so they match. I was going to try it myself, but depending on what he charges, I'll have him do it. He told me what brand of paint and color he used on the hutch, so it'd at least be the same color.

For those who haven't already figured it out or already know, it's a girl! This is the color scheme I'm going for, somewhat of a shabby chic/vintage theme, with the motto "less is more" in mind. The walls will remain tan and the main color will probably be the light pink.

Free dresser that matches the hutch above pretty darn close.

24 weeks, 3 days

2009-03-08T19:57:00.003-05:00

Things continue to go well, besides the few night cramps I've had in my left calf. Ouch! I didn't know if I should bend my foot up or down, or rub my calf or what. So I simply clutched it and hoped the pain would quickly go away on its own! Is this just another thing my body is doing to prepare itself for the pain of labor?!

ultrasound

2009-02-23T19:27:00.005-06:00

We had our ultrasound on the 16th and the baby was very active! It was fun to see the baby moving around, but strange at the same time because I couldn't feel it moving. However, a couple days later, I felt the first real kicks! And have felt them several times every day since. Craig even got to feel a couple "good ones". Everything looked good to the sonographer and the baby is measuring ahead of schedule, weighing in at 1pound and 2ounces (1 week ago).

The baby's arm and hand is in front of its face and the little bubble in front of its mouth is the umbilical cord.

This little foot must be what I've been feeling the last several days. :)

22 weeks, 3 days belly

Halfway there...

2009-02-08T16:41:00.002-06:00

The first half of my pregnancy sure went fast. I hope the second half doesn't go quite as fast, as my to do list of things I want to complete before the baby gets here is quite lengthy.

Our ultrasound is scheduled for February 16th, so we should know the sex then! I've been good so far about only purchasing diapers and wipes (we're well stocked already), but this past week, I did purchase a few barely used items on Craigslist - a car seat with a couple bases and a boppy pillow with a cover. I also picked up a bouncer chair through Freecyle.org. They're all cleaned up and ready for the baby. My sister lent me her baby swing, which I may sew a more modern print cover for, and the head football coach in Jordan gave us their glider rocker that they were going to throw out, even though there's nothing wrong with it. So we're slowly starting to accumulate baby items. I started the list of things we'll need, so we'll be all ready to register in a month or so.

20 wks and 3 days belly

17 weeks, 3 days baby bump

2009-01-24T14:29:00.006-06:00

I'm down to about 3-4 pair of pants that are still wearable alone, but am able to wear several others with the assistance of a bella band. I've been feeling really good for the past 4-5 weeks and can't really even tell that I'm pregnant (besides the small belly). There were several weeks where all I wanted to do was lay on the couch and not move. Definitely not me!

We're anxiously awaiting our ultrasound appointment where we hope to find out the sex of the baby, which should happen in February.

Picture was taken on January 18th.

Need a laugh?

2008-11-15T16:13:00.002-06:00

If I ever need a chuckle, all I have to do is run through a couple of my favorite Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey. I'm chuckling already...
1. Always carry two sacks, one in each hand. That way, if someone asks you to lend them a hand, you can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."
2. If you drop your keys in a river of molten lava, leave 'em, because man, they're gone.

Craig's new hat

2008-11-15T15:42:00.005-06:00

Craig's been in search of a dressier hat to wear so he can keep his bald head warm this winter. He hasn't had much luck, so he asked me if I could make him a one. I found a free pattern online for a fleece skull cap and gave it a shot. I wouldn't consider it dressy exactly, but it's doing the job.

Time keeps ticking

2008-10-29T21:38:00.006-05:00

I'm really not that busy of a person, but for some reason, the days/weeks/months just seem to fly by. I'm trying to spend more time on some sewing projects, so I can get rid of some of the fabric I've accumulated, so I can then buy more! Here's a scarf that I made over the weekend to list in my etsy store. I'd like to make some fleece hats and scarves too, along with some Christmas stockings. Too many projets with too little time. At least I still have a little over 8 days of vacation to use. I might have to take a "sewing day".

