a new set of napkins and a blogiversary

this week marks the 2 year anniversary for the blog! I'd like to think that writing this blog over the past 24 months, I think a little more about what I buy and why I buy it.  that is after all the original reason for starting the blog.

as I've shared briefly over the past several months, we bought a foreclosed house and are in the process (still!) of renovating it. even after being here for eight months, there are still boxes to be unpacked and closets to be organized.  and we've already taken a load to goodwill to donate a bunch of unnecessary things.  my husband and I joke (hopefully!) that we should move every couple of years to simplify and prevent the build-up of "stuff".

with that said, I was going through my scraps of fabric box and decided it was time to carry out some project ideas, one of which is to make cloth napkins for the kitchen. and whether or not this is gross to you, i had some old pillow cases (whose sheets are stained and turned into drop cloths for painting) that would match our plates well. and now they are a lovely little set of napkins!

 ^^rough estimate of size comparing to a rather wrinkled napkin- clearly not aiming for exact size!^^

 ^^simple hem on all four sides^^

^^we aren't this formal, but they look pretty nice with our plates^^

^^put into action! here I am this afternoon enjoying some breastfeeding cookies and tea while Beatrice naps^^

<truth be told, the oatmeal is the only reason these are sort of breast milk producing cookies, otherwise, they are basic chocolate chip! and the tea is actually Earth Mama Angel Baby organic milkmaid tea (found here if you are interested)>

**do you have any fun repurposing projects going on?**

top 5 nursing apparel items you already own

These days sitting down at the computer to write feels like I am stealing a piece of my pre-motherhood self. Now my days are mostly filled with the tasks of the early weeks of motherhood- nursing, diapers, and constant worries of every sound my baby makes.  

We had our daughter on her due date, February 14- she was the best little valentine! Her name is Beatrice Rose. She is a sweet baby, slowly learning how things work around here, while slowly teaching us about who she is. I love that. God has created this very special person that we are getting to know!

Well, my thoughts today are on breastfeeding clothing- and I apologize to those of you who aren't mothers or don't care about breastfeeding apparel. Bare with me, my mind is consumed with Beatrice and any topic related to her.  Most of our time together is spent breastfeeding. And if you've done it, you understand that what you wear makes a big difference in your comfort while feeding, particularly in public.

In the vein of living secondhand and consuming less, what I've realized in the past 6 weeks is that pieces that I already own are convenient for nursing.  Not only does that mean I'm not spending money on new pieces, but I'll wear what I have long after I'm done breastfeeding.  You don't have to spend much (or anything!) on the tops specifically made for nursing that cost an arm and a leg.  And you can still feel good, which is essential to any woman postpartum.

Here are essentials that I already own that are staples in my nursing wardrobe:

1.  Spagetti strap tank tops. These are key for quick easy access- loosen the straps so you can quickly pull down the shirt for access.  (Note: this works specifically with nursing bras that can be unsnapped from the top.) I also recommend these tank tops from Target.

2.  Long sweaters or cardigans that open in the front. I can't tell you how wonderful they are for not only warmth and easy access, but they are a great source of added material to help conceal if you are in a crowd. Plus, they cover parts of your body that may be "softer" after pregnancy.

3. Scarves.  These are fabulous to wear for added coverage.  I do have a nursing cover that I absolutely love, but scarves are a fantastic way to add a little flash of color or pop to your outfit, and can also be used for additional coverage on the spot.

4.  Easy access dresses.  There are a few cotton dresses I have that are perfect for easy access, particularly v-neck styles. 

5. Cowl neck shirts.  I have 2 of these style shirts and they are absolutely wonderful in creating a dressy look with easy access due to excess stretch and material around the neck line.

Pregnancy and birth are probably the most drastic changes your body will go through! The last piece of advice I will leave with you is to wear anything that makes you feel good. Your body is doing amazing things.  Hopefully this list will inspire you to look at what you already own and not feel like you have to buy a completely new wardrobe or spend a lot to feel good postpartum, especially while breastfeeding.

*have a great day*

a kitchen reborn

In the pending birth of our first child, I am spending my evenings being large and slow on the couch, eating pretty much everything in sight, and cruising through Friends seasons on Netflix. 

I thought I'd finally share some photos of the house, namely my favorite room so far, the kitchen!! This remodel has been taking place since September, and our dear little kitchen has been reborn in 5 months!

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

I cannot say how thankful I am for my husband who has put countless hours into make this space so amazing! (Even as I am typing this, he is working on another project until dinner is ready!)  

It has been such a fun transformation to see an outdated and cramped kitchen turn into a modern, open, and functional space for cooking/eating! 

There are other fun projects happening right now, including redoing the addition with the fireplace, putting in baseboards, and adding french doors. 

Until those are projects get posted, I imagine we'll have a new little family member to take up just some of our time! 

Anyone else have some fun projects going on they'd like to share?

happy tuesday

the one with the onesies

My sisters and mom threw a great baby shower over the holidays in honor of the baby. I've actually been honored and very blessed to have three baby showers with various groups of people that mean so much to me! Each one was special and perfect in their own way and I couldn't feel more supported going into this parenthood thing.

In honor of this project that I call the blog, the hosts of this particular shower decided to have some craft time, making something for the baby. It was AWESOME! Various sizes of the much-needed (so I've heard) white onesies were spread across the kitchen table along with stencils, paints, and iron on patches. It will be so fun to see the baby wearing clothes hand-painted by some of my favorite people!

^one of my faves created by my 8-year-old niece^

^my sister, Jennie, and friend, Amanda^

^my cousin's baby, Molly, thought it was pretty cool^

Can't wait to see the baby sporting all these cool onesies!

