Baby Sprinkle

Once upon a time I got engaged, realized I had no idea how to plan a wedding, and descended upon The Knot.

For those of you who have never heard of it, The Knot is like the end all, be all websites for brides-to-be. It has pretty much everything you could ever want to help you plan for your big day, including message boards for every subject matter possible.  I hung out on the Philadelphia boards and got to know a really great group of girls, and managed to become friendly with them off the boards.  We've since abandoned the message boards, but continue to be friends.  It was especially nice for me because it was right after I moved to Norristown, and a lot of the girls were from the surrounding area.  Even though I had only moved 35 minutes away from my home town with my friends, it was just far enough to make the drive a pain in the ass, so to be able to make friends in the area was an added bonus.  

So yeah.. The Knot was kind of like Match.com for making friends.  I'm not even ashamed to say I met friends through the internet.  I didn't even have to pay them.    

One of these lovely ladies names is Amy, and when she announced she was pregnant with her first child, I was supercrazy excited for her!  When she said her mom was hosting her baby shower in her home town of Pittsburgh I was not supercrazy excited.  

It has been my experience that a lot of the small things you really need are left unfilled on your baby registry- people are more anxious to buy you cute outfits rather then nail clippers.  But you really need those nail clippers! So I decided to plan a 'sprinkle' for Amy after her shower.  Our friend Cara hosted at her house, and we invited the area Knottie friends, and filled in the little extra things she needed-- along with some cute clothes too.

To begin with, I based the decor off the invitations I found on etsy:

 I snagged a butt load of paint chips from Lowe's and cut them into circles.  Using a wooden dowl we had around the house, I glued the circles onto white thread and hung them as a back drop behind the refreshment table. 

the damn green got tangled up!

We kept the food light with cocktail meatballs, spinach dip and baked brie.  There was water and soda to drink as well as a punch bowl of my famous sangria. 

For dessert we did a small platter of brownie bites and angel food cupcakes.  Each item was labeled with coordinating place cards

The polka dot theme continued onto Wishes for Baby cards for each guest to fill out.  

..and finally we gave out small favors of pink and yellow jelly beans with matching tags.

As the guest of honor and others arrived, we mingled and munch on refreshments..

I have to say, my plan slightly back fired as her registry was cleaned.  OUT.  by the time I hosted my shower.  But we still managed to sprinkle her with gifts!

One thing about this group of girls is we are crafty--  there are bound to be some great homemade gifts.  One of the girls- whom we lovely call by her initials, JJK- quilted the most beautiful baby blanket.  

Another mom-of-three, Tiana, put together the cutest gift of diaper changes in a bag;  she made a bunch of little bags, and in each one she put in a small disposable changing pad, a diaper, a wet one, and a plastic bag to dispose of the dirty diaper.  That ish is Pinterest worthy right there.  

Of course you are going to have a couple adorable outfits too.  Like a pink Puma track suit.  

If nothing else, it was great to spend a Sunday afternoon with these lovely ladies

...aaaand on December 8, 2012 McKayla Lynn was born at 11:41 pm weighing 7lbs 8 oz!

Congrats to Amy and her husband Tim!  Your little girl is so beautiful and we are so happy for you!

Always & Forever,
  ME

Coming out of Hibernation

Instagram: lizzieinprogress

I took the day off work yesterday.  No big plans, nothing had to be done;  I just wanted the day off.  JEGs and I realized with the work we wanted to do on the house and the few weddings we had this summer we weren't going on a vacation, so I've decided to use up my six days of PTO sporadically through out the summer with three day weekends (something I never get with my job).

Anyway, JEGs took off too, dropped Hunter off at daycare at 7 am and snuggled back into bed until 9:30 am.  I had a massage scheduled for 10:15 and afterwards we drove to Coyote Crossing in Conshohoken for lunch.  JEGs had a monster sized burrito (as you can see above) and I ordered the mango and duck quesadillas -- or what I now refer to as "quackadillas".   We came home, sat on the porch, contemplated a few house projects and snuggled and smooched on the couch like we were still dating.  It was a wonderful way to remind myself what I used to be like before the stresses of being a wife/homeowner/mother came.

After a particularly difficult winter (depression/ sickness/ family traumas) I am really looking forward to the spring.  The weather in Philadelphia has been beautiful the past couple of days and I can feel my spirits lifting.  I can feel my creativity coming out of hibernation, and  hope that means a resurgence on the blog.  I miss blogging.  I have a couple small projects that we did over the winter months that I'd like to catch up on, and hopefully JEGs and I can pull together the funds to do some bigger projects (that's right guestroom/man cave/ playroom.  I'm looking at you and your Buzz Blaster Blue walls).

How about you- does your creativity go into hibernation when the weather gets colder?

Always & forever,
  ME

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