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

2008-08-15T20:48:00.008-05:00

I thought I was doing great there for a while with this blog thing, but fell off the wagon a bit this summer.

I took last Friday off and Craig and I spent the afternoon at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Some of it was interesting, other parts not so much, but it was worth seeing. And you can't beat free admission, compliments of the library. I froze my butt off though, so I went through a little quicker than Craig. Here are a few photos I took along the way.

: a couple oil on canvas prints

: fiberglass panda bear

: very smooth limestone statue

: a 12th century jewelry box

: Greek statue with his man parts missing (I wonder where they are or who has them...)

Reupholstery project

2008-06-10T20:50:00.004-05:00

Here's one of the 5 wooden chairs that I bought a few weeks ago when we were garage saling. I love the ivory paired with light blue.

Before...

And after...

CVS = frugal fun

2008-06-07T20:25:00.003-05:00

Who knew shopping at CVS could be so much fun?! I stumbled across a blog that explained the whole process of shopping at CVS for mere cents. It took me a couple weeks to actually give it a try, but I've been "CVSing" now for a few weeks and have gotten tons of stuff for around $6 out of pocket and have $14 worth of credit still to spend. Each month, you can earn Extra Care Bucks (ecbs) on certain items. A lot of times the purchase price and ecbs are the same, so the item is essentially free. These ecbs expire after 30 days, so you have to shop there at least once a month to keep rolling your ecbs. Here's my purchase from the other day:
2 Listerine Smart Rinse mouthwash $3.49 each ($6.98 ecbs)
4 bottles Dawn dish soap $2/2 ($2 ecbs)
2 CVS boxes of band-aids $1.99 ($3.98 ecbs)
1 can BB tuna $.66
Total: $15.62
- 2/$1 Listerine coupons (printed online)
- $3/$15 CVS coupon from the newspaper
- around $10 in ecbs from previous purchases
Total out of pocket: $.35, and I earned $12.96 in ecbs, so I actually made "money" in ecbs for next time. You can keep rolling your ecbs from purchase to purchase. If you have a CVS near you, I urge you to give it a try.

Funky find

2008-05-21T07:56:00.002-05:00

I've recently been in search of a vintage, chartreuse, high wingback chair. And by golly, I found one this past Saturday when Craig and I were out garage saling. It was marked with "Make an Offer", so we picked it up for $10. It doesn't necessarily go with our furniture, but maybe we can make it work. If not, I'll simply resell it. We also came home with 5 other wooden table chairs, one shabby chic and the other a set of 4. I thought it'd be a good idea to have a couple extra chairs for our dining room table if we ever need to use the extra leaf. They're a bit shorter, but hopefully they'll work. They do need a little bit of work though, but $15 for 4, you can't go wrong.

The deck is complete

2008-05-08T19:20:00.004-05:00

It only took two guys 3 days to finish the deck. The flooring is Timbertech, the spindles are black aluminum and the railings are cedar. Our plans are to seal coat the railings this weekend, weather permitting. Then we need to finish up some landscaping and possibly plant a garden. Mom suggested planting the garden in the empty lot next door, but I'm not so sure that the builder would appreciate that.

How safe are your cosmetics?

2008-05-07T20:46:00.002-05:00

Reading/learning about all of these chemicals in pretty much everything I use, from moisturizer to shampoo, is extremely overwhelming. Most cosmetics and other personal care products sold in the U.S. contain chemicals that have never been assessed for safety. Studies to understand the potential health impacts from low-dose lifelong exposures to chemical mixtures like those in personal care products have yet to be done, but it's a good idea to be conscious now. Click here to learn how "safe" your cosmetics are and to help choose products that pose fewer potential risks.

I don't use alot of products, but the ones I do use are around the 4-6 range. Does that mean that I'm going to throw everything out and purchase only safe products? Probably not, but when I do need to replace one, I'll definitely be more conscious of the label.

