Deck the Halls + More

In other random news, we’re getting ready for Christmas.

I have this thing about getting a real tree each year, but now that we’ve put our piano in the prime real estate, we don’t have the space for a full-bodied tree. So, I searched high and low and found this slim Prescott “Feel Real” Fir by the National Tree Company, and I’m anxious to get it up and decorated.

(BTW: I bought the tree for $199 and now the price has jumped, so if you like it -- definitely wait a few days to see if the price lowers again.)

We never do a themed tree, but I guess this year we’re going a little rustic. I picked up some inexpensive galvanized ornaments at Michael’s on a half-off sale. I have a bunch of the beeswax ornaments I made last year and some vintage-y looking ones that we’ve been using for quite a while. I’m excited to see how it all turns out. Over Thanksgiving I would love to make some new beeswax ornaments and hopefully get up a simple tutorial for you guys. It’s really easy and fun. I love how they smell!

I’m also going overboard because I want everything to feel cozy and homey. An early nesting instinct, I suppose. These items may or may not be in my shopping cart right now.

Department 56 Village Homes (Griswold!)

Snowflake Paper Garland

Burlap Christmas Stockings

Christmas Cookie Cutters (maybe ornaments?)

Holiday Pillow

Vintage Cat Ornament

Equal Exchange Hot Cocoa Mix

Lighted Bronze Tree Topper Star

Twinkle Lights

The other day I bought an issue of People magazine. I enjoy reading through gossip celebrity stuff when I’m not feeling great. I’d say it was my first issue in over a year. And when I got toward the end, I noticed the Body page. From what I hear on Instagram, this isn’t a new section.

I just don’t get why this is OK.


1190 calories? And the nutritionist still says to avoid the dressing on the salad because it might have mayo in it? I was frustrated to see the glorification of restricted diets in yet another genre of magazines. Maybe I’m overreacting, but if I had seen this when I was a teen, it would have fueled my eating disorder even more.

Her words of wisdom? “If you feel full, don’t eat more."


Weird transition to something sort of vain. Or not. I bought . . . clip-in hair extensions. WHAT! Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had this stick-straight, thin hair never reaching much beyond my shoulders. Between that and being an A-cup even when nursing, there are times when I downright feel like I lost the girly lottery. I’m not terribly feminine to begin with, but there are times when I feel like I’d like to -- you know -- play with my hair. Or try a cool braid.

The kind I got are Luxy Hair in dirty blonde. The thinnest set. I’ve only worn them twice (and only plan to for special events or just playing around). But they’re really fun! They match my color well, stay in my thin hair wonderfully, and don’t tangle at all.

That’s all from me for today.  Thank you for all your kind comments, emails, and other messages about our ultrasound update. I have so much more to say about this pregnancy, but I’m not ready to delve in yet. I’ll keep giving little snippets as we learn more. I think I’ll feel better writing after we cross the first trimester line.

Get ready for Thanksgiving deliciousness!

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DIY // 5-Minute Fall Wreath

I’ve taken our fall decorating to the extreme this year. Between the Indian corn, decorative gourds, pumpkins, and mums . . . I think we’ve covered. I’ve always had this vision of hanging some indoor wreaths in our living room, so I went to Michael’s yesterday to check out prices.

Whoa, nelly! Even with a 50 percent off promotion, they were like $20 to $35 per wreath. And I need TWO. So, I decided to take a trek and see what I might find to DIY. Here’s what I came up with for just $10 and five minutes of my time!

DIY FALL WREATH

What you’ll need . . . 

• 16 inch grapevine wreath ($4.99)*
• Bundle of blooms ($4.99)
• Chalkboard tag ($1.99)
• Yarn or twine
• Chalk

* ALWAYS take a coupon to stores like Michael’s, A.C. Moore, etc. You can find coupons right on the website. I got 40 percent off the wreath, bringing my project cost to just $10.

Method . . . 

