6.29.2010

diaper and wipe clutch.

I'm still nesting. But I can feel myself slow down a tad. I'm trying to get all these crazy projects done that are in my head before I just want to crash before the baby comes. Have I mentioned I only have about three months left? I'm wondering how much bigger I am going to get, because the belly is so there.

Anyway, back to nesting. I got out my sewing machine the other night. And made a diaper and wipe clutch. I was inspired by my own diaper clutch that I received as a gift when Audrey was born (thanks, Sooze!). It is basically a small bag that holds a couple of diapers and travel-size wipe case. It is perfect for your purse/diaper bag to help you stay organized. Well, I wanted to make one of these handy things for my friend who is about to have a baby any day now.

So out of some vintage fabric napkins (three to be exact) I made this bag:


[Side note: In case you are wondering, I consider myself a novice sewer. I don't use patterns or make templates. I may have had my sewing machine for say, 8 years or so, but sadly, I am still a beginner. Whew. I'm glad to admit that.]

I already gave my friend the bag. I was going to wait and give it to her as a "hospital" gift, but I was tempted to keep it for myself so I had to get rid of it fast too excited about it.

I also ended up making a couple of more. Some I'm going to sell at the Art Fair in November and some I'm going to give away as gifts for all my lovely friends having babies soon.

6.28.2010

weekend happiness.

We don't take a lot of real vacations, per se. But we do like to get away for mini-vacations on weekends. Usually to visit family or friends. This past weekend we took a trip up north to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit my sister and brother-in-law. [My older, but looks younger than me sister. I know this because we asked the waiter at Olive Garden this past weekend to guess our age, and he guessed me a year older. Ha. I may never let her live that down. My sister is actually five years older. Have I ever mentioned I am one of six kids? Thought I would just throw that out there.]

We had such a great time. Eating. And eating. And well, eating. It is one of my favorite past times. Besides Olive Garden, we hit Starbucks in the morning before garage sale-ing (which was a total failure, but at least I had my delicious non-fat, decaf, white chocolate mocha with whipped cream to get me by), we ate lunch out on the boat, experienced a Greek Fest (and I am so not Greek, but I am German), and then ate some yummy crepes at Ihop after church on Sunday. My belly was definitely full and my heart happy.

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Experiencing a little bit of Fort Wayne history on the bridge.

Audrey with her Aunt Lisa and Uncle Mike.

Getting ready to enter the Greek Fest. That smile makes my heart e.x.p.l.o.d.e.

Why do I think it is weird to have a picture just with my husband? I feel goofy.

I guess a picture of an Octopus I ate is even weirder. Okay, fine. I didn't eat it or even try it. My sister ordered it. Usually I am all for trying new foods. But please, this? It looks like it just came out of the ocean, every suction is still on it. Ewww. Ewww. Ewww.

Impromptu visit to the splash area.

I could kiss her all day long. Oh wait, I do. Lucky me.

6.26.2010

come on in. {our front porch}

[I've been sayin' over and over that I would share pictures of our house and all the remodeling we have done. Finally, here is the start of it...Enjoy. Or not. And just think about how ridiculous we must be to want to take on such a project.]
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You might step on a dried cranberry. Or trip over a baby stroller if you aren't careful. There may be a couple of fruit flies around. Because gosh darn it, I can't seem to get rid of them [I have a jar of wine sitting out because that is suppose to work. And we know, I can't drink it right now, so it might as well be the flies.] But you are always invited over.

Come on in.

This is what you will see when you come to our 1200 square foot bungalow that we bought for what some people pay for a really, really nice car.


Of course, it didn't always look that way. On the front of our house we landscaped, had new windows and two new doors put in, and painted the limestone. [I'm going to give myself a little bit of credit, I did all the painting and landscaping myself- this pregnancy. In which I give credit to my crazy nesting stage. And just so you know, I know nothing about landscaping, hence the basic perennials I planted.]

You know that cheer u-g-l-y you ain't got no alibi, you ugly. Yeah, yeah you ugly. Or maybe you don't know it, and I'm the only dork awesome person here. Anyway, that cheer reminds me of what our house used to look like. Check out the before picture.


And here are some more after and before shots.


(Excuse that blurry picture, I cropped it too much and now I'm too lazy to change it again.)



And here are two more after shots. We are planning on getting a wooden front porch swing. But until then, my two {free} chairs will have to do.  Oh, I also want a pretty outdoor rug.


One of my favorite things about my front porch is my front porch rug that we purchased a couple of weeks ago while we were away on a mini-vacation for our 5 year anniversary.

In case it is difficult to read, the rug states "Delight in the simple things." I love this reminder everytime I step into our home.