Angel's Gate

2008-04-30T19:50:00.002-05:00

The Angel's Gate organization recently aired on Oprah and has also been hosted on Martha Stewart. It's a hospice and rehabilitation center where they take in and provide care for animals with special needs. I was particularly moved by the video on their website (angelsgate.org) of several disabled dogs. How sad. I know there are many, many wonderful charities out there, and it's hard to make a commitment to all that touch you, but every little bit helps.

Corn Palace

2008-04-28T20:40:00.003-05:00

Each year, my college girlfriends and I get together to reminisce about college days and catch up on what's going on in each others' busy lives. This year, we met at Colette's in Mitchell, South Dakota, which just so happens to be the home of the world's only Corn Palace.

Each year the exterior panels of the Corn Palace are decorated with locally grown corn. The complete process of changing the rye, dock, corn and milo starts in June when the rye and dock are torn off and replaced. Each ear of corn is cut in half lengthwise and nailed in place. It costs $130,000 to decorate the Corn Palace each year. The corn murals are replaced beginning in late August with an anticipated completion date at the end of September. A different theme is chosen each year. Everyday Heroes is the theme for 2008.

Deck plan

2008-04-16T19:27:00.004-05:00

The picture is a bit distorted and not very clear because we had to change the format from its original PDF format. It's a basic deck, but we may spruce it up with some post caps, lights, benches, etc. We'll see how it looks once the main part of it is built.

We're almost finished with hiring contractors. We had gutters installed a couple weeks ago and

in a few weeks, we should have our deck complete. Hopefully, the deck will be the last large project that we'll have, for a while anyway. We'll still have some landscaping to do under the deck and on the west side of the house, but it shouldn't be too bad. I'd also like to have our whole house audio hooked up this year and possibly a ceramic tile backsplash installed in the kitchen. The backsplash may wait until the fall or next year even. I'm horrible at making decisions on picking colors/patterns. One day, I'll see something I "love" and the next day, see something I love even more! The internet is helpful in many ways, but at the same time, I feel that it gives me too many choices, which makes it even harder for a non-decision-maker to make a decision!

Our deck will be a maintenance free Timbertech flooring (reddish-brown color), black aluminum spindles and then natural cedar railings. At first, we thought the deck looked sort of mix 'n matchy, but after seeing pictures of them, we really like it. And it's cheaper too, which is a plus for a frugal gal like myself.

Kolaches

2008-04-06T20:36:00.009-05:00

I don't make new year's resolutions, but this year I made a "things to try" list. One of those things is to bake kolaches. It's been probably close to 12 years since I've assisted my mother in the baking process. I've never attempted to make them on my own because #1, they will NEVER taste like mom's (I'll just accept that fact now) and #2, I hated that we'd spend the entire day baking, packaging and doing dishes, to only end up getting to eat the "not so perfect" kolaches. (Dad can vouch for me on this.) The rest would be put into the freezer to be later given away or to be eaten when we had visitors.

Today, I'm only starting with a half a batch. Mom would get up at the crack of dawn and mix up her large batch of dough and once the dough was almost ready, she'd call for me to awake because "our" dough was ready. Funny thing was that I never remembered mixing up a batch of kolache dough while I was sleeping. When I mentioned "assisting", what that translates to is filling the kolaches with either apricot, prune or poppyseed filling, brushing the finished kolaches with butter to make them shine and then fetching this, getting mom that and trying to keep up on the dishes. Mom did all of the actual working with the dough and making the kolaches, so this will be the most challenging part. My goal for today is that they're edible.

First Kolache Baking Day

I arose at 7:30 (it's considered the crack of dawn to Craig, so we'll roll with it) and had the dough mixed up by 8. (Before I got started, I had to clean the retro canisters so they look nice for their picture.) The dough will need to double in size before the next step, which will take about an hour. As I was putting away the ingredients and getting started on those dishes (must stay on top of them), I realized that I had forgotten to include the mace. I'm not even sure what mace is, but it's expensive and I know that I can smell the mace in mom's kolaches, and felt it was an important ingredient. So, the dough went back into its mixing bowl and I added the mace.