1. First and foremost, there’s no right or wrong way to do this project. 
2. I found that blooms with longer stems worked well because I didn’t need to glue them into place. I just poked the stems through the wreath and tucked in the leftovers. If you don’t like how it looks, take it out and start again. I arranged all the blooms on the bottom of the wreath, but you can do whatever you like.
3. You can also hot glue acorns, pine cones, and other free stuff from nature onto your wreath. Go wild.
4. Then wrap some yarn on the top and loop your tag through a few times to secure.
5. Tie of off in the back and then add another small segment of yarn to create a hanger.
6. Draw something fun on the tag. A heart is really unoriginal, but I like it.
7. And you’re done!

Thanks for weighing in about our painted piano situation. As a musician, I understand some of the concerns with regard to the instrument’s timbre, etc. But honestly? It’s not the best sounding piano, it’s actually got a wood veneer on it versus solid wood, and from what I’m read -- any impact would be minimal. I was going to try chalk paint but have decided to just use chalkboard paint instead (you have to use wax every few months on the chalk paint -- ehhhh).

I’ll be back soon with some thoughts on sibling age gaps and more musings.

More fall essentials:


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Ada's Nursery Tour

It's surprising how clean Ada's nursery looks in these photos. To take them, I had to rotate around piles of clothing and other clutter. It was worth it, though. I've been meaning to post a nursery tour for months. I'm hoping to include some tutorials on how to make certain items in the near future.

First, this is what the room looked like before we got to work:

If you haven't been following the baby blog, I initially wanted to keep Ada's nursery relatively gender-neutral (here's our first plan). It ended up more feminine after we discovered a floral rug in one of our closets.


Yeah. That's sort of the central theme: Budget/Handmade chic. (My best friend Lindsey made that knit blanket on the crib.) We didn't have a load of money to spend on decorating. So I made her curtains, crib skirt, and cushions.


We also made these awesome book slings that we've seen all over the internet. (My friend Dani made the framed A.)


We initially resisted wall decals. But when we found a simple black tree, we couldn't resist. It compliments out chalkboard wall perfectly. And we made it unique by installing it as half a tree versus the entire thing (there were two arrangement options).


We re-purposed our TV console for her room, too. It serves as a generously sized dresser and changing table -- all in one. We kept the decorations simple. Ada loves staring up at her name during diaper changes. (My mother-in-law gave me the letters, I spray-pained them.)


We also chose to forgo a traditional mobile. They are expensive and babies can't necessarily use them for very long. Instead, I hung colorful flags between the beaks of two thrifted birds (also spray-painted).


Though she doesn't sleep in her crib yet, I can tell Ada loves her nursery.

No. Really! I'm not just speaking for my baby. She's enthralled by all the bold colors and patterns. If she's particularly cranky, I take her up to the rocking chair and turn her around. In seconds, she's wide-eyed and taking it all in, especially the tree.


(Did you catch the clutter in that photo? I thought I got away with it. Nope!)


I'm hoping to break down the total cost of this project sometime soon. In short: It wasn't expensive. We bought a crib and the window seat. Otherwise, we re-purposed or benefited from hand-me-downs. Score!

More baby stuff: If you'd like to see what Ada's current morning routine looks like, check out (never home)maker, baby! I posted a cute video that I, myself, can't stop watching.

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Friday Randomness and Giveaway

Our first floor redecorating project had been on hold for a couple months. We're happy to be back at it. I mean, what a difference some curtains make!

BEFORE:

WITH CURTAINS:


Our original plan was to hang some bright, coral-colored panels. And I had actually found exactly what I wanted at Burlington Coat Factory for $10 (great deal -- it was Waverly!). However, I think the reason it was on clearance was because "it" was an IT. As in singular; there was only one panel.

My mother-in-law and I pawed through each and every curtain in the store and couldn't find any matches.

CLOSER LOOK:


These curtains may look familiar. It's because we've had them for years. Until last weekend, they were hanging in our front entryway. You know, the one we redid a little less than two years ago?


They aren't what we had originally envisioned. Right now, though, spending $0 versus around $80-$100 that we had estimated is ideal. The front entryway has suffered as a result . . . but we have some other panels we'll eventually replace them with. Do you do the whole home decor shuffle, too? I feel like we're always borrowing things from one room and putting them in another.

Yes. We REALLY need to re-shoot our house tour.

GREAT GIVEAWAY


If you haven't checked out Meg's guest post (and tasty, simple apple pie recipe), I encourage you to do so now. Her new book -- Little Old Lady Recipes -- came out earlier this month.

