A Laundry Before and After

Try and control yourself, people.  This post will change your life.  Seriously, you may want to take a bathroom break before you have an accident. 

Dillon and I have been married for four years now. And since day 1 (ok probably day 18 since I most likely avoided laundry for awhile) the poor man has been subjected to hanging our clothes on the line next to this hot pink striped bag filled with clothespins.  You seen at one point in life,  I bought clothespins and needed a place to put them.  I looked around and BEHOLD! The perfect size bag. And that's how this beaut of a system was born.

Dillon had been embarrassed by this this for four years.  It's sat on our counter when we have had guests.  It's hung next to clothes drying on the line for ALL THE NEIGHBORS TO SEE. So now that Dillon finally got over the embarrassment, I'm changing it up. Enter the grown up clothespin holder:

Growing up my mom had a bag that appeared to be made out of a little girl's dress (sewn across the hem and hanging on a hanger) so that's a similar look that I was going for.  Except I don't have a little girls dress.  And the hanger was going to be encased inside the bag so it would never fall off.

So I poked around in my fabric stash until I found this patterned upholstery fabric.  I have no idea where it came from,  but it reminds me of my friend Josie's dining chairs after she reupholstered them.  Any thoughts on how it  came to be mine, Josie?  Well I hope you didn't want it back cuz I cut it up into this shape (it is folded at the bottom and has a layer of white cotton to be the inside lining) that lines up with a baby hanger it will hang from.  Don't be like me: iron your fabric.  I notched out a chunk to be the hole where you can reach in and grab a clothespin like this. Then sew each piece (outer fabric and lining) up the side (so you will be sewing 4 lines).

Folded in half at the bottom (the right side on the picture)

Notch.

Here's where things always stump me. I always get confused about how to layer pieces inside each other so that the lining and outer fabric line up and have the seams sandwiched inside (and therefore invisible).  So it goes: lining on the inside with the seam facing in and the patterned fabric on the outside with the seams facing out. I sewed around the "collar" leaving a 3inch gap to turn it inside out and then stuck a baby hanger in the hole. 

 

 

Sewn up each side, ready for sewing along the "collar", then turning

 I finished it quick by hand stitching the two last flaps so that the raw edges weren't exposed. If I was ambitious I would have done a cute line of gray piping around it but let's face it. Newborn.

Yup, he's the cutest baby in the world.

So there you have it. A two-nap craft that I should have done years ago.  Instead I made it with all my spare time with this baby around.  I know you've never been more thrilled.  You're practically hysterical with excitement, I know.

One Thrifty Lady

So here's the thing: I'm cheap. Thrifty, if you will.  And now that hospital bills, an infant, a sudden major car repair, house purchase and maintenance, and quitting a job has happened this year, we are trying REALLY hard to live inexpensively. Because we have to. 

I keep reading "101 tips to save money" type articles online but there isn't anything new for me so I thought I'd throw my 2cents in the ring and see if any of you all had and tips to trade.  Here we go...

Step 1 is to adjust your expectations.
-First of all Pray.  I frequently find myself praying that we have enough money for this expense or that and God always provides. One way or another.  I also pray for God to change my heart so that I am not jealous of other's good fortune or prosperity. 
-Remind yourself that you don't really know other peoples' finances. Your fiends or that neighbor with the fancy boat might be one of the millions of people who carry insane amounts of debt. Don't be jealous of that!
-Remind yourself that our culture is crazy. Things and stuff, things and stuff and then you die(to paraphrase my pastor). Despite what the commercials say, you can live without it, and may even enjoy your life more.

Ok, ok, so how about the practical tips?


Plan ahead
-pregame for eating out.  My husband eats like my son: all the flippin' time. And they are both skinny. Jerks. Anyhoo, a lot of people will tell you to split an entree to save money but that doesn't work for my black-hole of a husband. So he will most often eat a sandwich (or more) before we go to a restaurant. He still gets an entree and sometimes my sides and that way he actually feels like it was money well-spent instead of still being hungry.
-Along with this "hungry husband" thing, we eat a lot of potatoes and eggs. Both are really cheap and fill out meals that would only satisfy a normal human stomach.
-Save your gift cards and returns for needs.  We often get gift certificates (or end up with store credit for returns) for gifts.  So instead of going right away and spending them, we save them until we need something specific like jeans, a dress for a wedding, or (yup) socks&underwear. Not super fun but, hey, you can get the cute underwear, right?
-Get thyself a cheap hobby. Blog, craft, run. Bonus points for anything that saves/makes money like canning food or selling your quilts.  None of this interior decorating/hobby car racing/gambling business for you, sir. You're too thrifty!
-DIY as much as possible. The old standby. Everything from cooking to home improvement to car repair to gifts. Even if you can't do it all yourself, what parts can you do?
-Make your own cards. Get a pack of pretty paper and fold one in half. Write something sweet. Instant card. No one really treasures cards anyway and its the handwritten part that leaves an impression. When card companies charge $3-$5 per card, you can save some decent money over the course of a year.
-Sell your shtuff.  Garage sale, consignment, craigslist.  Books are good. Just think of the stuff wasting away in your basement.  Remember, "things and stuff and then you die".  Purge, people!