Well, I don't think my dough rose quite like it's supposed to, but we'll work with it anyway and see how the next step goes. I cut pieces of dough and then shaped them into balls. Again, we have to wait for them to rise and double in size. Time to mentally prepare myself for the challenging step ahead, making the kolaches. My half batch only made 33 balls, so we won't be baking all day.

Ah, I figured out why my dough hasn't been rising. I misread the recipe and dissolved my "dry" yeast in water when I was supposed to mix it with the flour. Bummer! So my dough balls didn't rise much at all. Since I'm this far, I'm going to keep going. Flatten the balls into a circle, plop in some apricot filling (I also bought apple to try) and then fold into a kolache. Place back on a pan and let rise until almost double. (Mine won't be doing much rising.) Soon we will get to bake them! And then the even better part...eat them!

Bake them at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with butter to make them shine.

The finished products.

They did rise a little during baking, so I'm glad I didn't throw the dough out.
They actually don't taste too bad. Nothing like mom's though, and
they don't exactly look like hers either.

Size 6 summer dress

2008-04-01T19:55:00.003-05:00

This is my first sewing project where I used a pattern (purchased off ebay). I'm sure glad that I made a test dress first, as I don't like to follow instructions too well. I'm a hands on learner, but when I'm forced to read the instructions myself, I become a "figure it out by looking at the pictures" learner. :) This size 6 dress will be shipped off to my niece Keely later this week. I hope it fits her and she likes it.

Our tanned bodies are back from vacation

2008-03-30T15:13:00.006-05:00

We spent 8 days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and loved every minute of it. Most of our time was spent relaxing -- reading and drinking on the beach or by the pool.

Craig read about 2 books to my 4. :) I know, always a competition.

We purchased a couple necklaces from this artisan. He didn't even have to be persistent like the others as we sought him out.
Discovered a new yummy drink--Banana Moss. Give us some time to see if we can re-create it and then we'll make them for our guests. Red, white and blues are still are favorite though.
View of the beach from the downtown area.
View from our balcony.
Sand sculptures along the boardwalk.
The last supper sand sculpture -- amazing.
Norweigan cruise ship leaving the marina.

Save time texting

2008-03-18T21:06:00.005-05:00

I, for one, rarely send text messages. Mainly, because I'm slow at it, which isn't due to slow fingers, but having to always use proper grammar. First letters in the sentence must be capatalized, punctuation must be used appropriately, and misspelled words are no-nos. I stumbled across this new voice to text service, called jott. You simply call the jott service, dictate your message and it sends an email/text to your requested contact. You can also call in reminders, appointments, notes and to-dos. I'm definitely a to do list person, but need the feeling of accomplishment as I cross things off a physical list. I couldn't find any prices for the service, but it may be something to look into further.

Friday Flickr Faves

2008-03-13T20:47:00.003-05:00

Too many to list, but here are a few.

Coconut ice

70s chairs

orange basket

As of about 5 minutes ago, in 10 days...

2008-03-12T12:14:00.003-05:00

we'll be here!! The Golden Crown Paradise Resorts & Spa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Strut Your Stuff & Just Desserts

2008-03-05T20:53:00.004-06:00

A couple items that I recently added to my etsy shop - a little girls pleated apron and a little handbag. Made with some fun fabrics that I purchased on a recent fabric shopping trip with a couple co-workers. They're determined to get me into quilting, but I'm having more fun with these smaller projects.

Clean out your email inbox

2008-03-04T20:59:00.002-06:00

Do you ever feel that your inbox is out of control? How many times have you opened, reviewed, and closed the same e-mail message over and over? Some of those messages are getting lots of attention, but very little action. Depending on how full your inbox is, you may need to set aside a couple hours to tackle this project.

