Direct from Clutter-ville

Let's talk about my closets....there are six in this house and at the moment, I feel like they are about to explode.

clutter to the right
perhaps I have a third child living in there?

It's not that they are too full (although, they do contain a ridiculous amount of randomness). It's that they are so unorganized. It drives me nuts. So I've decided to make closet organization a priority for the next few weeks.

Hooray!

Actually, the timing is perfect because in about a month my service organization is having a garage sale fundraiser. So I can clean out the clutter, and instead of just dropping everything at the GW I'll send it to the garage sale. Two birds, I'm all about it :)

I had a little time yesterday (double nap!!), so I tackled the hall closet.

clutter way up high

wasted space below

I decided the easiest way to do it was old-school, Clean Sweep style (I loved that show!). So I labeled three areas in my hallway "Garage Sale," "Keep," and "Craig's List" (CL was for the few items that weren't GS worthy, but still not garbage), and I had a small bag for any trash I might find.

yep, that was all mashed in my closet. yikes.

The only trash I came across was an ancient package of plastic knives which had spilled all over the floor. Knowing that I wasn't storing actual garbage made me feel much less like a hoarder :)

About an hour later I had a clean and shiny hall closet!

holy cow! there was a kid in my closet! ;)

breathing room

organized, and there is nothing on the floor!

What are your current organizing goals?

i bet....

Bet you wish you looked this awesome today.

Happy Monday!

Today's Mommy Must Haves

I woke up at 3:00 to nurse* Bun this morning, he went right back to sleep but I just couldn't.

So today I am relying on some of my favorite things to keep me going.

Headbands - so I don't have to "do" my hair

Giant Coffee - it's called caffeine, it is my friend

Hotsling - currently my favorite sling for Bun, it allows me to get work done (or blog), and play with Peanut all while cuddling the bebe :)

I'm rocking this sling today, and wishing I was as cute as this model!

Crock pot - I was up at 3 AM, I can only assume I'll be completely useless by dinner time. Enter crock pot, pot roast and veggies. Hello healthy dinner!

Happy day everyone!

*speaking of nursing, Ameda is giving away a nursery makeover, check it out.

of course I don't work for any of these companies, but you knew that ;)

Ready for the Weekend!

I've got almost everything ready for a baby shower I am throwing on Sunday.

I'm not quite sure how I'll fit everything in the Jeep...

And, just like I wanted, Hemnes has a new home in the master bedroom.

I'm really happy with the way the grey and blue play together :)

Now, if I could just find the time to organize my clothing...

Have a great weekend!

a friday memory

Around here, Friday is trash day.

Which means every Friday morning I make a sweep through the house and find all of the trash that J forgot to put at the curb (he generally misses the bin in the kids bath, office and - most unfortunate - the diaper pail).

But it also means that I put on my super-duper-listening-ears.

Because I have a little boy who loves to watch the trash man take our garbage :)
And, even though he is inherently a bit creepy, we must have a pretty good trash man. When he sees JJ's little face smashed up against the living room window he makes sure to do "the big dump" and empty the collection bin into the truck.

And then JJ claps.

<3

toddler logic

JJ gets food all over his hands, then wipes them on his shirt.

JJ gets boogers all over his hands, then sticks them in his mouth.



EXCUSE ME??!!

Oh well, at least he's cute :)

Regaining Control

Today I feel completely out-of-control.

There's just SO MUCH to do.

*children are still both in pajamas
*the house feels about one-step away from a CPS nightmare
*I feel completely unprepared for a baby shower I am throwing on Sunday
*I have yet to cook a decent meal for anyone this week (we had frozen pizza for lunch yesterday, and SPAGHETTIO'S today (that's how desperate I was))
*the baby is 10 weeks old and I still haven't mailed out his birth announcements
*and so much more....

So I decided to start at the beginning and gain control of ONE little thing.