Thanks!

4 weeks and counting

Hello all!

It has been such a long time since I've spent any time working on the blog. But while I've not been writing, life has been filled with many changes and times requiring much gumptious living!  We've gone from living in the basement apartment at my husband's parents' house, to remodeling (still!) a house with our bare hands, while growing a child, and preparing for life as parents.  It's been busy to say the least.

As the days are speeding past at neck-jarring speeds, I am finding myself  about 4 weeks away from holding my child in my arms, knowing if it's a son or a daughter, and probably learning how to keep a little one alive in a "baby-horse-standing-up-for-the-first-time" kind of way.  I can't wait and yet I'm terrified all at once. I'm sure (hoping) that these are normal feelings to be having at this point in the pregnancy.

Well, tonight I'd like to share some of my favorite moments of creativity or gumption over the past few months during this time of craziness.  I will of course make the blanket statement that the house has been one of my favorite transformations/projects that I have poured my energy into and there will be many pictures to come, I just need to sort through them.  But here are some of the other, smaller ways that some gumption has been in my life.

1. homemade forks.

Our first meal in the house was take out from a local Italian restaurant. After I was sure to ask for utensils, they of course did not come with our meals. So, Seth decided to create our own homemade utensils so we could eat our salads.

2. The hardwood floors!! 

Huck and Brody agree that they like the hardwoods better now that they are sanded and restained. We spent a long weekend sanding and sanding and sanding. These pictures don't do the floors total justice, but I promise, they make the entire upstairs floor of our house lovely (especially with Huck's fur pile for a rug).

3. the griddle

We have lived here about 4 months using a griddle and microwave- no stove, no oven, and no counter tops until recently.... This has forced some great creativity in the "kitchen" and truthfully I've surprised myself with some decent meals. anyway, this little kitchen device called a griddle has sparked some great culinary creativity for a very necessary part of life. 

4. rocking chair

call me old fashioned, but I love hand-me-downs and family heirlooms. We adopted this sweet little number from my grandmother's house and it is wonderful! I love that classic creaking sound it makes while rocking.  As we have unpacked our boxes of our belongings that we haven't seen in over a year, I am so thankful for the generous and amazing hand-me-downs that have been gifted to us over the years. Not only am I nostalgic, but it totally supports what I believe in and why I write this blog!

5. library for the baby

Lastly, I am in complete nesting phase. Even though we don't have a working washer and dryer, we don't have a stove, no pictures on the walls, no photographs in frames sitting around reflecting our lives, I am nesting in that little room that we call the baby's. It is painted. It has a few pieces of furniture. My mother and father-in-law got us an amazing gliding rocking chair in the corner.  As I sit in that chair and look around and picture being a mama, I look at the shelf on the opposite wall with a small row of books stacked up neatly against one another. They are collected from our childhoods, and a handful have been given by friends and family over the past few months.  I can't wait to read to this little one. This is one of my favorite parts of the baby's room. 

Hope you are all having a great week. 

thanks for stopping by!

House update and some news!

I am sitting in a Panera right now, trying to purposely take a break from working on the house.  It is slowly morphing into a dwelling that we call home....  We've taken all of our ideas (that seemed so simple) from the past few months and started to actually make them happen- its a slow go, but it's going! 

I've taken a stab at patching drywall holes. 

My selfie here truly represents how this whole process feels.

 The whole process of patching one hole was much more timely than I expected.  I thought if I just slap some drywall mud in there, it would dry and could be sanded to smoothness. But of course nothing goes like I think, and the hole had the braced by supports (2x4's), patched with a small piece of drywall, and then coated with several. SEVERAL. coats of mud.   I thought the bathroom would be painted weeks ago, and it's still currently all spotted up. But man, those walls are smooth, and a fresh coat of paint will hopefully hide all the evidence of my work!

Next onto carpet.  I don't know about you, but moving into a new house, especially one that hasn't had some good TLC in a few years, I daydream/nightmare about the disgustingness of the carpet.  I picture skin flakes and cut toenails from the previous owner's feet positioned in the fibers, like a defense left from him for the new owners.  Gross. So, in one grand attempt, with a hearty meal in my belly, I pulled up the carpet in the hall way and 2 bedrooms. Here is the glorious outcome! 

The carpet was the easy part. these little rascals ^see tack strips above^ were a bear to remove from the hardwood under the carpet. There were many a grunts and a swear words thrown around during the process of prying these up along the perimeters of the rooms. 

I'll throw in Seth's main project because, let's be real, what I'm doing has nothing on his work!

Seth is in charge of the kitchen.  I'll give you a little taste of the work so far, which I'm sure later I'll highlight this amazing project in greater detail. 

Before...

After...

^^not sure what happened to the lens of the camera here, but oh well, I guess it rightly captures that everything is covered in sawdust these days!

Seth has been doing an awesome job of opening up this whole space for our vision of an open floor plan concept.   We are both so excited to see how this comes together as we start putting in cupboards and counter tops soon! 

We have been so blessed by this house,  And of course as I sit here in Panera, sort of not wanting to go back and be surrounded/annoyed by the mess, I am reminded what a gift we have to have a house and to really make it our own. And I'll share one of my favorite and most grounding bible verses for this past year since it popped into my head while sitting here. 

"Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains."

James 5:7

This verse reminds me that bit by bit, we will get our home put together, It won't happen overnight. Anything this big is totally worth the wait and worth taking our time to do it right.

AND

Announcing our biggest alteration....

We are happy to be bringing a new baby into the world into February 2015! 

^the Gamechanger^

Thanks for stopping by!