The Story on Morning Glory

I made a dress today!

Labels: life - Tuesday, March 2, 2010

I've come to the point in my stay at home mom life where $70 t-shirts at Anthropologie and $120 dresses at Banana Republic are a distant memory. I mean, let's face it. There are much more important things in life at this point than my expensive taste. Now my expensive taste is in leak-less diapers and organic baby food! My how life changes.

Now, while I am not going to splurge on many expensive clothes this spring and summer, I still want to look cute! I may be a mom, but I don't think that Anthropologie/Banana Republic taste ever really goes away. This chick is amazing...she takes celebrity looks and finds them for super affordable prices, so I'll def be listening to her, but I've also decided to become crafty. You guys I know I love crafts and such, but I'm busting out the sewing machine this year to pop out a few easy yet cute dresses and t shirts. I'm kinda excited about it!

So, I've been following a few great blogs that are super fun and give great ideas, and I found this one on a dress that I just had to try. Looked super easy...so here we go!

Now, while I second guess the material choice (bold but a little too little-girly), gathered way too much (it's sooooo poofy!), I still made a dress! Ok, not a dress. I didn't make it long enough and it would be ridiculously short, making it a length that only little girls can wear (I'm beginning to see a theme), but these dress/tunic/whatever-it-is-it-goes-over-jeans are in style and I made one.

Before we get all excited...as you can see, I accidentally sewed the tank top inside out. Really?

That, mixed with the over poofyness means a re-do. I expect that when I'm sewing....so it's an unfinished project! But as my mom reminded me even before I started (she knows me) that even if this one doesn't work out, there's always something to learn for next time!

This dress was sponsored by Jack's extra long nap this afternoon. Thank you, Jack!

Tapping Saturday Morning Away

Labels: life - Monday, March 1, 2010

I guess since I mentioned it in my last entry, it's time to talk tap!

After the first of the year my sweet friend Susan sent out an email to a bunch of the girls at church, asking if anyone would be interested in taking a tap class at a local arts center.

A little background for those of you who don't really know me, I was in dance class from the time I was 2 until I graduated from high school. Tap, ballet, jazz, gymnastics, the whole nine yards! Jazz didn't last too long (my jazz hands weren't jazzy enough), but long enough to strut my stuff on stage in a particularly 80's-ish dance that involved a lot of black lights...yes, I was cool. Gymnastics, well, that was my sister's forte, so I left that to her. Ballet and tap were my two top classes, and from solos to duets to trios to group dance numbers, my name was littered through out the yearly dance recital program! I wasn't as graceful as some at ballet, and really, you have to be crazy in love with it to endure the PAIN of toe shoes...tap was my favorite! One of my favorite tap numbers was based around the "chain gang", so we wore black and white striped costumes and even had plastic chains connecting all of our feet together! I also loved that dance because my friend accidentally kicked off her tap shoe into the audience that night. Good times!

Here is some proof of my dancing. Most of my childhood pics are at my dad's house...I have these in a random picture pile here at the house so dug them out, which of course, happen to be ballet!

This was my first solo costume!

LOVED this costume!

I love this one because there's me trying to be graceful...and behind me and in front of me are two of my best friends! Ah, memories.

So, flash forward 15-20 years, and here I am, a mother of a almost 6 month old, and back to taking tap. My dad thought it was hilarious when I asked him to bring me my tap shoes, stored in the top of my childhood closet! I think I had to repeat myself about 10 times before he really believed me.

My first class was...well...hard! Susan had been able to start before I did, so she was a few classes up on me, so she helped me along, was so encouraging, and promised it would get easier! We are taking the intermediate tap class and I was secretly wondering if I should really be in beginners...again, Susan said I would be ok, to just hang in there! The morning was filled with flaps and shuffles...when the class was over, Susan commented that I wasn't as sweaty as she was...I told her that was because for half of the class I was standing around trying to figure out what they heck everyone else was doing!

This past Saturday was my second class and I have to say, it was easier! I'm reaching waaaaaay back, trying to remember these steps and they're coming back, little by little! My teacher did a little diddy and asked if I'd ever heard of the time step, and I said I'd done it a million times...about 20 years ago! And I'm learning new things that I swear I've never heard of like a shim sham and a rudiment. I did much better this week, and had so much fun. And yes, I was actually sweating by the time I left! Sweet!

Bye bye sweet lamb swing

Labels: jack, Motherhood -

So Jeff walked in Jack's room on Saturday morning to find Jack had wiggled himself half way out of the swing. Um, ok. I get it, we've outgrown the swing.