I cleaned out my purse. And I consumed a healthy dose of caffeine. And the Heavens parted and the Angels sang :)

Now that I feel better, I am ready to get some things done!

Happy Thursday! I hope it's productive!

PS - super article from Simon Doonan - enjoy!

Clampett-Mobile

First - A huge thank you is in order for all of the sweet comments on my last post :) I wanted to write back to each of you, but the children have been needy - and I need my sleep - but I really appreciate all of your positive and loving comments!

We took a little trip to IKEA on Sat...

And by the time we left, our Jeep pretty much looked like this:

source

with a few diaper boxes (there was a great sale at BRU!), a stroller, and two car seats for good measure.

Hubs has been honing his Allen-wrench skills - I should have pics to share soon (need to remember to charge the camera).

I hope you all had an equally exciting weekend!

I'm a Work in Progress

It's Progress Party time at Serenity Now!

I wish I could show you some major before and after photos of my home. But I can't, because not much has changed around here. Today I did order some art to hang over the piano, though...so that's a little progress.

The biggest project at the moment is me. I'm not changing dramatically, but I'm trying to make sure I don't lose myself in all the wonderful-ness of motherhood. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. You see, back in 2008, after Peanut was born I was not very happy.

I was ecstatic that I was a mother (Peanut's arrival answered many years worth of prayers), but I felt lost and lonely. Looking back I'm sure I had at least a touch of PPD, and it was very easy to forget about myself (which made everything worse). Now that I have two boys I don;t have time to be sad; so while taking care of them is my number one priority, I am working on taking care of me, too.

The first thing I did was promise myself that if I felt sad to tell my OB - and to do it right away (thankfully I have been so HAPPY!). I realize PPD doesn't necessarily surface in the first few weeks after baby is born, so I'll continue to monitor my feelings.

Then I had my hair cut :) It had gotten ridiculously long, and the ends were super-straggly.

pay no attention to my double chin

There was a silver lining to the long-hair-due-to-neglect -- I had enough length taken off (and the ends weren't really very bad) that my hair was donated to Locks of Love. So I felt pretty good about that (although, after doing some research, if I donate again, it won't be to LoL). I feel much sassier now.

omg - I got bangs!

Last night (wait for it) I went to the gym. I have a secret plan (which I guess is now public) to run a 5K in the fall with Hubs. I'll be pushing the double jogging stroller, so we'll see how long I can actually run for, but it's a goal :) I plan on starting the Couch to 5K plan within the next two weeks.

The next part is going to take a real leap for me, I'm seriously thinking about going back to school in January. That would mean putting the kids in day care, and taking out a student loan, and probably cutting back on some of my volunteering. But I know the longer I put it off, the harder it will be to go back. I'm not sure if I'm going to finish the STC degree I started at Tech, or if I will switch to Interior Design (that's what I really want to do) - either way it's going to be slow going. Not to mention I will be a "non-traditional student." Ugh. But I need to earn a degree.

The last bit is far less important and way more fun. I'm updating our master bedroom!

This is how it looks today (the bassinet will be gone within a few weeks, but it's a pain to move):






Right now I'm thinking - new dresser for me (the one pictured is Hubs, he found it at a farm auction and I love it!). Possibly this one from IKEA, I love it in grey. Maybe a stencil (similar to this) on the wall behind the bed. New bedside lamps. Finally do something about that awful bedskirt (a remnant from bedding which was replaced 2 years ago). And a new sitting area in front of the window - I would love two rattan chairs, but would really need to luck out and find them at the thrift store or on CL.

So that's my "progress," my totally selfish, all about me progress :)

A Good Weekend

We had a great weekend!

We were able to relax and play with the boys, and I was able to finish a few small projects. Hooray!

Also, I realized that since Bun is 8 weeks old, it had been 8 weeks since we'd had freshly baked cookies in the house. Tragic, isn't it?

So I decided to make a quick batch of bar cookies. I used a recipe handed down to me from my French Aunt, Nestle Toll House ;) (remember that episode of Friends?)

