A little of this, a little of that....

Lined Bookcase

Well, what can I say, but I found another idea on Pinterest I wanted to do! 

We recently moved Finley's toy storage unit from her bedroom down to the living room (well, it's technically in the dining room, but we've never used it as a dining room). I wanted to put a bookcase in the new open spot (in her bedroom) because Finley's got quite a collection of books now and there's not a place in her room to put them.

To find a white bookcase, I searched and searched and searched. There are lots of options, yes, but there are lots of cheapie cheap ones and lots of espensive ones. I finally settled on one from Target. The Target stores carry the Black and Walnut versions of this particular bookcase, but only the White ones are sold online. Here's the bookcase I ordered. We actually have the same one in Black in our living room, and I think it's a pretty decent bookcase for the price. The only problem is the back, which is flimsy, but other than that, it's just fine for what we use it for.

To line the bookcase, I decided on using contact paper. I wasn't sure to use fabric, or gift wrap, or paint, but I thought contact paper would be the easiest for me to use to complete the project. I looked at Home Depot, Meijer and Target for a contact paper print that I liked. If you're in the market for a decent looking decorative contact paper, be prepared for quite a little search. Sure, you can find faux marble and fake stone prints, but to find something a little more decorative, well, good luck.

I actually found the contact paper I liked on Amazon. You can find it here. I just checked and the price is now over $14 a roll. I only paid $6.62 for my roll on Amazon... I actually got a roll that had non-perfect packaging, so I bought that one.

With some careful measuring and straight cutting, I added the pieces of contact paper to the inside of the bookcase to spark it up. 

Here's her new bookcase:

I love the black and white toile pattern. I think it's an eccentric addition to her room!

Another look:

Side note: yes, I have a problem/obsession with Usborne Books. I love them. I think they're the very best kids books out there! 

Here was my Pinterest inspiration:

The original source of the bookcase wasn't listed, so I don't know who to give credit to. 

Another Pinterest project completed! Better go, it's time to make dinner. I'm trying a new recipe I found on, yep, you guessed it... PINTEREST! :)

 

Button Monograms

Hello. I'm Amy, and I'm addicted to Pinterest.

It never fails, every time I'm on Pinterest, I'll close my laptop with renewed inspiration and yell "I just want to make stuff!!!!" OK, so maybe I don't yell, but I'll at least think it.

I recently discovered some button monograms that were adorable. So, I made a couple.

For Finley...

A close up...

I also made one for little newborn Paige (my friend Leslie's little girl)...

It was relatively easy. I hand drew the letters to make the monograms, but I recently found that using Arial Bold in font size 500 or so will give you what you want too (change it to outline, or you'll waste your entire ink cartridge).

I used 10x10 shadowbox frames and matted the 8" x 8" patterned paper on an 8 1/4" x 8 1/4" cardstock.

Here are some samples that inspired me:

The 'A' was found on Etsy, however that particular Etsy seller closed up shop.

The 'e' monogram was found on the modernmommyhood blog.

This 'A' monogram can be found on the American Crafts blog. 

 

 

Be kind.

Years ago, I used to pick a quote and that would be my mantra for that particular year. A couple previous mantras include "When you harbor bitterness, happiness docks elsewhere" and "Be proactive, not reactive". I wanted to tie in my mantra to that area of self-improvement I wanted to focus on for that year.

This year, my quote is "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

I strive to be a nice person and a kind person. I like to be nice and kind even when no one is watching. I try to do nice things for other people that deserve it. More than ever, I'm trying to focus on self-improvement just so I can be the best role model I can be for Finley. 

I read a lot of blogs and there are two blogs in particular that have hit home this week.

One is by Glennon Melton and her blog is called Momastery. 

The other one is by Melody Ross from her Brave Girls Club blog. I loved this post in particular. 

Both blogs talk about supporting other people; not judging. I sometimes get caught up in judging others (I'll admit it) and I have to sometimes stop and 'reset' myself. I reset myself and crank up my levels of kindness and support. I try to show more empathy and understanding. I've learned more than ever, that every person has struggles and challenges every single day. Some are big struggles and some are small struggles, but we're all fighting a battle. 

In addition to my "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" mantra, I'm also trying to practice more acts of kindness. I want to try to do more nice things for people, just to hopefully bring a smile to their face and brighten their day. To show them that I support them, and love them and that we're on the battle front together. 

To my friends that are going through some serious struggles right now, I'm thinking of you and hoping things will get better soon. 

I'll end with some wise words from Leigh Standley (from Curly Girl Designs)...

 

 

 

Meeting Paige Elizabeth...

