Hunter: 17 Months

Sometimes you just gotta let them play with a hair bush and a skin cream box...

You guys, parenting a toddler is DAMN HARD.  He is belligerent if he doesn't get his way.  He's LOUD.  He is argumentative.  He cries for no apparent reason and trying to get him dressed (or change his diaper) is like wrestling a crocodile.

Basically, he's like the drunk version of myself.

Between temper tantrums involving thrown sippy cups, we did actually have some sweet moments this month.

First off, Hunter shared his second Valentine's Day with his very special lady friend, Jenna.

I made them matching shirts that said "My Heart Belongs to Jenna/Hunter".  They were the hit of daycare.
Jenna's mom, Cara, sent me this picture later in the day-- their first picture together (Jenna was maybe a week old and Hunter is about 9 weeks) and the current picture from Valentine's Day

 Sing with me now.. we're still havin' fun and you're still the one...

Speaking of Jenna, apparently at nap time, the two love birds have to be separated  because their talking and giggling is disturbing the other children.

  

         

Ahh.  Young Love.

This month, Hunter has also really taken an interest to JEGs' guitars.  He has them hanging in the man cave/playroom/ guest room/ room I throw random crap into.  Hunter will point to them and say "taaar??  taaar??"  and JEGs will let him strum some chords or Huntface dances along while JEGs plays.

His obsession with all things motor-vehicle continues.  This is the most opened page of his favorite book My First Words

His other favorite books are Miss Spider's ABC's and (go figure) Miss Spider's New Car.  We read them no less then 15 times at bedtime.  

His vocabulary continues to grow;  we've added 'door', 'book' and 'walk' to the list.  He also kind of says 'waffles' but it comes out 'wahwah'.  Close enough for me.  He also has this amazing ability to say words once, and then never utter them again, such as 'stroller', cinnamon  and 'Uncle Mike'.  

Last month I posted on my Facebook page, asking for remedies for eczema.  Hunter has it really bad on both of his ankles, knees and calves-- to the point it keeps him up at night.  I tried switching his bath soap from Johnson & Johnson to Aveeno, and we've used every kind of overnight creme we can think of.  It's gotten bad enough that we had to take him to a dermatologist.  He's on a regiment of antibiotics  and a super strong medicated creme for two weeks and then a slight less strong medicated creme for two weeks until we go back to check up on his progress.  Here is hoping it works, because listening to that little boy itch his legs over the monitor at night kills me a little bit inside.  

Little Dude,

  I'm not gonna lie, this is a tough age-- you are really giving Mommy and Daddy a run for their money.  But between the frustration and tears (from both parties) we know deep down that we have the sweetest little punk on the block.  And we love you for it.

Hummus cracker in the hair:  all the rage on the Paris runways

Always&Forever,
  Mommy

I Love it When a Pin Comes Together...

You know what I love the most about Pinterest?  Realizing that something you have pinned is totally doable.

I know I am guilty of pinning projects I'll never tackle, or outfits I'll never wear.  That five layer rainbow cake?  Not gonna happen.

The other day I pinned this outfit because I liked the ivory skinnies with the tall boots.

Source: Uploaded by user via LizzieBeth on Pinterest

..and then I was like, 'dude.  I totally have a purple sweater and grey blazer in my closet'.  So for work last week I pulled everything out and tried it on.  I added a long necklace for extra shazam.

Please pardon the crappy iPhone picture-- cellphone photography is clearly not my medium
Also, I am still rocking the 'au natural' look for Lent.

White button down: NY&Co
Sweater: NY&Co
Grey blazer: Express
Ivory skinny cords: Marshall's
Tall boots: Payless
Necklace: Premier Jewelry Design

As I was gathering everything from the closet, I realized I could so a similar look with a grey sweater and burgundy velvet jacket

White button down: NY&Co
Grey sweater: NY&Co
Burgundy velvet blazer: GAP
Ivory skinny cords: Marshall's
Riding boots: Payless
Purple and black necklace: NY&Co

Randomly, I noticed the original ad was for Land's End, so I popped over to their site to check out their boots.  I like my boots and for as cheap as they were ($29.99) I can't complain too much, but they are really big around my calves and give me serious cankles.  I am totally digging on the Allaire High heel boot and the Blakeley Riding boot.