But the butter was frozen, so I set it outside in the heat to thaw faster.

butter, noms.

And pretty soon we had cookies!

that's a large cookie

It was a good weekend!

still alive

just super busy (at least I am)

keeping up with the boys (all three of them!) is quite the job

but I love it :)

On the Subject of Books

My friend Amanda is hosting one of her fabulous "Dishing it!" parties today - and I'm excited to participate. :)

Summer reading has always been a passion of mine. Growing up we had an awesome library, with a really great summer reading program. I think that's why I always think of books when I think of summer. In the past few years the books have turned into magazines (unfortunately, maybe one of these days I'll have enough time to get involved in a book - I've always wanted to read War and Peace), but when I was younger it was always books, books, books.

I love a good book series, getting involved in the characters and lost in a fictional place; perfect for daydreaming about while relaxing at the beach or in the backyard. The first series I fell in love with was Beatrix Potter's amazing children's books; I think my favorite parts were how teeny tiny the books were, and the dreaminess of the watercolor illustrations. Many more series
followed, and some have become some of my favorite books to re-read as an adult.

Of course, I also love books that aren't associated with a series so I've added some of those, too :)

My Top Five Summer Re-reads

1. The Little House Series - I find something new every time I read these books. As an adult I am especially aware of the way Laura writes about food. I'm pretty sure that as a child, her stomach was never full.

2. The Anne of Green Gables Series -Another classic. And the number one reason I want to visit Prince Edward Island.

3. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers - The real story behind The Sound of Music, written by Maria. I love this book, it's not the movie, but I think it's great. Plus my copy came from my Grandma, and she taped an envelope in the front with a newspaper clipping from the 60's (which is just SO Grandma) - I'm happy just to hold it :)

4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - I have vivid memories of devouring this book at a cottage in Northern Michigan one summer. If you somehow missed this book as a child, you must read it. Francie's story is wonderful and will stick with you forever.

5. The Dollmaker - This one is not light reading, it can be very depressing - I'm not sure a book has ever made me cry harder than this one did. But it's an excellent book, detailing the life of an Appalachian woman who moves to Detroit with her family during WWII. I'm not sure I would take this book to the beach, but it would fit right in during a summer thunderstorm.

Leftover Magic

We've been eating a lot of leftovers around here.

Like, a WHOLE lot.

And then I realized that I can turn leftovers into quesadillas. Hooray! Dinner has been rescued, by these magical wraps (13 g of fiber in each one!).

we've been eating the "traditional" variety - not tomato basil

I just heat up a pan, throw in the tortilla, some cheese and leftovers, and dinner is ready!

Lately we've been munching on:
mozzarella cheese and Italian shredded beef
hummus, feta and cucumbers (vegetarian)
banana slices and chocolate chips (desert!)

And here's the funniest part - hubs is the one who purchased these tortillas. I sent him to the store to buy some tortillas for our Fourth of July Mexican Fiesta. He came back with these and I was a little skeptical, they weren't what I had asked for. But I was so happily surprised! And they taste ten thousand times better than most whole wheat tortillas.

**This is the part where I promise that no one paid me to write this, or review this product. I just wanted to save all of you from super-boring leftovers.**

What's your favorite way to eat leftovers?

My Favorite Project

I'm slowly getting more accomplished around here. Sometimes it's hard to find the balance, to let it be alright when you can't finish a single project and you have to have your husband bring home a $5 pizza for dinner ($5 pizzas are my favorite, it's my inner Detroiter coming out).

So while I don't have the time to document every project, I thought that maybe I can stick with sharing my favorite project from the week every Friday.

Baby steps. I'm all about baby steps right now.

So here's my favorite finished project from this week:

A Spaceship for Buzz

This morning I ran around for far too long searching for Buzz Lightyear. I decided that if he had a spaceship to sleep in every night he would be a *little* bit easier to find.

