A year in review:

As 2014 draws to a close, let's do a recap on what may have been the most monumental year of my life thus far:

Tillie celebrated her sixth birthday in style.

We found out baby Sever was a boy.

We finally bought a house.

We moved.

We decorated a nursery.

We had a baby.

We started our cloth diaper journey (and fell in love).

I reignited my passion for sewing.

We celebrated our first Halloween with our baby Yoda.

Other items of note:

1. We did lots of home improvements.
2. We officially became adults with the purchase of our first washer, dryer, and fridge.
3. We got to introduce M to all his family members.
4. M tried solids for the first time (and hated them).
5. I took a 3 month vacation from work this summer to hang out with a newborn.
6. Andrew got a promotion and sort of killed it in the freelance department.
7. M experienced his first Christmas.

We have had such a great year, it's hard to imagine anything ever topping it. Here's to 2015 and all the adventures it's sure to bring!

Finally:

This is a story of childhood yearning.

When I was a kid, I got a board game called Oops and Downs for my birthday (or maybe it was Christmas). It was super fun and I loved playing it. Sort of like a 3D version of chutes and ladders, it featured a tiered board and playing pieces with holes so that when they went down the little "chutes", they made a whistling sound. Very entertaining. One day, I left it out under an open window and it rained (during the rainy season in Panama, so we're talking torrential rain). The game got soaked and I didn't discover it until much later. Needless to say, the board had pretty much disintegrated (as cardboard tends to do). We were unable to salvage it and all that was left were little plastic firemen and tubes.

The years went on and we were never able to replace it. Apparently, it was just a small, unpopular game that quietly disappeared into thin air. I searched for it for years. I couldn't even remember the name of it but I always thought of it and regretted my reckless actions that led to its untimely demise. Maybe it's because I only got to enjoy it for a brief time before it was destroyed. Maybe it's because it met such a violent end. I couldn't stop thinking of it.

In all the years I was looking for it, Google never gave me anything. My searching was in vain. And then one day, something turned up: a small image of a playing piece. I recognized it immediately. I disappeared down a rabbit hole and miraculously, tracked it down. I found one copy. Just one. And though it may have been more than I would usually spend on a little children's board game from the 90's, I pounced. I had searched for it for years and finally had it in my possession.

I know it's just a bunch of plastic and cardboard but somehow, I feel like a hole has been filled. I feel, in a small way, justified. I can stop looking. I can have a do over. It will be around for M to play and enjoy like I did. And you better believe I won't be leaving it out near any open windows.

Happy weekend:

Happy Friday! What a great week this has been. We've been off work for a few days already and we still have a glorious weekend before us. I love this time of year for about a million reasons but one of them is the break from work.

What are you doing this weekend? Big plans with the family? We are planning on holing up at home and doing absolutely nothing. We may not even get out of our pajamas the entire time. Yay, Christmas!

Have a great, relaxing, comfortable weekend!

Merry Christmas:

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope your day is full of warm moments with family and friends. 'Tis the season, after all.

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday, friends! What are you up to this weekend? Can you believe it's the last weekend before Christmas? I'm feeling the pressure because I haven't gotten everything done so I'll be scrambling around trying to wrap up things. Also, my dad's birthday is Sunday (happy birthday, dad!) so we'll be taking time to celebrate with him. It's tradition for us to go see a movie for his birthday and eat a ton of candy and for the past few years we've watched the Hobbit movies so we're excited to see the final installment this weekend. Also, eating lots of cake is on the agenda.

Here's what's going on with us:

1. The two missing Order members are in town for Christmas and I am looking forward to having the circle of my oldest and dearest friends complete. I love getting to spend time with the three of them. It's like being wrapped up in a hug. Those girls are my family.
2. M tried solids this week! We skipped the cereal and went right to vegetables. We made him some sweet potatoes and he was not a fan.
3. I've been working on our Christmas stockings for the past couple days and almost have them complete. Can't wait to share!
4. M cut his first teeth this week! You can barely see them but stick your finger in his mouth and sure enough, you can feel two little bumps. It's impossibly cute. Such a big boy!
5. We just ordered our Christmas cards this week and they finally arrived yesterday. Yes, I know we kind of dropped the ball with the whole time management thing this holiday season, but we're going to be busting our butts to get those out this weekend.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Make that yuletide gay!

Traditions:

I've been nostalgic all my life so naturally, we're big on traditions in our house. The holiday season is when most of our traditions take place. I have such warm memories of my childhood Christmases and I want to focus on making my family's memories just as wonderful. So, we've continued some of my childhood traditions and created some of our own. My favorite? Having a picnic dinner in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve in our pajamas and playing a new board game. 

I've been on the hunt for this year's board game for a while and I'm down to three different options, all equally great but different:

Quirkle ($23) looks fun and easy to play. It seems similar to Rummikub (a game we already know and love) and would be a good game for adults and children to play together. I also think it can get a little cutthroat, depending on who you're playing with, which is always fun. 