6.25.2010

oh, so pretty. ruffle necklaces.

I like pink. And ruffles. And to wear dresses. So when I came across this tutorial for a ruffle necklace, I had to try it for myself. It was super easy (doesn't even require a sewing machine) and quick.

Using supplies I had on hand, I added my own twist to the lovely necklace.

I used a vintage white-square beaded necklace, scraps from a pink vintage slip, cut up a vintage hankie for the white flower, and used a vintage button to sew on top.


Here is my number two version of the ruffle necklace:

I used a sterling silver chain, a vintage white lace collar for the ruffle, and a vintage turquoise button. I like how the collar ruffle almost floats in space.


I plan on selling both of these pieces at an Art Show I am apart of in November. I'm trying to get some items created now since you know, come early October and I will have a newborn attached to me. Newsflash to myself, which is only about 14 weeks away. Eeeek! [That's a happy "eeek," but also, an "oh my gosh my life is about to change, drastically, eek."]

P.S. Can you tell I'm nesting? June has been my best month for blogging. And eating. But that's another story.

6.24.2010

full swing.

Summer is here and it is in full swing. By 1pm our day is already filled with lots of activities.

Sometimes it's an eat breakfast outside sort of morning. [Before the hot heat comes, and it comes rather quickly.]
Audrey with her friend Elise (on the left). Notice the necklaces-- we already had been playing dress up and it was only 8:30 in the morning.

Sometimes it's a trip to the farm sort of morning.
Jonathan, Audrey, and Elise watching the turkey and peacock. Three little toddlers saying "gobble gobble" is pretty much the cutest thing ever.


"Com 'ere. Gass fur ou." 

Then we cool off at the pool and head home for lunch. And by that time, we all have worn ourselves out for a nice nap. Whew.

6.23.2010

homemade laundry detergent.

I ran out of laundry detergent on Monday. I think it was All or something like that. I would buy whatever was on sale. But  instead of running to the store to pick up whatever type of detergent, I decided it was time to make my own. I have wanted to do it for awhile now, but just didn't. Finally a pretty container of homemade laundry detergent sits on my washer.

Here is the recipe I used (that was recommended by my friend, April):

1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap grated (which equals about 2 cups)

1 c. of Borax

1 c. of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

By the way, ALL of these ingredients were found at our Kroger in the "laundry aisle." I kept reading online that washing soda was difficult to find and a lot of people end up ordering it online, so I am happy to report it is at the grocery store.


Optional: 1 tsp. of tea tree oil (I added this to the load separately for a lovely scent. Tea tree oil can be rather expensive, so I'm not sure how often I will do it, but I found my oil on clearance at Kroger for only $1.99, regular $8.99)

Directions: Grate the Fels Naptha Soap. I used a cheese grater and did it over wax paper. (This was the most tedious part, it took quite a bit of time and elbow grease with my handheld grater- from Dollar Tree I might add. I would recommend putting the soap in a food processor if you are so lucky to have one.) Then mix the soap, Borax, and washing soda all together and place in air tight container. I used whatever container I had on hand, which was a tall noodle container.

You only need to put 2 TBSP per a load. I add it when the water starts so that it can dissolve and then place my clothes in the washer. I think I spent around $9 ($2 extra for tea tree oil) and I have a feeling it is going to last me a really, really long time. (Note: What I made only required a very small amount of Borax and washing soda, I have so much left to make a lot more. I also bought extra Fels Naptha Soap so I could have it on hand.)

Now if only I had a cute laundry room instead of a dark, cold basement to use...

6.22.2010

nesting.

I'm there. 25 weeks pregnant and fully nesting. For some reason it hits between 9-10pm every night. I'm so exhausted by that point, but my mind tells me I have to do something.

So here are a couple of projects I have been working on...

Vintage coat rack/hanger (Made from a piece of trim from our home that we saved when we were demo-ing and white vintage door knobs that I found for around $2 each an antique store. We have a coat closest- but I wanted a place where I could quickly hang stuff.)

Wallpapering Naomi's room (Aren't you lucky? You are getting a sneek peak of her room. Actually, there really isn't much to see except this, because, ahem, I haven't gotten too far in her room.)

Spray painting frames to use in Naomi's room (The pink and green frame are the ones I spray painted and found at a garage sale for $1 each, the other frames I already had, some of them will be filled with real pictures when Naomi arrives. The pink plate came from my mom- it's German. And I'm German, so that's kind of cool, right?)

About a week or two ago I painted our front porch. But I will share that on another post so I can show before and after shots.

Also, last night I made homemade laundry detergent. Post coming up tomorrow on that.