Peanut was pretty excited to do a craft project.


Materials:
1 Wheat Thins box (rescued from the recycling bin)
white scrap paper
clear packing tape
scissors
markers

markers are magical

I sat my little crafter down with some markers and the scrap paper, he turned the paper into masterpieces in no time. While he colored I reassembled the box and cut out a window.

I saved the window scraps to make "wings."

Then I used a liberal amount of packing tape to wrap the box with the paper, cutting around the window and taping down all of the paper seams. After that I wrapped and taped the wings, and then attached them to the sides of the rocket. (in all fairness this whole process took a long time, we had a few tantrums, someone needed to be nursed, and diapers were changed - but I finished it!)

Buzz loves his "Rocket Space"

opinionated

This morning I was watching the Today Show and JJ was playing (Max was doing what he does best - nursing!), then Lady Gaga began to perform.

JJ immediately says "I no yike dis song. Is garbage."

Future music critic?

little helper

JJ loves Max.

He loves to hold him, and read to him, bring him trucks and "Super Guys." He always knows where Max's binky is hiding and when he fusses JJ will tell him "It OK, I right here!"

Today he helped with bath time.

splashing in the tub

The floor was wet, JJ was wet, I was wet and Max was clean.

We were all happy :)

My To-Do List

Everyday I make myself a list, it keeps me motivated, yada yada yada.

I really just adore lists.

But I have a question: if your list looks like this, can you automatically cross everything off?

a list for Thursday, modified by Peanut

*yep - I had a load of laundry labeled "poop" - we had multiple diaper-fails this morning, so I am taking myself to the drive-thru for coffee therapy this afternoon

The Old College Try

I've not done very much with my little home lately.

I've been busy ;)

I decided that today was my day to jump back into pursuits of home beatification, at least temporarily - okay, so for like 20 minutes I could do something around here.

I chose the front door.

incredibly boring people live here

Earlier this week my mom was in town and I jumped on the opportunity to visit Hobby Lobby by myself. It was fabulous, and all of the silk plants were half off.

This is where you all recoil in horror - Silk plants! The shame! - they aren't my first choice, either. But after a few years of trying to get something to grow in my worse-than-full-shade planting box, I decided to just go faux. I needed some color!

color! better than a spray tan

I haphazardly threw the "arrangement" together. I don't get many front door visitor - the UPS man does not count because he ignores the little "please don't ring the bell."sign I put out during nap time - so I'm looking for some impact from the street.

I threw the floral foam into the bottom of my planter, and then literally jammed the floral stems into it. I didn't even take the time to cut the stems apart or anything (I might do that later, but probably not).

don't tell Martha

Then I swapped out my spring wreath for my summer one, pulled out a little table I've had in storage for years and plunked a giant pinwheel in the planter box.

a bit more summery

I now realize that my summer wreath is incredibly faded - the bright colors have turned almost autumnal - so I'll be on the lookout for a fresh replacement. The little table obviously needs something, I think it would look cheerful with a potted fern on top (which might not die in such a shaded spot) and a garden statue at the base. And I'm undecided on the pinwheel (I think it might be too big?). I'd also like to add a smaller planter full of more silk flowers and maybe a few real live ivy plants trailing out of the planter box.

Who has some feedback for me?

figuring it out

It's been three weeks since we brought Max home. He's growing like a weed! And he is making about 2 thousand dirty diapers every day ;)

I'm figuring out how to take care of both boys, take care of the house (a little, totally comes second or third on the list), and try to eek out a little time for myself so that I remain sane.

JJ and Max are not on the same page concerning naps. It would be so nice if they napped at same time, but they don't (at least not yet). I can look at this in a negative way ( no nap for mommy!), or I can see it as a positive thing. I'm choosing positive - how great is it that even though I have two boys, I can get uninterrupted alone time with each of them? Looking at it this way makes me feel much more positive :)

House work is sliding, I'm trying to be okay with it. Actually, I have so much more energy than I did towards the end of my pregnancy, that I am definitely accomplishing more than I was - so I at least feel like I am gaining ground. So far I've been able to make sure we all have clean clothes and are fed each night. Sometimes the dishes get done before bed, but not always. Today I vacuumed and swept! Woohoo!

