Posts from — October 2011

You know what I love. . . finding out you can get something done that would have cost us hundreds of dollars for FREE! We have a giant tree in our front yard.

I forgot as usual to take a before picture. . . so here is one from two summers ago after Jonathan & my Dad trimmed the tree. This trimming was nothing in comparison to what happened on Monday. Before scrolling down. . .please take note that in the middle of the day. . . our whole yard is covered in shade because that tree is so dense.

So. . . here is the story. Our neighbor was having a tree trimmed so I asked the tree trimming man what they would charge to do ours (it needed MAJOR surgery). He said some number north of $500 which we have been told by other tree trimmers this was a very fair price. Ouch. We would like to have grass. . . and maybe bushes that don’t die (our 5 bushes we planed last year died in the shade this summer) so trimming the tree had to happen. Oh yeah. . .and we were afraid about a limb falling and killing someone. . . that may have been a factor. But then the previously mentioned tree trimming man casually mentioned that the tree was on city property and he would have to get a permit. I asked a few questions and got him to tell me that actually the city is responsible for trimming the tree. So I called them. In July. And this week they showed up and trimmed our tree. Yahoo for FREE!

Like I said . . .major surgery. . .

And here it is mostly finished:

Yahoo for a thinner tree! Note. . . the tree looks weird in pictures on the right b/c you can’t tell that some of that foliage is from another tree in the neighbor’s yard. . . our tree isn’t weird and lopsided looking.  Jonathan got home from work that day and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever had to squint at the sun in our front yard before.” True story.

During the whole tree thing (it took a long time complete with noisy tree chippers and chainsaws) I was emailing Jonathan updates. . . here is a sampling:

me: they are having to take a LOT out. . . said there were a lot of splits and breaks that they couldn’t see until they got up there. There are 2 guys in buckets and a huge chipper and our house looks like a circus. The head guy said he is going to try his best to leave it looking like a tree. It is pretty much a mangled mess right now.

jonathan: Lol… great… love the line about going to try to leave it looking like a tree.  I was hoping it could look like a lamborguini when he is done.  Could that be arranged?

me: umm. . .no.

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In other news. . . Evie has her first stomach flu. Bummer. Two kinds of bummer actually. . . the first and obvious bummer is that my baby is sick. . . and miserable. . . and puking. The second bummer. . . lots of laundry because almost one year old’s don’t exactly shout out a warning before they puke. You’re welcome for sharing.

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I am going to participate in the Pinterest Challenge. Because I pin a lot. And I should make things I pin. In the interest of full disclosure. . .I am making an owl costume for Evie. . . which if you take a look at the calendar I need to get it done during the time of the challenge and was going to do it anyways. . . but why not join in the fun?

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Today I am thankful for my hubs.

As promised. . . here is a ‘right now’ tour of our kitchen. To refresh your memory. . . here are a couple of pictures of what we started with:

Okay. . . I would like to point out in the picture above that there is a doorway on the left. For the last couple of years we have been living with that door shut and a rolling cart in front of it so there is counter next to the stove. As can be seen in this picture:

You can barley see it in the picture above. . .  but I want to point it out anyways. Look to the left of the dishwasher where our Realtor is standing. . . can you tell that the cabinet he is standing in front of is taller than the rest. That cabinet used to be about a foot taller than the others and made it really awkward AND made our kitchen feel smaller because your eye stopped at the end of that cabinet.  Here is a picture of just that cabinet:

Not getting a picture of this before he ripped it from the wall was a major oversight. . . . but I am making such a big deal about it because Jonathan re-made this cabinet into what you will see in the picture below. It is now even with the other cabinets which adds more usable counter space.  It was a LOT of work and dramatically changes the feel of our kitchen. It’s amazing how removing 12 inches of cabinetry can make a room feel so much bigger.

Still no cabinet doors so bear with all the distracting inside the cabinet mayhem. If you don’t know why I haven’t painted the cabinet doors yet. . .check out this post. I am also cooking a feast for my brother and sister while taking these pictures. . .just thought I would say the pots and pans on the stove are in use- I don’t keep them there :)

And now. . . .

Behold the remade cabinet that is the same height as all the other cabinets. And then give my husband a round of applause. Thank you.

Notice a major change here? THERE IS NO MORE DOOR!!! Skilled craftsman that he is . . Jonathan removed the door & framed in the wall. Because he is awesome.

This seems like a good place to mention the plan for this side of the kitchen. The side of the kitchen with the sink will be maintaining the same layout long term (although there will be the addition of more upper cabinetry, nothing is leaving this space). This is not the same story as the side of the kitchen with the stove and fridge. Pretty much everything is going and new cabinetry is coming in. It will be awesome. Mostly because I will have a PANTRY!!!! But also because we will bring a more unified/built in look to this side of the kitchen- which currently if we are being honest is really just a hodge podge of random cabinets and the cart. More details to come much later when we can afford to buy said cabinets. . . but I thought it was worth mentioning . . .especially since the importance of the wall Jonathan built lies in the cabinets to come.

