My New Motto

Well, at least for this week...

"Only dull women have immaculate homes." 
  
Hooray for the weekend!!

Does 2nd Pregnancy Make My Belly Look Big{ger}?!

Ezra at 20 weeks

Baby Boy#2 at 22 weeks

Uh....I think it does!!

His Bench

Last week when my parents came over for dinner, W and my dad moved E's unfinished bench upstairs so we could check it out in its natural habitat. The only step left is a final paint coat, but we wanted to make sure it fit in the space we had envisioned for it. I threw some of the pillows I've been gathering on there just to see.

We're still on the fence about whether it's too long or not. We may just cut off the last two cubes on the left and turn them into a night stand, because the thing is long. But I'm really loving the cubbies already which serve as his dresser for now until we get his closet into better organizational shape. His current dresser/changing table will become his brother's.

The three IKEA baskets contain: shirts, shorts/pants, and cloth diaper supplies for now. The road-map rug is also from IKEA. All those hard back Seuss books were my stash from childhood {thank you, Pops, for letting Mom retain some of my childhood belongings.} And the metal airplane is a summer find at a discount store.

I found the awesome orange pillow cases at Walmart for $5.50 last week when I was there for my other current craft project. Did you know they sell individual pieces of bedding sets? So great! These will eventually make way to his bed.You can see some of the wood-filler on the screws--hence the extra coat.

So, there you have it. A very long cubby bench/bookcase that may eventually get chopped down, re-painted and hold different throw pillows once I find some fun fabric....but you get the idea.

W is We are basically half way done with our DIY list for E's room!! Now it's time to finish some textile crafty fun, some spray paint here, wall shelves there, put everything together, teach him to sleep in a big boy bed, and reveal the completed look! Just small things, like that. ;) Then it's onto our master re-do. Oh, and lastly, figure out a nursery set-up for our office/guest room/throw-stuff-in-&-shut-the-door room!! Hoot hoot!

Our Next Vacation

We are currently visiting "Molar-ville" over in Swenson camp, so naps have pretty much been out the window for most of a week. And E is seriously attached to his paci, so much so that he insisted on having it during bath time last night. Definitely out of the ordinary but whatever works! Needless to say, I'm pretty worn out by the end of the day. I thought this looked like a much happier place to be, so I'll take ya'll here instead of putting a video up of my whiny son or giving a walk-through of our haphazard days. ;)

Our next vacation...in my dreams.

This is a picture of the world's largest and longest pool.

It's located at San Alfonso Del Mar in Algarrabo, Chile.

The pool is over 3,000 feet long and covers almost 20 acres.

It was completed in December 2006 and uses water pumped, filtered, and treated from the Pacific Ocean.

It has the same amount of water that would be used for 6,000 regular sized pools.

So it looks like the options to stay there are to buy or rent a vacation apartment, because the rest of resort's website is in Spanish. But there are no prices. You have to e-mail them in order to get an estimate. I'm so curious about what the cost actually is...I'm sure we could buy a new car with the amount of a three night stay...

But, that was a fun trip out of reality for a bit, yeah? I'm sure this will look like heaven on earth to me in 3 months time. Now, back to the trucks, balls, and Kix cereal.

Happy Tuesday!

Easter Weekend

Since my parents were out of town, we made sure to keep them up-to-date with what we were up to. Here's a bit of what we shared with them via text during the weekend. Sorry,  it's a whole lotta E...but that's basically what the g-parents care about, right?!

 

{Morning play before farmer's market}

 {Afternoon libations after some diy garage time}

 

{Bathtime}

{Praise the Lord! He has risen! Getting ready to head off to church, but not before we found a matching pair.}

{first egg hunt; Lydia helping E get the concept}

 

{Discovering there was actually hidden treasures inside}

 

{not quite getting that a croquet mallet is not a sledge}

{big boys also playing games post-meal}

We sure missed them but had a wonderful time getting adsorbed into the Wolford family. Not to mention the delicious food! Hopefully, my parents don't desert us again on a holiday, but at least we know we'll be in good hands if they do.

Hope you all had a fabulous and

{my absolute favorite picture we got from them. I like to think our silliness is rubbing off on them!}

Not Much

Not much going on around here lately. Although our evenings have been eventful {especially for W}, we're still doing a lot of this during the day...

Our PBK anywhere chair arrived a few weeks ago and has gotten a lotta of love already. I snagged this for E for just $42 instead of the $120 splurge it normally is. Two frugal tips: for PB, it pays you to call in to customer service. I guess they have additional sales that aren't posted online, so she could take an additional $30 off the price. It also pays to hoard gift cards since 2007 {a wedding gift from a student's parents}.

We've had some great parks dates and lovely morning walks this week; so thankful for good friends and the sun! My parents joined us one evening for a yummy BBQ. We've done lots of errands this week as well. My really good friend, Stef, shared her Target score the other day. I've been pining after play kitchens, specifically wooden ones, for awhile now. And she got a pink cutie on clearance. So naturally, we went to our Target and got the red version for $60 instead of the original  $120. Thank YOU, Stef!