                  

I don't know if I am ready to be an adult and invest in a pair of shoes though.  I do enjoy my cheapy so much.  Thoughts?

Do you invest in good pieces  or are you like me, and buy cheap stuff and hope it lasts more then a season?

Always & Forever,
  ME

Stick A Fork In This..

...cause I think I can offically declare the nursery DONE.

 I know.. it only took me, what, two years?

Something that has always bothered me was the rug in the nursery.  In the rush to get the room ready, I grabbed this from Target for $25.

Now, I grew up in a house with wall to wall carpeting.  I know absolutely nothing about rugs.  I don't know to use them in proportion, color or texture.  And I think it is pretty clear with the above picture.  First off, it's bizarre 4 x 6.5 sizing is way too small for the space.  Secondly, it's the most hideous brown color.  Thirdly, it is about as soft as sand paper.  

Every time I went to IKEA or Target or any place that sold rugs, I would look through their selection.  Again, since I never had area rugs growing up, I was gobsmacked at how much they cost!  I couldn't find anything I loved enough to justify spending the money on.

So I turned to my good friend Craig and his list of other people's crap.  And I found this.

I knew it was exactly what I was looking for:  a pattern with warm colors that matched the room perfectly.  The size 5 x7 would fit the space much more appropriately.  It wasn't too childish or trendy either.  I loved the reds that went throughout it to pull in the red in the artwork on the walls.

Now that the rug is in, I am even confident enough to put an "After" tag on the picture.

Boom.

While we are at it, I will give the source list for the entire room:

Wall Color: Glidden's Navajo Sand.  Rug: Craigslist find. Curtains: Target  "Hunter" Art: A gift from Hunter's Auntie M.  Shelf: IKEA dresser door from As-Is department (brackets from Lowe's)

Antique Dresser: family heirloom Owl Lamp: Target  Lamp Shade:  Target, with DIY ribbon trim.  Tree decal: Etsy seller Janey Mac  Rocking Chair: family heirloom Pillow: Target

 Jenny Lind Crib: (in cherry): Amazon  Treetop Friends Art: Etsy

If I have missed anything, please feel free to ask.

I love this room.  Maybe because it's the only place in the house that doesn't feel like a storage room, but I could spend hours in here.  If and when we ever have a second child, I might even leave it the same way, just because I love it so much.

...who are we kidding?  If I ever have a girl, that room is going to be 8x9 of glittery wonderness.

Always & Forever,
  ME

Baked Zucchini Pie

I have been trying to find as many ways to smuggle veggies into Hunter's diet.  Since Hunter loves eggs and cheese, I figured this quiche-like entree would be a hit, and it was!  Hunter ate all of it (zucchini included) while JEGs and I were damn near arm wrestling each other for the last slice.

1 package (8 ounces) refridgerated crescent rolls
2 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 teaspoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cups cubed, fully cooked ham
1 medium Roma tomato, thinly sliced.

Separate crescent dough into eight triangles; place in a greased 9-inch pie plate with points towards the center.  Press onto the bottom and up the sides to form a crust; seal seams and perforations.  Bake at 375 for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute zucchini and onion in butter until tender; stir in seasonings.  Spoon into crust.  Combine eggs, cheese and ham; pour over zucchini mixture.  Top with tomato slices.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Das HOVAS Review

There is no doubt, that the biggest form of traffic I get to this blog is people looking for reviews of IKEA's HOVAS.  

If you aren't caught up on this modern day love story, JEGs and I fell in love with the HOVAS in December 2010.  However, we decided to hold off on purchasing it since we were not sure if it would fit in our soon-to-be home.  A year later, we bought it as a Christmas gift to ourselves.  

We purchased two white slip covers; the first for me to attempt to dye a smokey charcoal, and the second in case the dye job didn't work.

It was a good thing we did we bought two.  It was a marbled hot mess.  

Granted, I was trying to dye it in a small washer and dryer, but even our bathtub was not large enough for these slipcovers.  I probably could have taken them to the laundromat and gave that a try, but I wasn't about to get fined for screwing up an industrial sized washer.  No ma'am.

So to those asking about my dye job, the answer is:  It didn't work.  

Whomp whomp.

So how do I live with a toddler and a white couch?  I cheat.

I snagged a cheap queen size sheet set in white and use the fitted sheet to cover the bottom cushions of the couch.