Last week we took a family road trip to visit the Sleesman family and to meet brand new baby Paige. 

We were a little nervous about taking this road trip, because the longest Finley's been in the car was an hour and forty-five minutes on a mini road trip to the Cincy Ikea.

We left at 6:45am and the ride up was fantastic. We didn't even stop once. Finley slept for the middle two hours out of the four hour car ride, so it was perfect.

Baby Paige was just 10 days old and super, super tiny. I thought she was so teeny tiny, but then I realized Finley was actually smaller than Paige when she was born. I just don't remember Finley being that small. Isn't it crazy when you forget how small a newborn can be!?

Proud parents...

We went out for lunch at Pizza House and then loaded up the car again to head home. We left at 3:45pm. We got home (no joke) at 10:00pm. We stopped for dinner, and then also for a major meltdown. After dinner, Finley had a tantrum. She didn't want to be in the carseat anymore. So we stopped at the WalMart in Findlay and let her walk up and down the aisles. While we were in there, she was as happy as a little clam. She even started yawning. I thought the remaining two hours would be a breeze, but I was sadly mistaken. Once we got back in the car, she had another tantrum. We had to just let her cry it out. She was crying so hard, I thought she was going to throw up. Luckily, after about a half hour, the crying spell left her exhausted and she slept the rest of the way home.

Even with the lengthy ride home, it was still a fun day. We got to see Leslie, Dustin, Henry and newborn baby Paige. Congrats to the Sleesman family- Paige is quite a little beauty. 

Finley's Play Class...

I still take Finley to Play Class once a week. This past week, Jim was able to go with us so he could see her in action!

One of the activities was to put Finley on her belly and hold her by her ankles and let the ball roll forward. It's an activity to strengthen her stomach muscles. The teacher said some toddlers will try to 'back up' with their hands. Finley was the only toddler that tried to back up. 

The teacher put a ball on the floor so Finley would stretch out to get it...

The signature activity in Finley's Play Class is the "Air Log Push". Up until two weeks ago, Finley could never do it. Now she can keep walking and keep pushing at the same time! She gets so excited!

It was then time for Finley's favorite part! BUBBLES!

Finley loves to catch a bubble on her finger.

And then eat it.

The bubbles they use are glycerin based, so they're safe for kids to eat.

Every week, I'll tell Jim we need to cancel her play classes, just because of the cost. But then after every class, I see how much fun she had in class and then reconvince myself it's worth the money. 

 

Finley's birth stat poster...

Not only is my friend Leslie a wonderful, wonderful person, she's a fantastic graphic designer. It's like having her work at a store that I love and she shares her discount. She does lotsa stuff for lotsa of people and I don't think she always gets the credit she deserves. 

Here is the Birth Stat Poster she made for Finley. And by 'poster', I mean an 8x10 printable version of this....

Some of the colors look a little off on my screen, but trust me, it's really really cute.

Since I think she's so talented, I'm pimpin' out her skillz. She's currently taking orders for these Birth Stat Posters for $15 each. Message me or her if you're interested! You can find her blog here.

Here are two more versions she's made for her two kiddos...

Gettin' her hair did...

We took Finley to get her first haircut this evening! The front of her hair was getting so long she was looking like a shaggy dog.

But an adorable shaggy dog, nonetheless...

(this is the 'before')

Finley did great sitting in the little airplane with the cape on and letting the girl wet her hair down.

And the 'after'...

Looks a little too straight, but at least it's not hanging in her eyes. She also got the back trimmed up so it would grow out better.

If anyone is looking to start a lucrative business, I'd suggest a children's haircutting place. It literally took the girl four minutes to cut Finley's hair (no shampoo, no drying, no styling) and it was $15.50. Say what!? Oh well, beauty ain't cheap, I guess. :)

Happy 80th Birthday Granny!

Yesterday, we had a very special birthday party for a very special person! My Granny turns 80 years young today!

We had cake and punch and about 40 people came to celebrate Granny's birthday!

My cousin Bethany and her husband Gregg.

With my three cousins (boy, can you tell they're sisters!? LOL!). You can see my youngest cousin Sara's baby bump... her baby girl is due April 18th.

Can you believe we got the entire family all together at one time!? Little Averie cracks me up. She always wants to sit next to Finley. I don't think she could get any closer to her in that picture! :)

Granny with Michelle, Rick, Olivia and Averie.

Granny with Troy, Sara and sleeping Troy.

My uncle and his girlfriend Evelyn.

A 'Now and Then' photo... Granny's holding her graduation picture. I thought it was so cute!