{think I'm going to switch out the red curtain for another color. Maybe some camo?! ;)} Anyway, I'm super excited about his new kitchen. We already purchased some loud pots & pans plus some felt foods on our IKEA adventure. We plan to put it up around September when the baby comes. I'm hoping this will help our indoor-ness seem less cabin-fever like for E.

Now we're just kicking back and waiting for Easter weekend. 

 {yes, I realize my son will be 'that boy' who wears his batman costume for a straight month without taking it off. I've already embraced the future.}

We were homeless at first for the weekend, with my parents somehow scheduling a Harley ride down south {the nerve!}. But we were rescued by a family who's known me forever. They invited us to their big shindig. There will be lots of kids which we're excited about.

Hope you all have a fabulous Easter weekend remembering that Christ died for us so that we may be free and empowered to change by His Holy Spirit!

Update: Progress!

To say we've been tired lately would be an understatement. Last weekend, W & I had a date night...at home. We got take-out and stayed in. Boring, I know, but so nice sometimes. And I'm sure this exhaustion has nothing to do with the fact that we've been going to bed so late {without very good reason} these past few weeks.

Anyway, we're still chipping away at our project "to-do" list and have recently been working on E's bookshelf/window seat. It's almost done and was actually quite easy to make. But, this only being our 3rd DIY project, there are a few snafus that may need to get fixed down the line. All part of the adventure!

 {Bam! Those are some hot man legs!!}

Working on getting the top screwed on then a final coat of paint...

There's also new paint on E's walls and our master! So excited about the colors and getting the rest of the rooms together. I've also discovered that I'm a horrible DIY-er and forgot to take before pictures of the rooms before the painter dressed them up in new color. Oops!! And that's my favorite part when blog-hopping; the before vs. after. Yeesh!!

My next craft/sewing project consists of these materials:

And that's all the progress for now! Is it nap time yet?!

He Survived!

Last night, W's firm celebrated the end of another tax season with a wine tasting event for their clients. So that means W officially survived his first tax season as an accountant! He helped serve food and wine to the clients...

The apps and desserts were to-die-for.

My parents, who have known these people for longer than we have {when you're in the same business in the same small town, you rub shoulders often}, showed up early on then came over to watch E while I attended the second half of the party. I even pulled out some heels for this special occasion! Hoot hoot!

So proud of my hard-working hubby

So now that his stint is over, he'll head back to BT {as a chauffeur} and study for the CPA exam for the next five months before his permanent job {auditor} at a larger firm begins! We've been so thankful for this season with an awesome and thoroughly fun staff. And for all that W was able to learn in such a short and stressful time. Onto new adventures!

Another Simple Recipe

Tried out another Real Simple recipe this week. Super easy and super yummy. Seriously, like 10 minutes of prep time with very minimal clean-up. I turned this side into a meal for dinner..

Roasted Potatoes & Lemon with Dill

What you need:

2 lbs of red potatoes, quartered

1 lemon, thinly sliced 

2 T olive oil

3/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

2T coarsely chopped fresh dill

What you do:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In bake-able container, toss potatoes, lemon, oil, salt and pepper.

Roast, tossing once, until tender, 25-35 minutes.

Toss with the dill before serving.

{I added 4 chicken breasts seasoned with lemon pepper to the container and cooked for about 45 minutes to an hour.}

Super easy, huh? Had hardly any clean up because I just tossed the container in the fridge with the leftovers. Perfect!! Definitely going into our rotation.

Boy Names

Oi Vey. Trying to come up with another one we love is proving to be hard work, even though we already know the gender! Then again, W& I's styles are pretty different so when we finally agree, there's no second guessing or hesitation.

 I can't say I have a number one yet, like I did last time {Wyatt}. But we didn't go with that name anyway, so really, who cares?! W jokes that we should put a focus group together to pick a name. Yeah right, then we'd do the exact opposite. I'm about 100% positive that we wouldn't be fully inspired until we actually get to meet the little tyke. There's just something about that moment when you are all face-to-face for the first time.

Here is what's on our list this week {in no particular} order...

Asher {happy/blessed}

Thor/Thorsten {W's grandpa's name}

Connor/Constantine

Theo/Theophilus {lover of God}

Desmond

Rowan

Wade
Amos

Hopefully, we can whittle it down to our favorite top three by his birthday. Only 20 more weeks until we all found out together what this little guy's name is going to be!!

This Stage

Don't get me wrong, I love love love the sweet newborn stage, but I am LOVING this stage that E is in. Sure, the discipline/training has already started. We have to think and be proactive, but it's still a blast. E will be 16 months this weekend {the 17th}.

He's been walking for many months, can feed himself, uses the potty for #2 very consistently and is quite independent. But at the same time, completely dependent, says few words, still holds my hand, needs lots of cuddles when waking up or after getting an owie, likes to know where I'm at, and is entertained by the simplest things. And it's just SO FUN to see all the new things he's learning while interacting and exploring.

He's such a hoot even though so messy!

And he's still such a peanut,

 But sometimes, seems so big.

He loves practicing imitation and beams with pride when he gets to take part in it.