THIS ONE'S MY FAVORITE:  KNOW YOUR FAVORITE STORE.
-My favorite store is Target. (Fun fact, my son's favorite is menards. No joke!) Oh Target, you're the best. So when I say "know your store", here's how I know Target.  I have the cartwheel app and use it frequntly.  I look at it every time I plan my shopping list.  At Target, they often have things on sale along with being on Cartwheel, so you feel like a real winner when that happens. I also can sometimes combine Cartwheel, sales, clearance, Target coupons (printouts from the register they give you with recepts OR this incredible print your own thing on their website). That website is my fav because they sometimes have high value coupons like $10 off $50 in groceries. Totally worth installing the coupon printer on your computer.

-Target has lots of lovely clearance endcaps and I try not to buy anything unless it's at least 50% off. Hopefully 70% or even 90%.  The percent off is located on the top right of the clearance sticker. 

This one went from 15% off to 50% off.  WIN!

-I'm totally blessed in that my area has 6 Targets within an hour of my home and often each Target has different clearance items or at least different percent-offs (I think I made that term up).  So if I'm going on a Target run, I try to go to a different Target each time just in case the clearance is better in one or the other. 

See that "was $10.79".  I got lucky at a different location.

-If you see groceries on clearance, especially in the aisles (not just endcaps), you need to walk down every darn aisle cuz there are some deals to be had!  And we're not talking weird expired food here, we're talking totally normal food.  I've gotten flour/sugar/canned goods/baking mixes/spices/granola bars.  Like these super tasty muffin mixes.  I may have purchased 5 of these bad boys.

-Fnally with Target, I am going against all other "seventy-billion ways to save money" lists and I say Shop often.  The key to this is to have self control.  You can't go into Target six times a week, impulse buy things and stuff, and expect to save money.  But if you can see cute things and resist buying, I think it can be smart to shop often.  You won't be taken off-guard by the adorable thingyoureallywant, and will be more likely to be patient for them to go on clearance because you know you will be back soon.  Its easy to wait for it to go on better clearance, too.  Oh yes.

So that's what I got.  Hope you like Target!  What are you tips and tricks?  Anything I haven't read on "sixty-bazillion and one tips to save money"? 

Aaaand now I'm literally going to go pick up something someone put out for garbage.  Spoiler alert: It's a kids plastic jungle gym. 

2 months

My growing boy!

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

You are smiling at us with some regularity now,  and we suspect that you are working up a chuckle.  You and I have sorted out a few things, and now you are eating more efficiently and giving us more frequent moments of "happy baby", which we love.  You rolled over at 5 weeks old and continue to evade tummy-time by flipping over right away.  We've been going for lots of walks and you sleep like a baby (ha!) when you're in your carseat/stroller.  You've recently figured out that you like being swaddled and don't fight for your life anymore.

 The part where I get sappy...I can no longer fit my thumb and finger around your thigh and it makes me sad that I'll never be able to again although I knew you were going to grow sometime.  I always want to remember how you fold your hands so angelically at your chest while you nurse ("it couldn't have been me who was crying so hard just 2 minutes ago! ") or how you don't mind one bit when I stare and stare and stare at you and imagine what will come of this life that seems so little now. Ok im gonna cry so let's just spend a minute thinking about all the poop, shall we? 

I'm in love with a coffee bean

We moved into or house almost a year ago, and I'm embarrassed to admit that we have thoughtfully hung only one thing on our walls: the tv. Between pregnancy ickyness, other big projects (like the floor and railing), and now a demanding infant, it just want a priority.  So we have had the pleasure of looking at this dining room wall for nearly 12 months. Yikes.