Diplomacy ($28) looks like it would be a lot of fun to play but it's one of those games that takes a whole day to play so everyone has to be into it and clear their schedules. Sort of a commitment. And I don't think this game would appeal to small children. Bonus: I just found out you can play it online for free here!

Pandemic ($31) is definitely one that I want to try. It's a co-operative game so instead of working to screw over the other players, you work together. I find that refreshing after games like Monopoly (which I'm not allowed to play anymore due to the fights that ensue). The whole point of the game is to contain and cure diseases before they take over the world. Seems a little weird and well, medical, but also unique and fun. Like diplomacy though, I think this is a game for adults so kids might get bored with this one.

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday! Hooray for the weekend! This week has been so stressful, I'm very glad to see it end.

What are you doing with your weekend? Any fun plans? We will be taking M to see Santa for the first time and I have a Christmas party to attend. Andrew has some work to finish and I have a few sewing projects to wrap up. Other than that, we are looking forward to relaxing and maybe sneaking in a nap or two.

Hope your weekend is great! XO!

Starting solids:

Now that little M is 6 months old (can you believe it!?!), we are preparing to start solid foods. Per our pediatrician's recommendation, we decided to watch for his cues to determine when he is ready to start. Lately, he has been waking up more frequently to eat during the night, watching us closely as we eat and drink, and trying to grab everything as it makes it's way to our mouths. So, the time has come. And as much as we are excited to help introduce him to the world of delicious food, I'm a little nervous about what this means for our diaper-washing routine and daily schedule. I felt like we were just settling into a really good routine and now things are changing. I guess that's the nature of children and parenting in general, though. Blink and everything changes.

Anyway, we have been on the hunt for the perfect high chair for a while now. We really wanted something that fit our lifestyle. Our criteria was:

1. Made of wood (even better if it's sustainably sourced).
2. Doesn't look like a clunky, plastic high chair (no bright or pastel colors, baby animals, or weird patterns -- we try to keep things that are very "fisher-price" to a minimum in our home).
3. Slim, with a sleek profile since we are a little short on space in the kitchen/dining area.
4. Has the possibility to alter and grow with our child (we don't mind paying more for an investment piece that we will use for multiple children and beyond).

If you know me at all, then you know I spent countless hours researching, reading reviews, and crunching numbers. In the end, we decided on the Tripp Trapp by Stokke.

It's made of solid wood, has a sleek, modern look, and can adjust to accommodate a 6-month-old infant up to a 300 lb. adult. The reviews were nothing but stellar and many people have had theirs for years. One woman bought hers in the 70's and used it for all her children and now her grandchildren are using it. 

We decided to go with red because we love the bright pop of color it adds to the somewhat neutral color palette of our home. We also picked up the matching baby set which is designed to be used for younger babies until they can sit unassisted. 

The cost of the chair was $318 (with the baby set) and at first I was hesitant because it seemed like a lot for a high chair but then, like every other big purchase we make, I broke it down. Since it's designed to grow with the child, let's say M uses it every day for the next five years. That's 1,825 days. When you divide the price of the chair by the number of days he'll be using it, it's only 17 cents per day. And if he ends up using it for longer or if we use it for any additional children down the road, it's even more cost-efficient. 

We also recently purchased a diaper sprayer to add to our arsenal because with solid food comes a whole lot of extra. Nothing looking forward to that. Cloth diapering is about to get a little messier.

Now that we're armed with these new weapons, we're ready to take on the world of food. We've read up on the nutritional benefits of each fruit and vegetable, we have all our baby-food-making supplies, and we're ready for the challenge.

Christmas 2014:

It's that time of year again -- time to share what I'm wishing for this year. My mom complained that my list is too random. Well, that's me. My interests are varied. So, here we go. My picks for 2014:

1. Madewell's sidewalk skimmer in leopard ($118) -- my current leopard flats have officially died so I am in the market for new ones. I love the almost pointed toe of these.
2. Immersion blender ($40) -- we make a lot of soups during the cold winter months so we really need an immersion blender to make them smooth and creamy. Transferring to a blender is getting old.
3. Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook ($23) -- these are all the recipes for the delicious baked goods at the Momofuku Milk Bar. I've never actually been there but have you seen these recipes? They look bonkers.
4. Growing Up Sew Liberated ($17) -- I recently checked this out from the library and fell in love with it. It's filled with fun, creative patterns that I can't wait to make.
5. 30 Rock season 7 ($26) -- No surprise that I'm in love with 30 Rock and Tina Fey. This is one of the only seasons I am lacking.
6. Phillips Sonicare Airfloss ($70) -- I'm terrible at remembering to floss and after conversing with my dentist about it, I really want to try the airfloss. Anything to make the everyday mundane easier, right?
7. Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens ($197) -- I am dying for a new lens for my DSLR. This one will do nicely, I think.

There are a few more items on my list. Click here to check them out. Happy gifting!

