New Kitchen Table!

This weekend my mom and I fell in love with a kitchen table from Bella Patri... one of my favorite stores! They sell consignment, antique, and refinished furniture and housewares. I LOVE this place and probably stop in a few times a month since everything is always changing.

Old Kitchen Table

New Kitchen Table

Love the drawers!

 

Two things about this table made me fall in love with it- the high back chairs and the drawers on each side. I can put napkins in one drawer, maybe crayons when Weston gets a little older, baby wipes, etc. Perfect!

Weston's Silhouette

Last year my mother cut out a silhouette of Weston and framed it. She gave it to us for Christmas from Weston. I LOVED it! The silhouette was when he was first born laying in the hospital crib. 

I want to do this every year right around his birthday. I took a side profile pic of him and printed it as a 5x7 (fast draft on regular computer paper). 

Oh my... look at those chunker cheeks!

Then, I laid the printed picture on top of black cardstock and used an X-acto knife to cut around his profile. 

I was just going to mount his silhouette on white cardstock, but thought scrapbook paper would give it a little more character. I found this paper in my stash and loved the vintage look. 

After cutting it to fit the frame, I mounted his silhouette on the scrapbook paper. Then put it in the frame (I have SOOOO many black frames packed away in the barn so I just used one of them). I LOVE IT! Now his 1 year old silhouette took place of his newborn silhouette on the shelf. It would be neat to have them displayed together throughout the years. So I will be tucking it away somewhere safe until then. :)

Grandmom came to play!

I LOVE when Chad's grandmother comes over to play! I called her last night and asked her if she could come over and watch over Weston while I worked on some housework upstairs. I really needed to organize the bedroom. It was overflowing with stuff from the bathroom, laundry, and just junk that needed to be put away. It is so hard to decide what to work on when she comes over. I could get lots of editing done, but then when do I do the housework... while Weston is attached to my legs?! It seems like he is always holding onto me lately especially on the days when he does not nap well. Nap-time has been brutal lately. He has only been sleeping about an hour during the day. 

Anyway I was so happy to have a few hours of uninterrupted time to get a few things done around the house. I was even able to shower without worrying about W! :) Here are some pictures of Grandmom and Weston playing today.

 

And then Grandmom took one of me and my man! I don't have too many of us together! No make-up, not showered, and still in my pjs at 3pm... but lovin this.

Now it is time for me to edit, edit, EDIT before my 3 sessions this weekend. My goal is to work until 11pm tonight. Hopefully I can stay awake! I'll be working on this little gal's gallery:

The Perch- refinished!

Remember my post about the tabletop high chair I wanted to refinish?

Well here are the before pics:

And here are the after pics:

I took apart the chair and sanded it.Then coated it with a clear glossy spray to make it look nice and new! The hardest part was sewing the stinkin' seat cover. I bought a striped outdoor canvas material. So hopefully it will be easy to clean up. I think it is a little bigger than before so I still need to make it a little smaller so Weston or whoever sits in it doesn't feel like they are falling down into it. I also need to buy a new strap for the middle and attach that to the seat. I also need to get new rubber stoppers too. Then it will be finished!

Good morning from my little man!

$70 Grocery Shopping Challenge

Today is Monday which means grocery day! :) After Weston and I got ready for the day, we headed to Wal-Mart. I had my grocery list with all of the items I NEEDED for the week and a pen to write down how much each item cost so I could keep track. I also set the alarm on my phone because I had to make it to Weston's gymastics class by 10:20. I had less than a half an hour to get the food and get out! Anyway... on the back of my list I jotted down a few things that I really did not need (onesies for Weston and mascara). 

Let me just tell you I was seriously LOVING this challenge! I was on a mission. By the end of the trip, my cart was not even half way full but I bought what I needed for the week. I told the cashier all about my challenge. I was proud of myself! 

My total was $58.20! So I added in the two onesies for Weston which made the total $64.23. I DID IT!! Wahooo!  Compared to the $150 I usually spend... this is amazing! Looking forward to next week's grocery shopping trip! (Never thought I would say that!)

Cut the Grocery Bill!