I'm big on photos in cookbooks. And the photos in the book are seriously fantastic. The approach is something I've never really seen before, connecting the author of the recipe to the dish. You get a feel for these "sassy" ladies this way (and through their quotes and Meg's observations/anecdotes).

And though not all items are vegetarian, the mix of breakfasts, soups, sweets, and other meals is sure to please. Plus, the recipes are great in that they are s.i.m.p.l.e. Classics like Pigs in a Blanket, for example, can easily be adapted by making s.i.m.p.l.e substitutions.


WHAT YOU'LL WIN: 1 (one) copy of Meg Favreau's Little Old Lady Recipes. Value: $14.95.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment with the word SASSY in the mix.
IN ADDITION: Tell us something about one of YOUR favorite family recipes.
GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday, November 18th at 9:00PM EST
PRIZE SHIPS: USA only.
ALSO: To win, I need your email address -- so please provide it (or your blog link so I can find it -- just some way of contacting you) or, unfortunately, you cannot win.
PS: One entry per email address is allowed. The winners will be selected using Tara's Random Number Generator and announced Monday (11/21) morning. Unless I'm in labor or something :)

If you're new to the blog or interested in all-things-pregnancy, check out (never home)maker, baby! today. I've organized all our baby-related posts in one place. Yup -- It's 9 months in 1 post . . . and I can't believe how close we're getting!

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Refinishing Our Salvo Table

As I wrote in our baby update last night, this week is our big week for baby classes. They meet half an hour after I get home from work until nearly 9PM. And now that I require nearly 10 hours a night of sleep to feel normal . . . there's been little time for blogging or much else.

On weekends, we've still been working on our first floor makeover project. We're always on a tight budget, so when we found this cool side table/magazine holder at the Salvation Army for $3.99, we knew exactly what to do.

It was pretty chewed up, by the way.

Otherwise, solid. Nothing a few cheap supplies and (semi-)hard work couldn't fix.


After giving the entire piece a good sanding with some medium-grade sandpaper, I filled in all the cracks, scratches, and chew marks with wood filler, smoothing over with a palate knife from time to time. My work wasn't incredibly precise because I'd have to sand it smooth again anyway.

More sanding . . .


But really, that's the hard part. Once it's all roughed up, filled in, and sanded smooth, a good quality spray paint is all you need to make it look like new. We chose a vibrant plum color for some fun against our newly dark grey walls.

Note: Preggos and others should consider wearing a mask.


In no time at all, it started looking great. But we applied only a thin layer to the entire thing -- using swift, quick sprays versus keeping our finger on the trigger the entire time -- then left it alone to avoid drips. After a couple hours of drying/more coats, it was covered uniformly.


Total cost of the project with supplies (many of which we already had hanging around our basement), paint, and all came in around $10. And you can follow this exact same simple method to rehab most thrifted furniture finds.


Grace emailed us and asked if we could have a before and in-progress shot of how our first floor is looking. I love how much more dramatic the changes seem when you place these pics next to each other!

Back in 2008:


After exposing the wood floors:


2009:


2010:


So far in 2011:


It's coming along nicely. We appreciated your curtain suggestions, but still haven't settled on anything. We're also in need of some more colorful pillows (which I plan to make myself). Just wish we had more time to work on it!

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Weekend Scenes: Mess

Our place is chaotic. This weekend, it got even more chaotic-er. For example, the record player seemed like a great place to stash my shoes and Stephen's wallet/sunglasses.

>
Get a load of this mess!


The good news: It's a mess with a purpose. We've packed most of what we want to keep -- but not use -- away.


The rest, we've taken to the Salvation Army.

While we were there, we found this great side table for only $4. The best way to spiff up any Salvo find is to repair and then coat with fun spray paint. That's exactly what we did:


It's still not a pretty site. Mismatched pillow everywhere.


But we've crossed some major to-dos off the list. Like adding a lamp above the dining room table. Changing out the light fixture in the dining-room-turned-family-room. And various other things we'll get into soon.

For now, this is the only near-finished section. Notice, however, how we still haven't completed the paint job.


As a result of our weekend preoccupations, we ate mostly bagels and caprese salads. But we'll get up some great recipes for you soon!

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