Holes, cable outlet, electrical outlet, missing paint

 We have several large scale frames with "art" in them sitting downstairs,  but I wanted to hang up a large burlap coffee bag I got for free from taking a very informative tour of this place last year.  In addition to the intense need to find a vacuum coffee maker secondhand, the coffee bag was a great takeaway.  I have to confess that this idea was stoles about 6 years ago from my hubby's roommate and now wife.  And she is an awesome and ambitious cook so go to her blog. http://maedeforyou.blogspot.com/?m=1

I first needed to build a frame for the bag and then planned on stapling the bag around the outside (like a canvas would be stretched and go around the frame). This solution to our at problem would also hopefully cover up these stupidly placed outlets.  We are of the "one tv in our house is enough" variety. And on the of chance that we eat in the dining room,  I like to interact with my husband,  not watch tv.  So covering up that outlet was no big deal. 

I made a run to menards and picked up the thinnest, cheapest wood I could find: lath. Random,  I know.  And since menards had their11% rebate going on, I got the heavy duty staple gun I've been wanting for years (seriously,  if im promoting menards this much I should be getting some sort of perk from them, don't you think? )

Laying out the lath to decide the size of the frame I wanted to build.

Not Norm-Approved, but it works for me!

I laid out my bag and cut the lath to make a nice square frame, then glued and stapled it in place.  Norm would not approve of my method but it works and I am on a serious time crunch.  Although adorable things like this happen while I'm working away.

Then I cut and stapled the burlap to the frame, pulling it nice and snug.  I added a wire to the back for hanging.  It came out a bit crooked because the printing is a little of center, but I like it.

SIDENOTE: I should have a tag line of "beautifully imperfect" because I seriously believe that if a person goes into a craft project thinking it will come out just exactly how they want with straight lines and perfect stitches,  they will be very disappointed.  Instead, finding joy in the imperfect creations you make helps you keep going amd really enjoy making things.  If you want prefect,  buy it.  If you want to enjoy the "making", let it be wonky.  Dillon and I have been discussing how he is "goal oriented" and I am "process oriented" and this is the ultimate example of where I find my joy.

Anyhow,  I like the final result.  We are a long way from our gallery wall that im going for in here though. I think a few crisp perfectly straight picture frames and a few other wonky looking items will make it perfect. Now we can say we have TWO intentionally hung items on our walls.

finishing up the pantry cupboard

Remember this post about fixing up our *steal* of a pantry cupboard?  Well this is a quick update about how we finished it. I used the shiny new brass closures on the doors, only I made them a little less shiny and new first: I let the pieces sit in a container of vinegar for a couple days until I likes the amount of "aging". It worked perfectly and was so much easier than sanding or blowtorching or other suggested methods. Just remember to do the screws too, since they are visible.

Vinegar turned the shiny brass knob on top into something closer to matching the original keyhole

There was some concern that the aging process would gunk up the mechanics in the back; it definitely doesn't turn as smoothly as when it was fresh out of the packaging,  but it still works great.

Velcro so I can change my mind

I also finished this up by adding a couple of cork boards to the inside. The thought was that we can put our shopping list on one,  and other coupons and things I keep long term (like wedding invite & information) on the other. To make these, I just reinvented a couple of circular cork trivets we have had since college.  I simply cut a piece of scrap fabric to size around each trivet and used a regular staple gun all the way around to affix it to the back of each one. Then I used a velcro (or is it "hook and loop"?) command hook on the back and sick it to the easiest to open cupboard door.  Easy peasy.





I found this adorable container of wooden push pins in the dollar spot in Target, and snatched it up just for this project.

 

 

Shopping list, coupons, wedding invitations--No longer cluttering up my fridge!

My favorite part is that it keeps all of our coupons and lists and such off the fridge so the kitchen immediately looks cleaner and more organized.  

Month 1

Pretend this post went up 2 weeks ago. I started it on time but had a hard time finding time to finish it.


 Is been a month already since our little family of two became a family of three.  Holy moly.

We decided to track Levi's growing up by snapping a picture every week.  This far,  he has been a pretty unwilling model.  But he will get used to it.  Or maybe not and he will be crying in every single week.

We are using the quilt I made him as a background (occasionally just white if thats what we are feeling that day) and I'm hoping to dress him in blues, greens, and yellows. Because I want to torture myself coordinating his outfits every Friday morning along with him.  Here we go:

Week1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

4 weeks in, I like eating and sleeping.  Sometimes both at the same time. Daddy is better at shushing and rocking me to sleep.  I sleep in 1.5 hour stretches during the day and 3-4hour stretches at night in my bassinet.  I fooled mommy  and daddy for a couple weeks by sleeping well in my bassinet during naps but now I'm done with that!  I also have been getting good at spraying daddy during diaper changes before he leaves for work.  I'm like a lot of men in the family and I love to always be in motion! 

He arrived!!!

Say HELLO to Levi!!  He was born on May 2nd, and we couldn't be happier!  

He's got lots of dark hair and is generally pretty happy and calm.