Here are a few tips:
1. Any forwards that you're saving, get rid of 'em. Chances are, they'll come around again anyway.
2. Waiting for the perfect moment to reply to a friend or family member's email, now's the time.
3. Create folders and organize them with subfolders if necessary. For example, online order confirmations, e-statements, e-bills, etc. At least once a year, go into the folders and purge the expired items.

Good luck!

I won!

2008-03-01T15:34:00.006-06:00

Our library sponsored a "Hot reads for cold nights" event, where for every book you read, your name was entered into a drawing for prizes. I was hoping to win one of the awesome themed basket prizes, but was still grateful for winning a pick from a selection of books. The book that I chose is The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham, an author writing as Sophie Kinsella. Sophie's Shopaholics series is my favorite, so I was excited to learn that she has another set of books.

I finished reading The Friday Night Knitting Club this morning. Loved every page of it. It made me want to learn how to knit, but I have too many hobbies already, so that one will have be put on hold for a while. Anyway, if you haven't read it, head to your local library and check it out.

The next book on my to read list is Eat, Pray, Love. I've read its many good reviews, and am looking forward to another great book.

Chicken Pot Pie

2008-02-27T19:29:00.005-06:00

This was our dinner tonight and is one of my favorites!

1 pound boneless chicken breasts - cubed

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1 cup diced potatoes

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp. celery seed

Salt & pepper to taste

2 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

1 9 inch unbaked pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken cubes, onion, celery and carrots. (May cook in a little olive oil.) In another saucepan, boil your potatoes for about 15 minutes.

3. Once the chicken and vegetables are cooked, stir in flour, salt, pepper and celery seed. Drain potatoes and add them too. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. (I sometimes mix the flour in with the cold milk, so I don't get flour "dumplings".) Simmer over medium-low heat until thick.

4. Place chicken and liquid mixture in pie plate. Cover top with crust, seal edges and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Tip: Place pie plate on a cookie sheet when baking in case it bubbles over.

Yields: 4-6 servings

Cleaning cards

2008-02-26T20:08:00.004-06:00

I've been wanting to create a set of cleaning cards for a while now. I was first inspired by a starter list that I found on Real Simple's website. I created several cards for each room, based on either weekly, biweekly, monthly, seasonal or annual tasks. They're all filed neatly in a small recipe box stored in the laundry room. The bullets on the cards range from cleaning the toilets weekly to cleaning out the refrigerator every season. Call me anal or tell me I have too much time on my hands, but I love my new system! I'm still working on convincing my husband of how great it is though. :)

Target Valentine clearance

2008-02-16T17:46:00.005-06:00

I'm always drawn to Target's holiday decor section, but I try and wait to buy anything until after the holiday, so it's on clearance. All this was 50% off - plates, dish towels, dish rags and window clings. All set for next year!

Hopeless romantics

2008-02-14T20:51:00.005-06:00

My husband, Craig, and I, have never been big into romance and trying to "woo" the other. When Valentine's Day rolls around, we treat it like any other day and don't get into the commercialization of the holiday. Craig hates having his picture taken, but I talked him into posing for a few self-portraits of us as my Valentine's Day "gift". He won't admit that he actually had fun, but he did. :) I ran a vintage action on these, trying something new in photoshop.

Hostess with the Mostess

2008-02-13T20:10:00.006-06:00

I made myself an apron pattern the other day out of muslin. Then I made a couple hostess aprons in some fun fabrics. The first one is for myself and the second one is for my etsy shop, with the hopes of more to follow.

Must refrain

2008-02-11T20:47:00.000-06:00

I love sweets. Cookies, chocolate, cake, ice cream, all kinds of candy. If it's got sugar in it, I looooooove it. I just made a batch of chocolate chip cookies for a friend's birthday tomorrow and polished off 3 cookies, not to mention the globs of cookie dough that were eaten prior to the cookies even coming out of the oven. Of course, as a result, I feel ill now. So, my goal is to refrain from all sweets for the rest of the week. What I should do is refrain from all sweets until I can learn how to rationally eat them. I'm trying the approach that if I write it down, I may actually hold myself accountable. Wish me luck. I'll leave you with one of the prettiest sweets I've ever seen. One of Zalita's cupcakes. The woman's attention to detail is amazing. On my "To Try List 2008", I have "Play with fondant", inspired by Zalita's cupcakes.