I love my Granny so much. She's been such a special part of my life and I wouldn't be the person I am today without her love and support. She's generous, loving, hard working, fun and kind-hearted. 

Happy 80th Birthday to a wonderful, wonderful woman.

12 month notables...

1. Finley had her one year check-up on December 29th. She weighs 21lbs., 2oz. and is in the 50th percentile for weight (at nine months, she weighed 18lbs., 10oz and was in the 45th percentile). She's now 31" long and is in the 95th percentile in height (she was 28" and in the 70th percentile). In one year, she's over tripled in weight (she weighed 6lbs., 10oz at birth) and has grown a little over a whole foot! (she was 18 3/4" at birth). 

2. She officially started drinking whole milk Thursday night. She only drank about an ounce, versus her normal six ounces. Friday, she didn't drink much more than that. Friday evening, she was whiny and I know she wanted her milk. I gave her her bottle and she still didn't drink it. I ended up giving in and warmed her milk up and that little firecracker guzzled those six ounces down in no time flat! Oh boy, here we go again with her refusing to drink a cold bottle! I need to nip this in the bud stat! 

3. She just got over her second cold. She's still such a good baby...even when she's sick, she still is so active and in a good mood. She has her moments, but she's a trooper.

4. She currently has 6 teeth. The 6th tooth just came in today. Now she's got three on the bottom and three on the top.

5. Once 'grown-up' food hits the table, she's done with eating her baby food. We still give her jarred baby food (Stage 3). We try to get her to eat one 6oz. jar and then we'll give her some of our dinner. She LOVES bread and cheese, just like her mama. She still eats her Yo Baby yogurt each morning and still eats her oatmeal mixed with fruit for her lunch. She still loves her puffs too. We give her about 2 ounces of pear juice (mixed with water) every other day or so. She loves to drink from a straw, except she'll bite the straw and won't let go. She thinks it's so funny.

6. She loves to play Hide & Seek. Jim and I will take turns putting a blanket over our heads and hiding from Finley and she goes crazy. We'll put it over her head and she'll just kick her little legs because she's so excited! Her latest thing is to lay face-first into a blanket or a pillow and then yell for one of us to 'find' her. It cracks us up.

7.  She loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She'll sit and watch 75% of the show.

8. For the most part, she still takes two naps, each one being about two-hours. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.

9. She loves Target and Meijer. She always gets so excited when we're going into one of those two stores. I'm not sure why, but maybe it's because we go to those two stores so often.

10. She got so many new toys for her birthday and for Christmas. She got a new Activity Walker (thanks Randolph family!) and we get the biggest kick out of watching her push it. We call it her little mower!

11. She still loves the most taboo items- our cell phones, remotes and laptops. She gets so excited when she gets her hands on one. Jim was letting her look at his phone...

12. She's starting to learn that when she hears the garage door, Jim's home. She'll go over to the front window to try to see him. I'll knock on the window to get Jim's attention and he'll come over in front of the windows and wave to Finley. She gets so excited when he gets home from work. She can't wait for him to pick her up!

13. Jim's in charge of bed time. He always gets her ready for bed and reads books to her every night. Tonight he started brushing her teeth and he said she liked (eating) the toothpaste!

14. She's a good little sleeper. Most nights she'll sleep throughout the night and wakes up around 7 or 8am. Lately, since she's had a cold, she's been crying when she goes to bed. This may be a phase of separation anxiety. I hope it passes, because I hate to hear her cry it out. :(

15. She wears 12-18 month tops/onesies and pants. She also wears size 3 diapers.

16. When she wakes up from her nap, she'll usually start babbling. As I walk up the stairs to her room, I'll say "Where's Mommy's baby?". When I walk into her room, she'll find her little baby (she has a little baby that stays in her crib) and quickly holds it up to me. I think it's the cutest little thing.

17. Once Finley gets used to whole milk, we need to get started on having her drink from a sippy cup and get rid of her bottles. Her doctor said she should definitely be done with bottles by 15 months.

18. She's started dancing. She'll bounce up and down and move her hands. Jim and I crack up.

19. She can now clap and wave upon command. We think she's the smartest baby ever. 

20. She's made 2011 the best year yet. 

Tubby time!

It's bath night!

Jim still gives Finley almost all of her baths. When he starts to run the water in the bathtub, she gets all excited and tries to push her frog and duck toys into the water.

Right after I took this picture (above), she started looking down at her feet. I then realized she just peed down her leg. To Jim's delight, Finley still hasn't had a 'Code Brown' in the bathtub. Yet. :) 

She loves to splash and kick the water!