Last night at my cousin's surprise 30th birthday party (Happy Birthday Chris) I chatted with a few gals about couponing and cutting grocery costs. I have tried the whole coupon thing and it just never works out for me. My best friend Kristin is crazy about the coupons... she has a special coupon book she stores them all in and she is pretty darn proud about it! I would be too! My sister says that she tries to challenge herself to only spend X amount of money when she goes to the store each week. Well, the past couple of weeks I have definitely been in a cooking/grocery shopping rut. I feel like it has been weeks since I shopped for one full week. I have been stopping at the store a few times a week and spending way too much money.

I decided after our chat that it is time to get my butt in gear and start to SAVE money. We definitely could use the extra cash. So for now on my grocery shopping day will be on Monday... the start if the work week. I am going to challenge myself to spend only $70 a week. This is including food, toiletries (not including diapers because we get them shipped every couple of weeks), and dog food. One way to cut the cost is to plan ahead! I need to plan what we will be having for dinner the WHOLE week. CHECK! I did that tonight. Next is to make the grocery list and only get what we NEED. This week I looked at what we already had in the freezer and pantry and will be using a lot of these items for our dinners. 

We have a Super Wal-Mart about 5 minutes from our house. Perfect!!! Another way to save cash. The only thing is we like Boars Head lunch meats. So I will have to make a stop at the Shop-rite to pick up turkey for lunches. That's an inconvenience to me!! I HATE taking Weston to multiple places in one day. He gets very antsy shopping and lately has been having total meltdowns. Embarrasing. I think I will call ahead and have the deli prepare the meats and then Chad will swing by and pick it up on his way home. 

Tomorrow is my first day on the $70 challenge. We will see how I do since usually our grocery bill is always over $100. I can do it. I can do it!

Bathroom Remodel- Demolition (weekend 1)

Yesterday Chad began tearing up the bathroom. He took out the tiles, vanity, and toilet. Today he began tearing up the sub-floor. We are already behind schedule a bit. We did not factor in naps that Weston has to take... at that time construction stops!! No one messes with Weston's nap! :) Mommy needs a break too. 

A few set backs already:

- While Chad was taking out the vanity the pipe broke and water was everywhere! I came home to furniture on the main floor moved all around and towels soaking up water. About an hour later we had a small leak again from the bathtub. Oh my. Let's hope we can get this bathroom finished without too many hiccups along the way!

Cleaned up a bit. We still need to shower in here!

Closet Organizing

This is our only closet on the main floor of our home...

It is a tiny space under our stairs. The space is pretty awkward as well. I am not quite sure how to make it efficient?? I will definitely be taking a closer look at the blog IHeart Organizing. She has some wonderful ideas. Thanks Brittany for recommending this site to me! 

Weston was playing like such a big boy as I tackled the closet. Inside was a ridiculous amount of stuff and half of it we barely even use. I had a box of craft stuff that I moved over to my craft cabinet, cleaning supplies that went to the garage, empty baskets, toys, curtain rods, rugs, and tools that I found other homes for. The trashcan became a home to a few of these things too!  While I was cleaning out I peaked over at Weston and he was busy "chatting" on my phone:

And then a few minutes later I caught him stacking blocks all by himself!! 4 blocks!!!!!!!!!!! :) They fell right after that, but Mama was still ecstatic about that!

 

I took a look all of the toys lined up in the living room/playroom. Not liking this at all. Maybe the closet will be where I store toys?? I could have a toy box on wheels that could come out each day and then wheel back into the closet at night. Is that silly? I should probably just get used to toys everywhere. I would keep some toys out, just not everything. And then I was thinking about installing a felt board on the inside of the closet!? FUN! FUN!

I feel like I have been "nesting" since December.The house is just so little that I need to have some handy organizational skills. Not sure how we are going to manage having more than one child in this house one day. I am sure we can do it though!

My Little Bugaboo

My little Bugaboo was not feeling so hot this weekend. Poor thing.  We have already been through 2 boxes of tissues. And his cough is just HORRIBLE! During the day he barely coughs but by evening and bedtime he doesn't stop coughing. I wish I could just take away his cold or give it to myself!! I'll take it. I would do anything for my little man to feel better. One thing about Weston is he is such a happy little boy. Even though he feels like total crud, he is still smiling and getting into everything!

Hoping that my little one feels better this week. A few things on my to do list:

- Edit photos

- 3 photo sessions (2- newborn and 1- 3month portrait session)

-Clean out the upstairs bath before demolition day!!