100,000

2008-02-10T20:18:00.001-06:00

100,000
Originally uploaded by lindabares

My car hit 100,000 miles the other day, on a snow covered freeway. I took several takes and luckily got a good one.

Valentine fortune cookies

2008-02-09T11:01:00.000-06:00

Made these last night for Valentine's Day. Cut 4.5 inch cirlces out of felt. Then, cut strips of 24 guage wire and and also ribbon, just shorter than 4.5 inches. With craft glue, glue the wire in the center of the circle and place ribbon on top. Allow to dry. Then fold in half at the wire and slightly bend the ends out to form a fortune cookie. I put two Hershey hugs inside along with a fortune and then stapled them in a small glassine bag.

New home for my winter wardrobe

2008-01-31T20:35:00.000-06:00

I'm a member of a few freecycle groups in the area and picked this up a few weeks ago. I love the style/legs, and the fact that it was free! It's currently in our dining room, but it'll be a spring project to sand and repaint it. If it weren't for the gold edging on the drawers and a couple chips on the legs, it would be near perfect. It may be the new home to my winter sweaters/clothing in the spare bedroom.

Artsy clutch

2008-01-29T20:32:00.000-06:00

Here's another sewing project that I made over the weekend. I was a bit confused by the directions, but with the help of google, we figured it out. ;) Idea was in Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing book. Used Anna Griffin fabric and a button from my co-worker, Lori, who's been providing me with all kinds of sewing goodies.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T16:35:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season and is looking forward to a wonderful 2008!

I usually get a free Kraft calendar in the mail or receive one as a gift, but I didn't this year, so I decided to make one. The template was taken from Martha's website. Very quick, easy and cute! It'll be going to work with me tomorrow....ick...work. After having 11 days off, who wants to even think about going back to work?

I love everything about the Christmas holiday - decorating, baking, buying presents, etc., so it's sad when it's all over. I took down the tree and decorations today and snapped a few pictures that I meant to take earlier.

Going green

2007-12-18T20:00:00.000-06:00

I mentioned to Craig that next year I would like to "go green" with our cleaning supplies. (There are so many chemicals in our shower cleaner that it takes me a half hour to clean it as a result of taking so many breaks from holding my breath.) He made the comment, "That doesn't sound like you." So that got me thinking. I've never really considered myself to be environmentally conscious, until I started making a list of little things that I do already:
- recycle most paper, plastics and cans
- purchased energy saving appliances, including a front loading washer
- lower the thermostat at night and during the day while we're not home
- open the windows in the summer
- reuse plastic bags from groceries stores as our garbage inserts
- Use power save on my computer and laptop

My goal for next year is to use vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice as my cleaing aide staples, or other safe products. If I find any good solutions, I'll be sure and post them. Vinegar and baking soda are great for cleaning your drains and for soap scum.

I've also gradually started replacing our light bulbs with CFLs. Did you know?
If every American home swapped just five incandescent bulb fixtures for Energy Star CFLs, it would keep 1 trillion pounds of greenhouse gases out of the air and save $6.5 billion in energy costs. CFLs are more expensive, but they use 70% less energy and last much longer (10,000 hours compared to 750).

Here's a link to an energy saving checklist. http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/web/pdf/0706/energysaver.pdf

A little early...and curtains

2007-11-20T21:04:00.000-06:00

Since Craig's parents are heading to Michigan to spend Christmas with his sister's family, we're celebrating Christmas this weekend along with Thanksgiving. It doesn't even feel like Thanksgiving season, let alone Christmas, so I went with nontraditional wrapping paper and gift tags this year. (Very cheap too by the way.)