I thought I'd share our birth story here, so if you're not intersted in hearing the details, go ahead and skip this post.  I have gotten a lot of questions about how it went, though, so hopefully everyone can learn about how hypnobirthing a bit.   The whole idea behind hypnobirthing is to calm yourself, relax, and expect it to be comfortable rather than intense and scary and painful.  If you expect pain, you experience pain.  If you expect comfort, you can experience comfort.  Overall, I don't know that I would call it "comfortable", but I really did not experience "pain" with my surges (what they call "contractions" in hypnobirthing since that word can have negative connotations associated with it).  I would say it was really intense and it was true "work" to stay focused on relaxing, but it was a wonderful experience.  God designed our bodies for this work, so it was awesome to see my body in action!

The nitty gritty long-winded details:

On Wednesday, I had a doctor’s appointment where they found me dilated to zero. Bummer!!  Thursday morning, we had an ultrasound to check the amount of amniotic fluid, which was good. We went home to wait (I had lots of pineapple).

Around 5:00, I started feeling nauseated and didn’t want to eat much dinner. Then I started having very manageable surges. This was really the first time I could easily identify a surge, before this I had just felt a little constant ache like cramps. This time, I could feel when they started and stopped.
 
So I started timing them and found them 8-12 minutes apart and 30-90 seconds long. We went to bed around 10:30, but I woke up at 12:30 to stronger surges that were 90 seconds to 2 minutes apart and lasting about a minute. We left for the hospital shortly thereafter, and when we arrived I was 6-7cm dilated. (Funny story: the parking structure had “expectant mother” parking nice and close, but that area was being washed so I walked myself through the parking structure and hospital all the way to triage since a wheelchair sounded so uncomfortable)
 
Through each surge, I would stop walking and hold onto Dillon’s arm or a chair or whatever I could find and breathe deeply through it, focusing on relaxing my jaw. I had expected to use the prompts or the scripts we practiced in hypnobirthing during the birth, but instead I just focused on my jaw and muscles relaxing and swayed my hips through them.

I got in the birth tub as fast as possible and it felt WONDERFUL. If you ever have the opportunity to use a birth tub, DO IT. I was able to relax enough that I was sleeping between/through surges when I was 8-9cm dilated while Dillon napped on the couch.

Occasionally I would start to have more trouble focusing on my relaxation, so I would get out of the tub and stand/walk for a surge or two and then get back in. That seemed to “reset” how wonderful the tub was and I was back in control. I think I panicked a bit during 3 or 4 surges the whole time and said things like “I want to be done” and moaned a bit, but the rest of the surges were manageable and (YES IM GOING TO SAY IT) not painful.

Around 10:15 (I think), my body started pushing. At first it freaked me out and I tried to stop pushing but I couldn’t; I asked the nurse if it was okay if I pushed and she said to do whatever my body told me to. So whenever I felt my body start pushing, I just joined in and pushed with it. I was making some lovely sounds when I pushed but otherwise was very relaxed and quiet. The only "pain" I felt was right at the end, but at that point I was so ready to have that baby out, I even told Dillon to make him come out, so the sting felt like progress.

Baby’s heart rate dropped a bit at the end, and they told me to push whether I was having a surge or not. I believe I said “no thank you”, but they said that I needed to get the baby out now. So I pushed and pushed and Levi came out about 2 minutes later, at 10:59 after about 45 minutes of total pushing.

Then I started having a few problems: I started hemorrhaging and they quickly gave me an IV with Pitocin (to contract my uterus to help the blood vessels close) which stayed in for 12 hours and then a couple bags of saline because I had not drank enough during labor and was dehydrated. The bleeding was under control pretty quickly and I didn’t really have more bleeding issues.

We spent time with Levi and then moved down to our recovery room. Levi was doing great, but I started having difficulty every now and then because my heart would start racing, I would shake, and I would feel like I was going to pass out when I stood up to go to the bathroom. I was very weak and needed assistance to get up to go to the bathroom until Sunday morning, when they decided to give me a blood transfusion after saline, rest, and water didn’t help how I felt.

The transfusion took a few hours but I felt way better after just about 30 minutes. After my little “pick me up”, I was able to walk down the hallway and back with no trouble and we were released from the hospital that night, around 10:30. I’m still weak and get pretty worn out pretty fast, so I’m having to remember to pace myself and JUST SIT DOWN.

Levi’s doing great, healthy, and breastfeeding is going pretty well. I’m so glad about how our birth turned out (horay hypnobirthing and birth tubs!), was a bit disappointed that I missed out on some special first moments with Levi because I just couldn’t stand to participate, but am glad to be home and feeling better!