Oh. . .and did you notice I painted a chalkboard wall? Oh yes I did.

There is also a fun plan for seating under the windows. I am very excited about it.

So there you have it. Very incomplete. . .but a lot of progress.

Still to come (as we save save save) are:

new counter tops & back splash

additional cabinets

refinished floors

enclosing the door behind the dishwasher (long story. . . I will post about it sometime)

window seating

oh. . . and PAINTING THE CABINET DOORS and re-installing them

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Today I am thankful to get to see my brother  & sister.

A little more walking. She’s getting pretty good :) We were at the mall playground today.

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Today I am thankful for God’s authority.

Kitchen pictures still on the way. . . I am waiting to have decent light in there at the same time as having the dishes done. . . it might take a while.

In other news. . . I scored in a major way at a thrift store yesterday. Let me back up a bit. .  . sometimes I need to get out of the house. I think most SAHM’s can relate. . . if I am not intentional about leaving my house DAYS can go by where I don’t get in the car. Because I have no where to go. Seriously. And a girl can go crazy looking at the same walls all the time. So I take Evie to thrift stores & garage sales. I have a mental list of things I am looking for. I try not to buy things that are not on that list (because $5 purchases add up people). One thing on my list is a table and set of chairs for Evie. I have been looking for months and was about to give up and have my sister go pick up some at Ikea for me when I found these yesterday:

If you look closely. . . they are not in such great shape. A lot of wood glue and new paint is in order to make them function. . . but how sweet is this set? And the best part. . . it was marked $9.99 (which is a lot less than the $30+ I was prepared to spend) AND it was half off furniture day at this particular thrift store so I got the whole set for $5. Exciting stuff (at least to me). Now to decide what colors to paint them.

And since it’s cold outside. . . how about a picture of this cutie in a puffer vest. 

Last night I got a hair cut (!) and went to Panera and had a cup of hot cocoa and spent time journaling. It is amazing what a little time for me does to help shift my outlook. I hope if you are a mom reading this you get some alone time soon too.

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Today I am thankful for fall. Because I love it.

hmmm. . . so I was working on the kitchen. And then I stopped. On Wednesday my husband wisely asked me to evaluate why I was putting so much effort into finishing all the painting by Saturday at the expense of the sanity of our family. Ouch. So I got mad at him. . . and then I spent some time with Jesus and came to the conclusion that I was waaaay to concerned with what our guests would think of my kitchen with no cabinet doors (read-my husband was right). Concerned about having the contents of my cabinets all hang out there. It is so easy for me fall into that place. To want to look like I have it all together. I want to make it look easy. Pride. It’s a beast. Because here’s the thing. . . I have a Savior who meets me where I am at. Loves me where I am at. No kitchen cabinet doors and all.

Humbled.

Fast forward to Saturday. We had a houseful of  great friends. People who are part of my history, my right now, and my future. People with whom I can laugh and laugh with. . . who ‘get’ us and whom I love dearly. People who DON’T CARE IF I HAVE CABINET DOORS in my kitchen. Right.

All of that to say. . . it is good to finish a project that you have started- but not so good to let that project to become more important than Jesus and people. I know these things. . . but I feel like I am in a place of re-learning long ago learned lessons. I am constantly in need of re-fixing my eyes on Jesus, so what is important to him will be what is important to me.

So. . . I will post pictures of my kitchen tonight or tomorrow. . .with no cabinet doors. . . but I wanted to put that out there first. I want to be real with you and say that I didn’t finish my kitchen because people are more important than cabinets.

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Today I am thankful sweet time with friends.

A church a couple of blocks from our house has a pumpkin patch out front every year. Yesterday when Jonathan got home from work we loaded Evie up in her stroller and walked over so she could pick her first pumpkin. I loved getting pumpkins as a kid so it was fun to do this with Evie (even if we didn’t go pick it in a field-maybe next year).

In other news. I am drowning in kitchen paint over here. I set myself a deadline that there is no way I will meet (we are having people over on Saturday) and have myself all stressed out over it. I just keep painting. When I catch my breath I will post pictures of the progress. I am hoping Evie gives me the gift of taking a long afternoon nap today so I can get a lot more done than I am anticipating. We’ll see.

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Today I am thankful for getting to catch up with a friend last night. Friends are good.

Well. . . . we are deep in the throws of a kitchen remodel. Our house has small appliances and displaced dishes in nearly every room with sheets thrown over top tables and such to protect said dishes from any rouge dust that escapes the disaster zone. Evie very much enjoys ducking under the sheets that block off the doorways to the kitchen as we pass through. Things are slow going. . . and this kitchen project will happen in stages. This stage is what I like to call ‘strip down and paint’. Meaning. . . stripping off layers of unfortunate decor decisions to reveal what is original to our home. . . and paint it! As much as I like the look of painted wood floors. . . never fear. . . we are not painting them. Everything else though is fair game.