Both of Craig's parents are avid readers, so I made them each a fabric bookmark. I'm sure Neal will be thrilled. :) They recently got a new puppy, http://www.terrier.com/, so I'm excited to meet him.

And here are the curtains that I made this weekend for our patio door. I of course changed my mind on the fabric, but who could pass up a deal at $3.59/yard?

Fabric/sewing projects

2007-11-18T21:43:00.000-06:00

This is a plain white microfiber towel with some bright-colored patchwork.

I made myself a small bulletin board. I covered the corkboard with linen fabric and then made a patchwork pocket. The tacks are made from fabric covered buttons.

Here are some more fabric covered tacks and then a patchwork covered pencil holder (made from a soup can).

First ever sewing project

2007-11-13T20:56:00.000-06:00

I've taken a recent interest in sewing, which was sparked by wanting to sew some curtains for our new home. Before possibly runing some expensive designer fabric, I thought I'd start out with a bit smaller project, so I made a checkbook cover. I was very happy with my work and wished I would have used a
fabric that's a little more "me", so I guess I'll be making myself another one.

Here are a couple fabric samples that I picked for our patio
doors and family room. The one on the right is heavier, so I'd like to use that
one for the patio doors. The fabric hasn't been purchased yet. I'm afraid to buy
it in case I find something later that I like better, which has been known to
happen.

Finally found a favorite

2007-11-04T19:26:00.000-06:00

I've always been a beer drinker, but I like the sophistication that comes with drinking wine. It's not that I don't hate it, but I had yet to find one that I really enjoy. I've been to several wine
tasting parties, but none of them ever appealed to me. This particular wine, Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio, was a gift from some friends at our "Stock the Bar" engagement party. This evening, Craig and I shared a bottle. However, I wouldn't exactly consider hanging out in my sweats and slippers..."sophisticated". :)

Moon on 10-28

2007-11-04T19:22:00.000-06:00

I wish I would have taken a picture of the moon sooner than the 28th. My brother, Steve, mentioned to me that one of his favorite days of the year is the 26th of October because of the harvest moon. I saw the beautiful orange/red colors of the moon a few days prior, but didn't think to take a picture then.

View to the north

2007-11-04T19:18:00.000-06:00

I liked the contrasting colors between the sky and the green grass one evening after I got home from work, so I snapped a quick picture. I knew there wouldn't be too many more evenings that it'd still be light outside at this time. Bummer, winter is fast approaching.

Patio, retaining wall & deck footings

2007-10-07T19:46:00.000-05:00

We are finally making slight progress in our landscaping. The rain this fall sure isn't helping us meet our goal of having sod before it freezes. The concrete patio was poured on Thursday. The deck contractor has drug out his footings and posts project for 11 days when it was supposed to be done...11 days ago.

Craig and I weren't sure if we could handle putting up a retaining wall for a small flower bed, but after helping the neighbors and some research, we definitely thought it was doable. It's still standing! We planted some shrubs in the front of the house, so I'll have to post those as well.

Here are a few pictures of the workers in action. The pictures aren't that great because I took them through the deck door. One guy's doing the powdered coloring and the other is doing the stamping.

7180 Week 12

2007-06-24T20:48:00.000-05:00

The carpet was installed this week and the painting appears to be finished. All that appears to be left inside is cleaning. The asphalt should be poured in the next few days. We have our final walk through on 6-28 and are scheduled to close on 7-9.

Powder bath

Stairs and upstairs have a tan and neutral speckled shag carpet

Loft

Medium brown shag carpet
Living room - dark brown diamond patterned berber

Wedding snapshots

2007-06-18T09:35:00.000-05:00

Some snapshots from the wedding. Some, crazier than others...

7180 Week 11

2007-06-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

We weren't able to see the house after week 10 because of the wedding. The outside is completely finished, except for the front door. The lights are all in, most of the appliances, as well as the cabinetry and trim. The main things that are left are the 2nd coat of paint and the carpet.