Now I'm off to eat yet another rice krispie treat or a piece of sugar cream pie. Or both.

6.21.2010

garage sales.

Some of my favorite things to do in the summer include going to flea markets, estate sales, auctions, farmer's market, and garage sales. I love a good find, whether that's food or a cherished item. This past weekend somehow I managed to go at least one garage sale Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I don't think I have ever done that before. I also made my way to an auction Friday night. I bid on an old porch swing, lost, but walked away with a huge carton of rasberries for .50 and a free bag of zuchinni.

On Friday morning I went to one the best garage sales I have been to in a long time. It started at 7am, you bet I was there (Andrew was at home with Audrey, so I could fly solo). A good garage sale [for me] includes vintage items in good condition and must be reasonable aka very cheap. Here are some of the things I snagged...

vintage ABC wall art for $2 (hanging in Naomi's room)

6 vintage milk glass Fire King mugs each only $1

4 vintage Thermos each only $1 (the shelf they are displayed on in my kitchen came from another garage sale on Saturday for $3)

2 vintage chairs- already reupholstered really cute...wait for it...wait...FREE!

I also walked away with 4 vintage frames that I plan on painting and hanging in Naomi's room and the hallway (each only $1).

Then on Sunday I went to another fantastic garage sale, that included a lot of vintage clothes. I bought four dresses, a shirt, a pair of shoes, and a ring, all for $13!

Here are the Seychelles shoes I scored for $2.

Now, when I garage sale I don't always come across great finds like this. To every three or four sales I go to, I usually find one really good one. And when I hit that really good one, it makes me happy. Used, old items make me happy. I'm kind of weird like that.

6.19.2010

it's all true.

It's Father's Day weekend, but there really isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how lucky I am to be married to one amazing man that makes an incredible daddy to our little girl.

I mean it.

I love watching him in the moment as a daddy. When I can hear him singing gently to Audrey before bed, Down by the Bay or Baby Beluga. The words quietly seep out from under the door and my heart melts. Or when he wears Audrey on his back in the Ergo while we are trying to get dinner done in the kitchen. [Basically, babywearing dad's are hot, especially mine, I might add.] Or when he is about to leave for work and he comes back inside multiple times in the morning just to hear Audrey say "Buh-bye Daddy" and get kisses. Or when he has a lot of work to do, but puts in family time first when he comes home and then has to stay up extra, extra late to get work finished when we are all asleep. 


Audrey and her daddy watching the storm roll in last week

Happy Father's Day to the best daddy. Ever.

6.17.2010

my ever-evolving {home} style.

Enter: pre-teen-teenage years. When I was young I despised the country. You know, since I lived a whopping 15 minutes from the mall. (Mom, why can't you just drive me to the mall? Pleeeeeaassse. This was so me.) I grew up with a farm directly behind me and a corn  field across the street. Oh, and don't get me started on the roosters my mom loved to collect. I told myself I would never decorate or live in the country. In high school I had a zebra print comforter if that tells you anything.

Enter: college. My dorm life consisted of ripping out pictures from the latest Vogue and taping them to a wall. My roommate (best friend) and I won the "Cool Room" contest, if that says anything. Which it really doesn't. Then when I got an apartment with my best friend, we went total modern. This included painting one of bathrooms bright orange. My bathroom was almost key-lime green. We had a black leather couch and hung Picasso and Klimt prints up. I thought I had superb taste. Ahem.

Here, let me whip out old-school. Circa 2004.


This is the only picture I could find that sort of shows off the modern-style of my college years. (On the left is my good friend, Sarah, and then me on the right.)  Even the editing that I did way back then was me attempting to be you know, all futuristic. Ha.

Enter: early married life. When we registered for gifts, I really didn't know my style. I thought I did. But I certainly did not. At our first place together, a duplex for six months before we bought our first home, I had such a mix-match of things.

Here let me show you an embarrassing picture of myself playing Guesstures at the duplex. Circa 2005.


The point of this picture is not how silly I look, but the lack of style in that place. Like the random picture that seems to just be floating on the wall. Or the fake wood coffee table and entertainment center in the back. Or the candle holder that would actually be nice in the right place and house, but not there.

Enter: present. Between the last house we bought and the one we live in now (which is totally us), I think I have found my style. It is continuously changing, but it is there. I have fallen back to my roots. [Don't worry, not completely. I still don't like roosters or decorating with colors like forest green and maroon]. But I do enjoy a slight country feel in my house. Country in the sense, that I want it to be inviting and welcoming and come in and keep your shoes on and have a slice of sugar cream pie. I don't want you to walk in and think wow this is nice, just like a hotel. I'm more of a Bed and Breakfast type girl, you know. I really like vintage things. A LOT. And I like simplicity. And making a house ours. And the house we live in now, allows for that. I can't wait to share pictures. I know. I know. I have been saying I am going to do it. But, I am finally writing this post as a segue for it. Pictures.are.coming. Soon you will see what the inside our home looks like.