I love my husband...I was actually at tap class (yes, that's right, tap class...that deserves a whole other blog!) when this went down and when I came back, he told me that he'd put Vincent's bed and a few blankets under the swing...just in case...I love him!

I absolutely adore that swing. It was one of my favorite things we registered for and my mom's friend Peggy got it for us, we put it together immediately! And Jack was no where close to making his debut!

It is so sweet, he looked so precious in it when he was tiny!...you remember!

Oh my gosh, he was soooooo tiny! This was taken when he was just a few days old.

So, I will be very sad to see it go. It has been probably the biggest staple to Jack's sleeping for the past 6 months! Loosing that swing really means he's growing up.

I'm still not quite ready to have him out of the swing...maybe I should say, he's not quite ready to be out of the swing! So we pulled out the travel swing. Much lower to the ground (good thing!) and a different shape so he's not flailing like he was in the other swing. We'll see how that works...it looks like we're running a day care with all of this sleeping paraphernalia!

Change is brewing...

Labels: jack, Motherhood - Friday, February 26, 2010

I can tell. It's just about the time when I can clearly verbalize what Jack's daily schedule looks like that things change. He likes to keep me on my toes.

Jack's schedule for pretty much the past month has been clear cut, concise, easy to predict...he wakes up around 7, has a bottle, plays for about an hour, naps for 1.5 to 2 hours, wake up, eats his cereal and fruit, plays for a few hours, naps for 2-3 hours, wakes up, has a bottle, plays, eats cereal and veggies, plays, has a bottle and then bed. Like clockwork.

Not anymore. I can feel the change coming. He's been fighting the predictability lately.

Like not wanting to go down for his naps, sleeping for only half of the time he usually does, but whining like he's super tired...is it teething? That's what everyone asks any time my baby seems a little fussy...but this time I'm actually thinking, "Could this be it?" I've done some investigating in those gums, and I mean, I might see where some teeth are getting ready to pop up, but there's no clear cut evidence for it.

He still eats like a champ, acts like he could eat my entire dinner after he's finished his, so maybe it's a growth spurt. I hope not! My 5 month old is already in 9 month clothes!

He's a complete wiggle worm when he's trying to go to sleep lately. Like twisting around, putting his face in the mattress...kinda being a freak. So I thought that it might be a good idea that he not nap in his swing anymore, with all of his twisting and turning...I could see him popping out of that thing! So we tried to nap in the crib this week...big time fail. Like not having any of it. Like talking to himself for an hour and a half, ending up in crying fit, but not sleeping...at...all. Um, we can't have that. So we're back to the swing, hoping he won't fly out of it, and trying a slow transitional approach to the "motionless nap". Thankfully, the crazy night playing is a thing of the past...I say this and he'll probably be up all night tonight. He's tricky.

These transition times are always interesting. It really makes me look at Jack and see what he needs and when he needs it! It's not about doing what we've done because it's working...it's not working anymore. Sooooooo, time to re-evaluate and see where that takes us! Wish me luck!

Not sure...

if I like this new design. I'm just saying...

Big reveal........................

Labels: life - Monday, February 22, 2010

And my kitchen is DONE!! I love it. It is AMAZING what new lights, paint, and cabinet fixtures can do to a place. It's so much brighter in here. The time I notice it the most is a night, when I walk in and it's not like I'm entering a cave for a glass of water...I can actually see what I'm doing!

So, all of you need to come see my kitchen and be excited with me. It took me quite a while to put all of those cabinet doors back on. I was also in charge of putting on the new door pulls. Would have been super easy if I could have used the holes from the old door pulls...but no. The only pulls that come in that size are the same exact ones. Um, no. Not for my kitchen makeover! So, lots of drilling, lots of hanging, and not too much cussing...voila!

And I love my new kitchen rug...

Much more tidy, as you can tell. Once I could actually see the clutter, it was time to get rid of it!!

My adorable oven, snuggled among it's remade friends.

My new cookbook corner! Lovin' that.

Since our cabinets are old, they're also kinda short, as in not far off the counter. And every square inch of our kitchen is covered in cabinets! Our other coffee pot was perched precariously right between the sink and end of one cabinet and the steam from the daily coffee had ruined the side of the cabinet. Well, I found this little didy that is made to go under counters ad it fits perfectly! I love it. Just completing my kitchen makeover!