7180 Week 9

2007-06-04T18:02:00.001-05:00

This week, the trim, baseboard, doors and cabinets were installed. We learned that they stain the wood after it's installed.

French doors to the master bedroom

Some of the baseboard that's stained. You can see the marks the stain left on the wall. To us, it would make more sense to stain it first and then not have to tape when you do another coat of paint. I'm sure they have their reasons for doing it this way.

There are black marks like these all over the walls. Not sure what they're from. I at first thought they were from a nail gun from the baseboard, but this wall doesn't have a baseboard yet, so it must have been from when they installed the wood floors??

Cherry kitchen cabinets

Maple floor (unstained)
Family room

Living room/front entrance

Kitchen

Kitchen corner pantry/garage entrance

Master bathroom

7180 Week 8

2007-05-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

The house is completely sided. The trim, front door and garage doors will be a darker brown/gray color. The trim is currently off-white, which will be painted. There will be 3 brick and wood pillars on the front porch built over the 4 x 4s. Trimming is scheduled to start on the 30th, so we're getting closer...but not close enough.
It's Sunday at 3:30 and we have almost everything moved over to our friends' garage. We made 3 Uhaul trips already this weekend and now only have clothes/food left and a few odds and ends.

View of dining/kitchen w/ corner pantry.
The arched doorway leads to the powder bath, a walk in closet and a door to the garage.

Master bedroom

Master bathroom

Main bathroom
(It's a light lime green color. It's hard to see it, so I hope that it's not too bright.)
The garage is completely sheetrocked.

7180 Week 6

2007-05-13T19:09:00.000-05:00

I didn't take any pictures after week 5 of construction.
All of the electrical wiring was done that week.

During week 6, the guys were very busy. The insulating and sheet rocking was done. The garage floor was poured, along with the front porch. And they began siding. The shingles were also replaced this week to the ones we had selected.

Siding is complete in the back.
We had a different color picked out, but we couldn't have that color
because of a house below us and adjacent to us already having that color.
BUT...the house RIGHT next door sure looks to be almost the exact
same color. I guess that's okay... You can kind of see it in pic above.

*ETA - it was their mistake that our house color is the same as our next door neighbors, but it's "ok" because the style of the fronts is so different. I guess if we really wanted to, we could have complained. We'll have to explain it to our neighbors because they may not like it either.

Garage

They also poured the basement this week.
East side of basement

West side of basement

Master bedroom
* Note the light switch to the left of the window.
It runs the front exterior lights.

Top of upstairs hallway/loft

Family room

Dining/Kitchen

Living/office

7180 Week 4

2007-04-28T21:46:00.000-05:00

Although we're not able to move into our new home, apparently birds are.
In the garage, there are 7 nests in a row.

Front
Note: The shingles on the house are "Shadow Black",
but we picked out "Weathered Wood".
The first thing I said to Craig when we pulled up the other day,
"Those are the wrong shingles!" I'll be curious what they're
going to do about them...
NE corner
Art niche

L to R: Living room/stairs/family room
Family room
Kitchen
Living room (Front door to the left)
Upstairs stairwell

Master bath - whirlpool tub

Master bedroom

7180 Week 3

2007-04-28T21:34:00.000-05:00

Completion of week 3.

Front of house is facing north

NE corner
Upstairs loft and a bedroom
Master bedroom

Family room
Family room
Windows and deck door on south side of house

Dining and kitchen

Dining and kitchen

Back south side of house

SE corner
E side
West side of basement
East side of basement

7180 Week 2

2007-04-28T21:24:00.000-05:00

After only 2 weeks.

Front of house

Front from NE

Back from SW

Back from SE

Garage

Front entrance

7180 Week 1

2007-04-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

Builders broke ground on April 2nd.
The pictures were taken after their first week of construction.

Lot before they broke ground

View from Northeast

Southwest view of basement
Garage

Front porch
Basement

Engagement pic

2007-04-25T20:44:00.000-05:00