- Make Weston's curtain tiebacks (I want to take scrap fabrics from his wall art and sew them together)

- Order prints (thinking about decoupaging 4 square canvases with pics of Weston to make some more colorful wall art for his bedroom)

- Do something about our only closet on the mail floor (make it functional... we have NO storage in this house)
- De-clutter the kitchen (we have tons of stuff (bowls, pots, grill, dishes) on top of the fridge that needs to go. I have no clue where to put this stuff?!?! Maybe the closet?
I am sure there are some things missing on this list! If I complete even a few of these tasks I will be happy! :)

Bathroom Remodel- Before

We have 1.5 baths in our tiny little home. On the main floor we have a half bath off of the kitchen and upstairs in the middle of our bedroom and Weston's bedroom we have a whole bath. We have NEVER liked this bathroom. The claw foot tub HAS to go! So many people say that they would love to have a claw foot tub. No you would not! First they are super hard to bathe a child in and second taking a bath in one is absolutely miserable... so uncomfortable. I cannot wait until the day I have a normal bath tub!!! 

So here are a few pics of our bathroom:

  

 As you walk in the bathroom you can see that there must be a window, but it is blocked by the tub/shower curtain. I do have a nice curtain that usually covers the plastic curtains, but I just took it down to wash it. Here is the wall as you come in. There is a hideous purple vanity and to the side of it is a brick chimney. Most of the vanity shelving is open so Weston gets into the baskets ALL the time. I end up just shoving everything back in disarray. We are planning to put our toilet here and have wainscoting around the whole room. The chimney will still show (which I love) but not as much because on the next wall where the toilet is now we will be installing the bath/shower.

 We are planning to get a drop in tub so we can have the wainscoting going up the side of the tub. We are still unsure what kind of tile we want for the walls above the tub. Chad will have to move the radiator heater which might be quite a task?? 

 

Then against the wall where we have Chad’s towel rack will be our new vanity. I am thinking we are going to get a white vanity with a darker counter-top, but we are still deciding on that. Below is a link to a picture of a vanity that I love! Our floors will most likely be a gray (not too dark though).

I would like to keep the existing door because it does show the character of the house.  The colors that I want in the room are going to be gray, yellow, and white.

I have been pinning some ideas for the room:

Vanity that I LOVE and also lights on each side of mirror

Wall art inspiration

Towels from World Market

So here is our plan for each weekend. 

Weekend of:

January 21 & 22- Tear out the floor, vanity, and toilet. Move plumbing around. 

January 28 & 29- Level the floor. Drywall up. New shower framed. 

February 4 & 5- New tub installed. Finish tiling the floor and tub wall. Install toilet. 

February 11 & 12- Install vanity, lights, and wainscoting.

February 18 & 19- Paint walls and ceiling. 

Next following week: Decorate!

We are not sure if this is even possible. Every weekend I have photoshoots which means that Chad will have to watch Weston. So our goal is to finish by the first of March. :)

Lens Buddy

This morning Weston and I woke up and tip-toed quietly down our creaky stairs trying not to wake Daddy. Chad worked until 4am last night finishing up a project for work that is due on Tuesday when he returns. Weston was in the best mood this morning despite his never-ending runny nose, horsy voice, and cough. He played with his tool set as I decided to get a little crafty! I have been wanting to make a buddy for my camera lens. That way my client's kiddos will have something fun to look/smile at! :)

I found this "Shutterbuddy" on Etsy and definitely knew I could remake it for a lot cheaper!

 

I went through my felt stash and picked some fun colors for my little yellow parrot! My mom gave me her 1990's scrunchie so I did not have to make the base of it. Then I cut out all of the parrot's parts: eyes, lids, eyelashes, nose, wings, and feet. His eye balls are buttons! 

I thought Weston would love playing with all of the colorful felt pieces. Instead he blew his nose in them! So I had a pile of snotty scraps that I had to throw away. Yuck! Well, at least he likes to blow his nose!!! When you give him a tissue he will blow. Lil' stinker.

 

I LOVE IT! So cute and just love the cheerful colors. I probably should name her? By the way it took about a half hour to make and I used all of my scraps! Definitely a lot better than $23 (that is how much the purple parrot costs on Etsy). Oh wait.... $26 including shipping. So proud of myself!

This is my craft cabinet. Before I had a craft room but now everything is in this one cabinet. Well I do have a few boxes stashed in other areas around the house/barn. Looks like I need to do a little organizing... ya think?!?