And is just such.a.ham.

He very much into body parts and knows: head, knee, toes, mouth, eyes, ears, nose, heart {we say, "boom, boom! while he pats its location after pointing it out.} and belly button. He has this thing for belly buttons right now--and not just his own. This includes even Grandpa's, so I've been told. It's great because it gives us a chance to talk about baby brother, say hi to him, kiss and snuggle him in Mama's belly.

E's also saying some words--mostly repeating them after us. He says: car, walk, dog, hot, cold, "kaw kaw" for birds,  "baah baah" for sheep, out, up, and ball. He'll smell a flower if you give him one. And is obsessed with bikes, buses, trucks, leaf blowers, dogs, birds, squirrels, books, sticks, dirt, slides, throwing, walking the dogs, and climbing on anything possible.

This is my new favorite. Being a parent just keeps getting better!

I'll take 4 more, please... ;)

Easy Peasy Envelope Throw Tutorial

Someone has new bedding!!

After a fun trip to Ikea this weekend for a crib comforter {among many other items purchased!}, I turned a twin duvet into an E sized one. Both fabrics above I found at an antique thrift store! They were perfect for the colors I wanted in his room. The fabric I used for the pillows was only $2 for a whole bundle. And I have a good amount left over.

The blue striped fabric seriously smelled like my grandma's house, in a good way, when I ironed it. It was kinda crazy because it's been years since that house was occupied by her. Brought back memories of toast with homemade frozen apricot jam and yummy french fries in the deep fryer..but I digress. The two pillow covers I made with an envelope style.

 {the back...I poked it out a little so you could see the overlapping flaps.}

There are many many envelope throw tutorials out in blogland. It is one of the quickest and easiest projects to update any room so I thought I'd share what I found while making E's two for his bed. Depending on your pillow form {the pillow that goes inside}, this project should only take a yard or less per pillow cover.

First, the slip cover is basically made up of three pieces. The front and two overlapping backs. My pillow forms measured 21 x 21. So I cut my front fabric about 22 x 22. The back two pieces should overlap so I cut 22 x 16 and 22 x 13.  You can eyeball this by laying the pieces on top of each other...5-7 inches of overlap is ideal.

Next, iron the 'flap' edge on each side of both back pieces and sew them in place. This will give a finished look to the two sides that will make the envelope opening.

Then sew the two back pieces to your front piece, right sides together {which basically means, the front side of your fabric should be facing/touching the other front side}. So now you should have one long piece of fabric.

The last step sewing steps: sew the top and bottom of the pillow square. Make sure your shorter back piece is on the outside with the longer back piece underneath it. And pin the two back pieces to the front so you make sure to sew a straight line and include both pieces while finishing the pillow square.

Turn your cover right side out & stuff that pillow inside!! Then admire your handy work! I bet you could even embellish it with felt flowers or ruffles. But since these are for a big boy room, I had to abstain.

{Some of the tutorials that I used and found helpful are here and here.}

Big Shoes To Fill

List of Future Projects

W may or may not now call me a DIYN..."do it yourself nutter." I can definitely see how this can be quite addicting. ;) Ever since finding Ana White's free plans, I'm a bookmarking mad-lady. I'm thinking we could shoot for a big project per month and still get some things done before this baby BOY joins us. EEK! :)

I was talking to my mom about this recently. In all seriousness, I haven't really cared all that much about what went into our house, until now, as along as it was warm, welcoming, and tidy for guests.. I mean, we were really fortunate that so many lovely pieces came from my grandma and parents during their respected moves {assisted living and the re-modeled grandparents' house} to decorate our house, but I didn't really know what I was doing or what my style was. My mom made a good point that now that I'm spending much more of my time at home, I care more about adding more personal touches to it. Now, if only I could harness that motivation for clean, clean, cleaning...oi!

Anyway, here's what DIY projects I've got on my list so far {not counting painting our & E's room}...

1) Definitely the next project, especially since we can re-use most supplies from E's bed project.

We'll pass on the legs and lay it horizontally instead against the window for a window seat/reading area. I'll make a seat cushion, throw pillows and buy some baskets for storage.

2) A friend just re-did a piece of furniture using this amazingly awesome color. I'm hooked and want to update our dresser with it now....in Behr's Lemon Lime

Her beauty--

Our potential--

3) Bookshelves

It's a toss up between these and another style that I've been eyeing for E's big boy room.

4) Update table lamps with spray paint & fabric
I don't know if I could get away with this much girlie-ness but this is my inspiration

It may end up looking similar to this, just different colors/fabric

5) New headboard: I've been talking about wanting a new bed for like 3 years now. I found this great tute on making your own headboard and thought it was a decent start and much more manageable on the budget.

 But, potentially with this fabric...to go with the whole yellow and charcoal theme I'm leaning towards for our master. W thinks this has too much potential for getting dirty, but it's SO cute!

 ... And way down the road when I start thinking about our downstairs...

or

I have to perfect spot for this or this and would really love some hidden storage for E's toys.

...I wonder if they have an DIYA {do it yourself anonymous} group?!...Heh.