I have one golden rule, I get a shower every day. It might not happen until 10:30 PM, but I get a few minutes of peace and quiet once a day :)

a helicopter story

Watching JJ communicate is very entertaining.

This evening, while playing with his blue helicopter (blue 'copter) he suddenly stopped, raised his index finger (this is his "I have an idea!" pose) and said "Yellow 'copter!!" I asked him where it was and he responded (finger up) "In the car!" It was, he remembered he had left it in the car after running errands this morning.

I told him that Daddy would help him get it from the car in just a few minutes. He responded by clasping his little hands together and saying "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" because we are all about DRAMA.

Then he turns away and says "Yellow copter, in the car?" and in a deep voice responds "Yes. I stuck."

I couldn;t help but laugh :)

A Completed "Project"

Last Wednesday I finished a little project I've been working on for about...40 weeks ;)

Our little Bun arrived on Wed. May 26 at 10:50 AM, he was 8lbs. 2 oz. and 20.5 inches long.

Big brother Peanut already loves him to pieces :)

it's a boy!

Maxwell Mason arrived at 10:50 AM Wednesday, May 26th.

He was 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 20.5 inches long.

We all love our little Max!

almost 39 weeks

I am still pregnant.

I am huge, there will be no more belly shots.

Every time I lay down I have lower back pain and contractions, so I'm not really sleeping.

I have four friends who were all due after me. They have all had their babies.

I am jealous. But at the same time I am happy that Bun is full term and not a premie.

I like to torture myself by watching Baby Story and Birth Day on TLC.

oy.

A nugget from the local docket:

"An inebriated person who crawled into a dumpster near 1207 Chateau Court was cited for disorderly conduct. "I'm just so drunk," he told police."

Just to clarify, Chateau Court is within the most "exclusive" of our many local trailer parks.

So proud.

Mother's Day Cheesecake! aka NOMS!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!

I certainly did :) - my little sister came to visit and we put her to work on Fri. night and headed out for a fan-cee dinner and charity event. I even dressed up - squee! Sat. and Sun. were relaxed and nice, and my parents came down for Mother's Day. Mom brought most of dinner (steaks on the grill!) and I provided corn on the cob and dessert.

At first I was going to buy something, maybe a fruit pie, but while flipping through a very random copy of Ladies' Home Journal (pretty sure it accidentally came home from the Dr.'s office) I spotted a cream cheese ad with super yummy pictures. The recipe was EASY and although not my usual style of baking, I decided to give it a whirl.

Peanut loved it!

You can find the recipe here by searching for "Philadelphia Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake." (Sorry there's no direct link!)

I served it with a bowl of fresh strawberries, and while it was great on Sun, we all agreed it was even better after sitting in the fridge overnight.

I was originally a little hesitant about the recipe because the topping uses Cool Whip, and I'm not a huge fan of fake whipped cream (although there are some recipes it works great in). In the future I think I'll play around with using real whipped cream and stabilizer. The cheesecake itself was super easy and really good, I think it would also taste great made with a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice and served with a simple blob of freshly whipped cream. I also think a sweet pretzel crust would be a great trade for the Nilla Wafer crust.

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

my first marigold

JJ gave me my first Mother's Day marigold this year.

Lovingly potted in a plastic cup he decorated with stickers.

Oh, and he broke the only bloom off and shoved it in the dirt.

That's my boy :) I love him!

belly by jj

35 weeks, 6 days
by JJ

baby pool

Time to place your bets!

Who do you think Bun will be?