This home.

This picture is a BEFORE shot. We have done a lot to the outside since then. (Remove old, gross table randomly sitting in the front. New windows. Painted porch. Landscaping.) And I can't wait to share.

6.15.2010

24.

I'm at a really good point in this pregnancy. I still have energy (for the most part), I can eat everything again. [Oh my, remember when I visited the toilet all.the.time. and could hardly eat.] Naomi is moving like crazy. Audrey now goes up to my belly and kisses it and she can tell you her sister's name is "Aomi." (Although, I don't think she actually gets it, but still cute as can be.) I just feel good. And I'm so thankful for that.

24 weeks done. 16 left. Not bad. [Still have a lot to do before she comes, so I'm not counting away the weeks yet.]


Comparing preggo pictures is kind of fun. At least for me. So here I am with Audrey at 24 weeks.


I'm going to go eat my Three Musketeers now. And by that, I might mean, three Three Musketeers.

6.14.2010

an unexpected gift.

This isn't something I would normally blog about. But I want to record it. And have it to look back on. It made me feel important and loved and reminded me about the impact teachers can have. An impact I had as a teacher.

I received an email today from one of my  former preschool students. That's right, preschool. I taught her back in 2006-2007. I haven't had contact with her since, when she was only four. She moved to Korea and that's the last I knew.

But I have thought about her often. I remember her playing her violin at our preschool graduation. I remember her sweet smile and her little giggles.

And today, I was reconnected with her.

Dear Abra,

I'm happy to finally send a message to you. I'm 9 in Korean age and 8 in American age. I go to elementary and I'm in 2nd grade.It has been almost 3 years since I left America. I used to learn the alphabet, and learn how to play nicely with friends. We stayed together for 1 year and it seemed so short. I miss the time I played with you. When I came back to Korea I thought about you all the time. After starting school I got along with frends very well. Now I'm in 2nd grade and I thought that I should write you a letter. I hope you get the letter.

A letter like this is a gift you can't ask for.
It's not a gift you can buy.
But it is a gift.
A gift I received today.

I hope one day I can give a gift like this to one of my former teachers. Because I know the impact it can make.

6.12.2010

comfort flavor pie.

I told you about the vintage pink Pyrex pie dish I scored at a garage sale yesterday for .50, right? It was so dag'on cute that it motivated me to make something to put inside of it.

See the pretty dish.


A sugar cream pie seemed like the perfect fit for it. I never had made one before, but that's what I Naomi was craving, so you know, I had to make it.

I used this recipe for the crust. I only made one crust, so I halved the recipe. I also used butter-flavored Crisco, which I think added a delicious taste to it. The crust was so, so good. Oh, and I don't have a pastry blender, so I just used two knives and sort of just karate chopped the shortening in, and I think it worked just fine.

I used this recipe for the pie. It was really easy, but you do want to watch it when you put it in the broiler, it only took about a minute or two. Also, I let it chill in the fridge for about an hour after baking it, I think it helped settle it.

See how purty it is?

Okay, fine it doesn't look that pretty. I assure you though, it is not burnt, that is just the cinnamon on top where I may have sprinkled a little too much and it baked that way. I also assure you that the pie was mmmm, mmmm, good.

Also, I completely ignored calorie intake and being healthy here. Because, duh, it's a sugar cream pie, there isn't anything healthy about it, except maybe it makes me happy when eating it. And happy is good.

6.11.2010

right now.

Audrey is napping. I'm eating an avacado sandwich (delish), natural cheetohs (my favorite), and grapes. I'm trying to decide what to do while Audrey sleeps. I could go outside and finish weeding our patio area. [You know, before my belly gets too big and uncomfortable. Right now I can still bend over.] Put our sheets in the dryer (because we only have one set, so it must be done before bed) and fold the cloth diapers in the dryer. Sweep every room in the house. Dust. Because who knows the last time I did that. Wash my pretty new old pink Pyrex pie dish I scored at a garage sale for .50 this morning, in hopes of making a sugar cream pie to put in it for tonight.

Or while Audrey naps, I could share the pictures I took this morning while going to one of our city's newest excitements for kids- a Splash Pad. It is only open to the public Friday- Monday, so we hit it up today for the first time. The best part? It's free! And it has a playground right next to it.

Audrey loved it. Just look at these facial expressions...






This last one, I had a little fun editing it.

Gah, she is getting so big.