Hall Closet Makeover

One of the bigger project I had given myself lately was to clean out our hall closet.  It's a huge closet, and it is one of the "catch-all" places in our house.  When I don't know where to put something, or if I need to clean up piles in a hurry, it gets taken to the hall closet.  I had taken a few more before/after pictures on my iPhone but I can't get them to rotate (and un-rotated pictures bother me) so I decided not to post them.  I'll save myself the embarrassment of everyone seeing the horrible mess it was..... here's one before/after picture though...

 These were the top shelves in my closet... iron, baby stuff, boxes of serving pieces....

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Ahh this feels so much better!  Everything is neatly organized!  Those plastic containers on the top shelf were from our Florida trip!  Glad I could reuse them :)  Since taking the picture, I removed the clear rubbermaid container and I'm storing extra cans of food there. 

New Diaper Bag

There are a couple things I buy new (or make, or am gifted) every time I have a baby.  One is crib bedding.  Another is my diaper bag.  I hadn't put much thought into my diaper bag this go around, but I knew I wanted a new one.  Last week, my mom went into TJ Max and they had discounted Vera Bradly diaper bags.  My BFF Amy raves about the VB diaper bags and it's all she's ever had.  After telling my mom I'd love to have one, she surprised me and bought it for me!  I LOVE IT!!!!  This is the 3rd thing I now have for baby (#1 was the green and white blanket, #2 was the crib bumper, #3 is the diaper bag).

It's very large and zips shut.  Both are major pluses!!!  It also can pass for a purse which I love.

Close up of the detail...

The inside is gender neutral AND lined in a plastic liner!!!  So functional!

The back zipper pocket has a diaper changing pad that matches the inside liner!

I couldn't be more thrilled or pleased with this diaper bag!  Thanks, Mom!!!

Pretty Toes

I love that my little wild child / tom boy still loves to get her toe nails painted!  She sits perfectly still and lets me paint as long as I want....

Me & Allie with flowers on our toes.

They need baby toe separators!  The wadded up paper towels aren't cutting it!

And while she has all the patience in the world when I'm painting - the drying is a whole different story!  Both flowers on her big toes were rubbed off about 30 seconds after I finished - so I tried to retouch them - and the second attemp ended the same as the first.  Better luck next time!

Sweet Potato Chips

While we were in Destin, we ate at the Cheeseburger In Paradise.  Our server was telling us about the sweet potato chips and I assured him I wouldn't like them because I don't like sweet potatoes - and I ordered fries with my meal.  While we were waiting on the food, our server brought out a small bowl of chips he just wanted us to sample.  It was free food, and I was hungry, so I tried one, then another, and I ended up eating every one he brought out!  They were SO GOOD! 

I was excited we had a Cheeseburger In Paradise here because I thought it may become one of my new favorite snacks.  Well, I was majorly disappointed when I tried Evansvilles.... they didn't have the seasoning on the chips like they did in Destin.  (I'm thinking I'll give them another try and maybe ask that they add the seasoning to them?)  But in the meantime, I got out the mandolin cutter my SIL gave me, bought some sweet potatoes, and tried to make some myself!

I sliced the sweet potatoes as thin as I could, laid them out on a baking sheet, sprayed them with olive oil and sprinkled them with sea salt and Mrs. Dash table blend.  I baked them at 350* for 15 minutes.  Then, I took them out of the oven and sprayed and sprinkled them again and baked them another 10 minutes.  The ones that didn't burn were a bit chewy.  They had a good taste though.  Kevin thinks we need to try the recipe again but put them in our fry daddy.  He likes frying things so I'll leave attempt #2 up to him! 

The things I used - minus the Mrs. Dash - that was a last minute idea.

Before baking.

After the first round in the oven.

All done... some were a little too brown to eat!

Four Wheeler

For over a year, we've had a 4 wheeler lined up to give Hayden.  My motherly instincts were saying no no no, but another part of me knew how much he'd love it.  So, last week was the big day.  Kevin went and picked it up and we surprised Hayden with it. 

Kevin was pushing it out of the garage for the big reveal!

Allie ran over and jumped on it before Kevin could even get it out... she's fearless.

Thumbs-up from Hayden!

Getting his helmet on.

Kevin was explaining the brakes and throttle. 

After a couple laps around the yard, Allie wanted a ride.

"Hi Mom!"

Standing up riding on just the first day... not good...

Overall, Hayden has been really safe on it.  He asks to ride it frequently but Kevin has to fix a small gas leak in the carburetor (I think that's what he said).  Hayden is getting faster on it, so I'm glad it's out of commission for a little bit. :)     

Mother's Day Bookmarks

I kept intending to blog about this fun craft idea, and I just kept forgetting!  For Mother's Day, I made 3 sets of book marks (one for me, one for my mom, and one for Kevin's mom).  I saw the idea in a recent Family Fun magazine.  It seemed easy enough and I knew I'd use them so that was a good enough reason for me to make them! :) 

I tried to get the kids excited about doing a "photo shoot".  The examples in the magazine had the kids hold their hands about their head so it would look like they were holding on to the tassel.  I ended up getting a good photo of each of them, had 4 copies of each made (I had an extra just in case I made a mistake cutting).  I printed the pictures on a standard 4x6 photo, but you could do a 5x7 if you wanted a bigger book mark.  Cut out the kids pictures and laminate them.  I had the laminating done at Staples.  All 6 pictures fit on one sheet (I could have fit 8) and I think it was between $2-$3.  They did it right infront of me so I didn't have to wait for them.