Guess here.

almost 36 weeks

Right now we are putting baby clothes away; running stuffed animals, wall hangings, etc through the dryer to get the dust out; and scrubbing down the nursery.

On Tues I will be 36 weeks pregnant, and Bun has dropped considerably.

I'm waddling, and my bosom no longer rests on my baby belly (at least my bra straps aren't constantly sliding down my shoulders). I feel like I could have this baby if I sneeze.

I just packed my hospital bag (I packed contraband granola bars just in case).
The car seat is ready to go (we're going to wait to install the base).
I bought a pack of newborn diapers.

I totally feel prepared for Bun's arrival (big fat lie).

I'm making a list of baby things that I need to do before my water breaks:
* Find Bun a coming home outfit.
* Get a baby book.
* Charge the camcorder.
* Wrap up a present for JJ to bring to the hospital.
* Wrap up JJ's present (he's getting a little Dr. kit - we've been very into Dr's lately)
* Get myself a summer weight robe for at the hospital.
* Update announcement addresses (if you'd like one please let me know!)
* Finalize a date, etc for the "double dip" (Baptism).

The one thing I am not worried about is feeding this baby. Establishing nursing with JJ wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but we did it and we did it well (19 months!). My midwife mentioned to me that because we stopped nursing after I became pregnant, my milk will come in sooner this time - hopefully that's true! At any rate, the Boppy is coming to the hospital this time, not having it with JJ made everything more complicated.

I think that's it. At least that's all I can handle thinking about for right now.

It's Getting There!

I worked on my pathetic piano area today!

Before:

pbbttt!!!!

After:

it's getting there

Yes, there is still much to be done. But I am already so pleased with the little changes.

Getting rid of the plastic play kitchen and red rug were a huge improvement. Putting the floor lamp away and bringing in the chair from my bedroom were huge. I remembered I had a few pillow forms from Ikea stashed away, so I wrapped the fabric around one - I like it! And I added a side table that really had no purpose in the den. I'm too chicken to hang art quite yet, so I just tossed a few accesories on top of the piano and called it good enough for now.

Still on the To-Do List:

* Find a sofa table. I actually found this one on CL (I was surprised).

asking $135

Unfortunately I think the finish is too red, and the style is a bit too country. I think I need something a bit cleaner and darker.

* Hang some art. I know I mentioned a print that I have in another room, I'm thinking it just won't work because of the placement of the thermostat (darn!). What do you think about two tall and narrow, modern pieces above the piano? So far this area is very traditional, and directly across from the piano is a modern entertainment center (an Ikea Besta unit, sort of like this). I'm thinking modern art will help to balance the two areas.

* Get a lamp for the side table. I'm going to start at GW, once again I think something with a more modern shape would be nice. While we are talking lamps, what do you think about the finish of the piano lamp? I know my mom bought that lamp in 1987, it's a nice lamp, but I'm not sure I can handle the brass...oil rubbed bronze? black?

* Slipcover the bench with the pillow fabric, and pick up some fun fringe to finish the pillow.

What do you think so far? Your wonderful feedback and ideas got me started on this project, and now I need it as fuel for me to keep going :)

Thanks again, for all of the thoughtful comments!!!

Because I Know You Love Updates

#1 - Huge thanks to everyone for all of the great feedback on my (currently not-so) Great Room!!

You are awesome and I love you!

We did a little furniture moving and it's already looking better :) I'll be doing a few more things tonight and tomorrow and then should be able to give you a little update (but don't expect too much - we are moving at a snail's pace over here).

Onto the updates.

At the beginning of the year I had a pretty solid set of goals to accomplish before the impending birth of "Bun." I'm going to be honest, I had to reread the original post to remember what they were (not a great sign). Here's the rundown:

Blog more - I was aiming for 3 posts per week, so far that has not happened. It's been a little chaotic around here, so the fact that I have continued to post, and not just abandoned my little house blog, makes me feel like I haven't totally given up. I've got a lot to say and show, just not a lot of time - I will try hard to improve on this!