The pillow cases go over the arm rests

 and the flat sheet is tucked around the back cushions.

Yeah, I know.  I have a slipcover over my slipcover.  But with Hunters goldfish-and-strawberry-crusted hands climbing all over it, you would too.  

We are incredibly happy with our HOVAS.  I was concerned about it's massive size in our teeny tiny living room, but it's low profile and clean lines seem to minimize it.  It is comfortable enough for JEGs to lie down and I can still sit comfortably on the end.  If we have accommodate a guest, removing the back two cushions makes it about the size of a twin bed.  

My only issue is the back cushions tend to get smooshed after someone has been sitting.  A quick fluff or flip fixes that problem, however.  

Over all, I think this is a good couch at a really good price point.  If IKEA would come out with a couple more colors, I would be even happier.

And yes, that is a new coffee table.  No, it is not nearly blog-worthy yet.  I have a lot of work to do with it still, but I am waiting for warmer temperatures.

Always & Forever,
  ME

Winter Mantle: barren but sparkly.

I hate decorating post-Christmas.  During Christmas everything is lush and extravagant and full.

And then you take down all your holiday decorations and everything just feels... empty.  The air feels empty. The trees are empty.  Ugh.  I just hate winter.  

For my winter mantle decor I decided to tap into that empty, monochromatic feel.  To keep it feeling too depressing, I added some sparkle.  

I snagged this tree bark-detailed vase from Target when all their Christmas decorations were 70% off-- I think it came down to $1.50.  I collected a couple twigs from the yard and hung some leftover snow flakes from Jenna's birthday party and hung them with string.

The mason jars for Jenna's party were borrowed from my collection and returned with the Epson salt still in them.  I took out the candles and placed evergreen sprigs to appear as trees in the snow.

                                    

The feather wreath was another Target clearance find for $9.  I added my favorite mercury glass candle sticks and a gifted silver tray for a little sparkle.   What the hell... let's throw a thrift shop painted bird in there for kicks and giggles.

I really dig the tone on tone look, but I am so ready for spring.  SO ready.

How about you?  Do you struggle to decorate after Christmas?

Always & Forever,
  ME

Valentine's Day, Toddler Style

 If you follow me on Instagram (and you should be), you probably saw this picture of Valentine's Day cards I was working on for Hunter's class.

Here is the final product.  And we are going to pretend like all of these pictures were not taken with my iPhone.

When Hunter was at his original daycare, I didn't have to worry about holidays.  I dressed him in a cute shirt and sent him on his way.  Well now I have other parents to deal with.  And other parents bring in cards and treats for the other kids.  And honey, I am not about to be the 'that parent' that doesn't participate.  They got me at Halloween, they aren't going to get me this time...

Anyway, I got a lot of compliments on them, so I thought I would write up a quick tutorial, in case anyone needs a last minute snacky for their youngin.  Or you can file this away under "next year".

Here is what I used:

Red paint
White paint
favor bags (bought from Michaels)
pen
paint brush (I used foam because that's what I had.  You can use any kind)
cookie cutter
pattern scissors
cardstock (not shown.  Oops)

I should note I used Valspar sample paints because they were $.50 from the return cart.  I am sure any kind of craft paint would work just as well.  But I'm cheap.

I cut 6x3 strips from the card stock and folded in half to make a 3x3 tented card.  Next I used the paint brush and took a couple haphazardly swipes across the paper.  Seriously, there is no science to how I painted.

After the red paint dried, I dipped the cookie cutter in the white paint and pressed it over the  red at an angle.

For the mix, I tried to use some toddler-friendly, semi-healthy food.  I figured everyone would be bringing in cupcakes and cookies and such.  So to keep the sugar overload to a minimum, I mixed up some frosted shredded wheat, Cheerios, yogurt covered raisins and strawberry yogurt drops



Next, employ your husband to fill each bag.

Finally, I folded the bag down a little and placed it between the folds of the card, securing it with two staples.

If you are interested in how much of each ingredient I used, I did one sample pack of Cheerios, one sample pack of Frosted Mini Wheats, one bag of yogurt drops and about three handfuls of the yogurt covered raisins (purchased from the bulk candy section of my super market).  We used 1/4 cup for each bag and were able to fill 10 bags.

...and Hunter got to share one with his special lady friend, Jenna

Happy Valentine's Day!
   ME