While I avoid the cave of dust. . . I like to look at pretties like these to inspire:

found here

found via pinterest here

found via pinterest here

found via pinterest here

Good morning. . .

I gave Evie an old magazine to rip up because she likes ripping paper A LOT. I thought nothing of the ripping sounds across the room because of said magazine so I didn’t immediately glance over to check on her. When I did glance over to check on her. . . imagine my surprise to see she had gotten my cash envelope out of my purse and was ripping MONEY! Thankfully she got just two bills and ripped them right in half (a little tape will fix it). Oh My.

I made this this week. It’s pretty tasty. I even had a little sliver for breakfast. . oh yes I did.

It is supposed to cool off today and rain and generally FEEL LIKE FALL. Sign me up. I’m ready.

I am trying to mentally gear up for the massive amounts of sanding and painting I need to do in the kitchen. Want to come over to help? Jonathan has made some major progress in there this week (GO JONATHAN!). I’ll post pics soon.

Evie cut a new tooth this past week. Teeth are a terribly huge ordeal at our house. Lots of whining, holding, and movie watching. Poor thing is miserable with teeth.

My small group leader’s is having a baby and we are having a shower for her this weekend. I’m excited. I like planning parties (or showers).

I’ve been busy sewing. Lots and lots of sewing. I will share pictures of all those projects soon too.

Hope you have a good day :)

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Today I am thankful for the ladies in my small group. I love them a lot.

Okie dokie. . . back to share what diapering products I use and what I think about them. You can read my original diapering post here.

First up. . . diapers. I have 18 Bum Genius 4.0 pocket one size diapers & one Bum Genius all-in-one diaper.

Photo from here.

The above photo is of the pocket diapers that I have. As you can see in the picture, when the diaper is put together it doesn’t function that differently (or really any differently) than a disposable diaper. You put it on them and velcro. Easy peasy. I have velcro diapers but they are also available in snaps. It’s a preference thing- however I have been warned that the velcro wears out eventually and has to be replaced. I sew so I didn’t consider this a big deal- but if replacing velcro sounds like no fun for you then go with the snaps. I have one diaper with snaps and they are harder to put on, but likewise harder for little hands to take off and wave poopy diapers around her crib (no joke, it happened).

Our diapers are one size fits all. . . they have snaps that adjust the size as your little love grows. This is a big plus for me because it means I didn’t have to buy multiple sets of diapers in different sizes (and allowed me to be able to buy more of them so I have to laundry less frequently).

You might have noticed that I said when the diapers are put together. The catch about pocket diapers is that you have to insert absorbency pads into the diapers after each time you wash them. You can see them pictured above. There is also such a thing as an all-in-one diaper (I have one) which is just what it sounds like, it is literally all one piece. Here is what I think about the two. I think pocket diapers absorb better and have better elastic around the legs (essential for no leaking). Compared to the all-in-ones however, they are a pain the the tush to stuff after each wash. I by far prefer the pocket diapers for function, but think all-in-ones are the easiest and take the least amount of time to deal with.

My diapers were about $17 a peice. Sounds like a lot of money (and it is!) but weigh the one time cost of cloth diapers against the long term costs of disposables and cloth wins out EASILY. Also. . . these are one of the more expensive options out there. For Jonathan and I, easy to use was high on our priority list. We also plan on using these for multiple kiddos so we were willing to pay more for high quality which will hopefully save us more over time.

It bears mentioning that there are A LOT of different brands out there. Please look around. I went to a local shop, Healthy Baby Boutique for you Wichitians,  and looked at a bunch and talked to the ladies there to help me make my decision on what I wanted. There are also other options than pocket and all-in-ones, namely Prefolds. Prefolds are popular and by far the cheapest option out there. . . but are more work than what we were up for.

I also use diaper liners. They are flush able liners than you line your diapers with that. . . .wait for it. . . catch all the pooh so you don’t have to spray/scrape/swoosh it off each time you have a soiled diaper. These are worth their weight in gold in my opinion, however are not a necessary diapering item. I use GroVia liners. The are about $10 a roll and each roll lasts me around 2 months.

Photo from here.

The last thing you need is something to keep your diapers in between taking them off your babies bottom to washing time. I recommend wet bags. I have several in different sizes. You will want one that is smaller to take when you are out of the house and then a larger one for home. In my experience, wet bags do the best job of keeping the stink to a minimum. I have this one and this one which is available in a lot of different fabrics.

Okay. . .who knew I could write so much about maintaining my girl’s bottom. . . but there you have it. If you have questions, please ask! I was so overwhelmed when I started looking at going cloth. . . if I hadn’t had a friend who did it I might have chickened out. It is defiantly one of those things that seems like a WAY bigger deal than it is in reality.

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Today I am thankful for productivity.