Try a new recipe each week (and eat out/carry out less) - I've tried quite a few new recipes! But haven't been very good about making sure to try a new one each week. We've also been hit-or-miss with cutting down on carry out. The good news is the foundation repairs have been paid off (and with new money!). And just in time for more foundation repairs...oy.

Get to Church - We have not been regulars at Church. I'd like to blame it on Peanut's behavior during Mass (2 is not an easy age for a Fr. Mike homily), but it comes down to me and Hubs - we're slacking and it's no good.

Baptize the Kiddos - the goal is to have everything ready for a double Baptism (the "Double Dip") and party by my birthday - May 20. I am on track with this goal!!!

Lose Weight - on hold until baby Bun's birth.

House Projects -
The Great Room has been getting a little attention, although not as much as I would like.
Currently turning the office into a big boy room for Peanut. - It's been painted, furniture is almost done, decor is on-track and (most importantly) he is sleeping in his new big boy bed!
Move the office into the den - it's a great big mess, but almost 100% of the office stuff is in the den :)
And then I'd like to paint the hallway - not going to happen any time soon.
And the guest bath - ditto.

So that's where I stand after the first quarter of this year. There's room for improvement and a few "go-me!" moments. I guess that's not too bad.

How have your goals for 2010 been progressing?

My Brain is too Busy to Decorate

It's time for my very favorite party :)
Amanda is hosting her world-famous Decorating Dilemmas Party, come and join the fun!

Here's the deal.

This is a chunk of my great room.

I know you want to steal this amazing style

It used to house a dining room table, and buffet - both have been relocated because it felt like my GR had about 37 huge tables in it (really it was 2 large tables and a big island, but it was too much). Two weeks ago a piano arrived (thanks Mom and Dad!), and this week we finally finished a project (I know a WHOLE project - I was amazed! ps - it's the cabinet in the corner). So I've accumulated a few pieces of furniture, but that's where the plan ends.

I think my fetus is eating my brain. I cannot come up with a solid plan for this area.

What I know I need to lose:
* plastic play kitchen - heading to Peanut's room
* mismatched red rug - I love it, but not in this room. Right now it's just protecting the floor from the evil-metal piano-bench feet.
* cheap floor lamp - it's actually left over lighting from a project I was doing, it really belongs in my bedroom.
* 10 lbs, at least (oh wait, we were talking about the room...)

I am thinking about adding:
* a sofa table behind the couch - what finish? pale blue to match the newly-completed cabinet?
* a new area rug. Maybe I can make a large rug like Miss High-Heeled? I need some fabric inspiration.
* this chair from my bedroom (and make a pillow with the fabric (clearance score from Ballard))? I'm afraid the gold in the chair will clash with the yummy-yellow walls.

I have 2 yards of the yummy fabric

* architectural print over piano? I already have one, it's long and skinny (Mackinac Bridge blueprint), and very nicely framed...not quite sold on the idea, though.
* recover, or just slipcover, the piano bench with the Ballard fabric.

What would you do? I'm thinking I can only spend, maybe $250...
Thanks in advance, I'm excited to see your ideas!

a rundown

JJ:
- Last Thursday he slept in his big boy room for the first time. It was totally no big deal. I mean, he has a choo-choo pillow, so of course his bed is the coolest thing ever. I'm not going to lie, the empty crib in the nursery makes me cry - good thing we're getting a replacement baby soon ;)

sleeping soundly

- The language explosion that is going on at our house is AMZING. I remember learning about this stage in my one-and-only linguistics course (so fun, still makes me think about becoming a linguist), seeing it happen is pretty cool.

- JJ prefers to play "ootside" every day. Yeah! Except, when it is rainy and cold, we have an extreme case of cabin fever. Boo!

- Very interested (borderline obsessed), in all vehicles - especially "dumpie" trucks - robots, rockets, monsters, dragons and dinosaurs (which are apparently interchangeable, probably becasue they all say "RAWR!"), and duplos - because who doesn't like to build stuff?