When I got home I cut the image out of the laminating and then punched a hole in their hands.  I just made a homemade tassel from yarn I already had.  Super easy project that was very affordable - and everyone seems to LOVE them!

No More Yubbie

I had been dreading the day that I took away Allie's paci, or "yubbie", as she calls it.  About the time she turned one, I only let her have one at nap time and bed time.  Hayden just gave his up on his own at 13 months, but Allie was very very attached.  I decided last week was the week!  We had a busy Memorial Day weekend, but that next Tuesday, I rounded all of them up and put them in the top of her closet.  The first day during nap time went better than I planned.  She asked for her yubbies, I told her no more yubbies b/c she's a big girl now - she fussed probably 10 minutes then went right to sleep.  Her normal naps are about 2 hours and this one lasted just over an hour.  I was slightly afraid for bedtime.... we went through the same drill as nap time - she asked, I said no.  Again, after about 10 minutes, she went right to sleep.  I went to bed early that night preparing myself for a long night.  Allie woke me up at 5:30am (which is about 90 mins earlier than she normally wakes up), but I couldn't believe she slept all night!  The following days weren't any harder.   Tuesday (one week later) was the first nap time and bed time she laid right down with out a peep.  All these months I'd been dreading this were for nothing! 

I'm hoping her front teeth straighten out a little bit and her little lisp gets better too!

Only When I'm Pregnant - 24 Weeks

Goodbye second trimester!  I've really enjoyed the last 12 weeks of pregnancy.  Overall I felt great, slept great, had exciting doctor's appointments - and my oh my the time has flown by!  I'm already thinking ahead to the birth - what will be different, will the baby look like Hayden or Allie, will "it" be a girl or boy.  I still haven't felt the rush to kick Allie out of her room and get the baby's room ready, although Allie is really excited and ready to move into Hayden's room.  Maybe when I reach the 30's (meaning weeks) I'll get things in gear. 

As of yesterday, I am up 23lbs.  Could be better, could be worse.  I remember how upset I was about the weight I gained with Hayden - and I was a little upset too when pregnant with Allie - but I've lost all the weight I gained both times, so I keep reminding myself it's only temporary.

I've been going absolutely crazy for caramel corn.  I have my glucose test today and my doctor advised me not to over due the sugar a few days prior to the test........ so I've eaten just about everything in sight to get my mind off caramel corn, but it's not working.  Momma wants caramel corn!  You'd think I'd plan on making it today, but I found a recipe for a giant chocolate chip cookie that is supposed to taste similar to Great American Cookies cookie cakes, so me and the kids are trying that tonight.  (If it's worthy of sharing the recipe, I absolutely will!)

Still dealing with some sciatic pain (usually in the mornings and evenings).  My uterus is the size of a soccer ball this week!  That's getting pretty big!  The baby weighs over a pound and from head to rear is about 12 inches long - no wonder I can feel these kicks a lot more!  OH, and Kevin felt the baby move for the first time Saturday night.  That's always fun for the both of us :)

Thrifting

Hello, Thrifting.  I have missed you. 

I bought 2 pair of jeans - the light pair are for post pregnancy, the dark pair are for when I lose the baby weight!

The light jeans are Gap Long & Lean jeans (My Favorite jeans ever), and the dark are called Truck Jeans.  Both retail for @ $70 and I paid $5 a pair!  Love it!

I found this super cute North Face sweater that I'm hoping I can wear this winter.  The sleeves are extra long and it looks like it's never been worn.  I was marked down from $5 to $2.  I think yes!

This was by far my favorite find.  As I've said, I'm wanting to make the baby's bedding.  My plan is to use red and blue as the main nursery colors and if it's a girl add pink touches and if it's a boy add navy blue.  I had looked at crib bumper patterns and I knew that would be the biggest sewing challenge I faced.  Then, I found this Pottery Barn Kids bumper that will match perfectly for $5!  Looks brand spakin' new!  I couldn't pass it up!!!

Who is ready to go thrifting?!  I am!!!!  Can't wait to see what I find on my next trip out!

Baby Shower

I'm sure this is old news to most of you, but my sister, mom, and myself hosted a baby shower for my sister in law, Tabitha, on Memorial Day weekend.  My sister took care of invites, games and banners, my mom did the food and got the table decorations and prizes (along with a bunch of other little details), and my only job was the cupcakes and to do the speaking at the shower.  I was happy with how the cupcakes turned out (and tasted, I purposely stopped counting how many I ate).  The room looked girly and beautiful, and I think everyone that came had a good time!  Here are some pics...

The cupcakes (chocolate/strawberry/white) iced in pink butter cream with a chocolate covered pretzel branch for the owls (which I purchased on Etsy!)

The table settings - my mom made the owl sugar cookies!

The room @ the Newburgh Library

My SIL Tabitha, my brother Tyler, and my niece Addison.

Me & my mom

The food table before the punch was ready :)