- Also very into dental hygiene. We brush 4-5 times per day.

Me and Bun:
- Today makes week 34. Six weeks to go. Oy, this is happening fast.

- I am carrying Bun completely different from JJ. I feel like I have someone's feet in my esophagus, I swear this fetus is 27 inches long already. And because of placental-placement, I can feel Bun move so much more than JJ, it's weird and wonderful at the same time.

- I went to Cleveland last weekend to visit my best friends :) Sat night was my first time away from JJ over night. He was totally unfazed, perhaps it was because J let him eat junk food all weekend. I played a viola for the first time in a decade (?) maybe more? Allison was amazed that I could remember the first 8 notes for Twinkle, Twinkle... I am amazed that she let me hold her beautiful new violin.

the a-team
in front of the world's grooviest grass-cloth wallpaper

- Guess who is chairing the Bicentennial Gala Ball for my city in 2012? I'm already planning my outfit... Squeee!

The House:
- We recently paid off the very large loan we took out in Nov. to cover the foundation work we had done. J headed down to the crawl space the other week and looked around...the other walls are moving. Awesome. The good news is this fix will be much less expensive and invasive (power-braces instead of piers), and we really like the company that we are working with. The bad news is - who really wants to spend $8K because 200 years ago some crazy farmers decided to build a city on a swamp?

breaking news!

"A palm tree were purloined from a porch at 132½ N. Main St. recently."

From my favorite news source; I included the grammar mistake for your enjoyment.

Real Life

In my dreams, I craft in a space like this:

Heather Bailey's craft room, found here

In real life, it's more like this:

please send help

Yup. That's my kitchen island.
On a good day - I actually wiped the peanut butter up before laying out my fabric. (score!)

Oh well, in my mind I'm crafting with Martha in a beautiful craft room. With all of the supplies I could ever need, and no interruptions :)

Get Ready!

Get ready lovely followers! I feel a marathon blogging session coming on tonight...

I have to wait until Peanut is safely tucked in bed, but after that expect some updates on the happenings around my little house.

:)

On Breakfast Foods and Meal Planning

Tonight was low-key. Hubs had his last bowling night of the season (thank you!), and Peanut and I spent the day hosting a little egg-dyeing party. We were pretty tired.

Around 4:30 I decided that we would just have bowls of cereal and fruit for dinner. And I decided that if I didn't have a cup of coffee I would not make it to bedtime.

And then I remembered Amanda posting this nommy little recipe yesterday. So I told Peanut we would also have a little treat with dinner. He may be his father's twin, but he is momma's boy - he excitedly said "Chocolate?!" Yep, little one, chocolate is generally part of momma's treats :)

So we ate.

And then, while catching up on some of my favorite blogs I noticed that Laura planned her entire month of dinners for April. What a fantastically freeing concept!

Instead of dreading meal planning every Monday, I can just do it once and get it done! I can;t believe it never occurred to me before. So simple, but so wonderful.

So tomorrow I think I will focus on planning meals for April, and I'm also going to start planning meals to cook for the freezer so that I'll feel a bit more prepared about the impending arrival of Bun (nine weeks to go!).

Do you have a goal for April 1st?

future aerospace engineer?

Lately we have been all about rockets.

All day long I hear "3,2,1 Blast off!" And then I usually hear "CRASH!!!"

Crashing is fun, don'tyouknow.

I have been trying to teach JJ that it isn't "blastoff," but rather "ignition." See, I totally remember something from Space Camp - Mom and Dad, consider that money well spent :)

And while I was caught up in the vocabulary, JJ was busy building his own rocket:

ahh...duplos!

See the trailer on the back? That is the rocket boosters. After "blastoff" the rocket flies very briefly and then the boosters detach and fall to the ground. We're not sure where he learned that part, but we think it's pretty fabulous.