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday, friends! What are you doing this weekend? Anything fun? I'm hanging out with some friends tonight and we have plans to work in the yard tomorrow and get our Christmas lights up. The forecast looks iffy though so let's hope it holds off long enough to get everything done.

Here's what's been going on in our universe lately:

1. We drove to Indiana and back this past weekend for Thanksgiving with family. M did so good for the 10 hour (each way) drive. We got to introduce M to his great-grandparents (my grandparents) while we were there. It was so great!
2. Andrew has been killing it in the freelance department. He is getting work left and right. So proud of him!
3. Our washing machine is finally back up and running. So excited about all the laundry I get to do (not a joke).
4. I tested the dairy waters over the Thanksgiving break and so far, things are looking good. M doesn't seem to be having an issue. We celebrated this week with ice cream and cheese pizza!
5. One of my oldest and dearest friends is in town and I've gotten to see a lot of her this week. Having her home is always a good time.

Have a great weekend! XO!

New reads:

This week, I'm reading Great with Child: Letters to a Young Mother by Beth Ann Fennelly.

It's a book of letters sent from one friend to another, giving advice on motherhood and life. I have found them greatly moving, funny, and comforting. I have found motherhood to be isolating at time and when I read this book, I don't feel so alone. It feels like hanging out and chatting with two lovely friends.

Whether you're a new mom (or dad) or not, I definitely recommend this sweet little book.

Stockings:

Happy December, everyone!

Now that Thanksgiving is over and done with, I can turn my attention to Christmas. This Christmas is going to be extra special because not only is it the first in our new home, it's our first as parents. I am looking forward to sharing M's first Christmas and making sure it's extra special.

So, in order to usher in the Christmas spirit, last week I ordered fabric to make our new stockings.

I love collecting and hoarding new fabrics so I had so much fun with this step of the project. I plan on making each stocking quilted with a white cuff. And I'll embroider each family member's name onto the cuff of their stocking. 

I am so excited to get started on these. And even more excited to see them hanging, year after year, on our mantel. 

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday! Hope you are still in the throws of the glories of Thanksgiving. Hope your stomach is still disgustingly full of pumpkin pie. Hope you're napping in your stretchy pants all day. If you're out there braving the crowds, then you're braver than me (and possibly more foolish).

Hope your day after Thanksgiving is nice and relaxing. Have a great one!

Happy Thanksgiving:

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Last year Thanksgiving fell right in the middle of my food aversion phase. So, this year, I am looking forward to eating all the delicious things I couldn't stomach last year. It's been way too long since I filled my plate with huge servings of potatoes, rolls, and broccoli.

Hope your day is full of safe travels, good food, and quality time with loved ones! XO.

Fabric love:

Lately, I've been increasing my quality time with my sewing machine. And with that increase comes one of my favorite parts: fabric shopping.

I have had so much fun picking out fabrics for each project I tackle. As I've gotten older, this has gotten worse. It's turning into an obsession (see here). Rather than fight it though, I embrace it. This is who I am now. A fabric junkie, like my mother.

Lately, I've been really into imported Japanese fabric. I'm sure you noticed almost all of these feature animals. Apparently, the Japanese are obsessed with them and so am I.

My favorite shops for scoring these fabrics are:
Miss Matatabi
Fabricworm.com

Cute, right? I can't wait to pick some up and make some fun things!

While you were sleeping:

Today we're having M's six-month photos taken, even though he won't technically be six months until Saturday. We're doing it early due in part to the Thanksgiving holiday and in part to having to fit into our photographer's schedule. She's always very busy. Apparently, she's the celebrity photographer of the baby world here in central Arkansas.

For his shoot, I wanted to make something special for him to wear. After a search, I decided on this cowl. I picked up the yarn last week, before heading out of town for work and managed to find an hour or two to work on it while I was away but really got down to work this past weekend.

I followed the instructions pretty closely. There was one part where it says to crochet the button flap on the front, but seeing as how I suck at crocheting, I decided to go rogue. I just picked up a few stitches, knit a small flap, and secured it with a button. Looks good and saved me the grief of having to figure out that whole crochet thing.

I'm very happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to see it on his little face in his photos. For some reason, dressing babies up as animals makes them even cuter -- something that does not work with adults.

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday, everyone!  I am beyond relieved to have reached the weekend. This week has been particularly difficult as I have just been sort of in a funk lately. It doesn't help that I had to spend my first night away from little M since well, since his inception. It was hard and there were many tears (mostly mine). So this weekend, I am just looking forward to hanging out at home and spending time with him.

Here's a little of what we've been up to lately:

1. I am making this to keep M warm this winter.
2. Getting our new house decorated for this holiday season has been so much fun. 
3. M has been making some funny new noises lately and making us all laugh.
4. I've been working on a few sewing projects that I'm excited to share.
5. I ate cheese this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We love:

Okay, so this is definitely more an "I love" but I'm happy to report that I'm rocking a new mascara these days!

For at least two years, I have been on the hunt for the perfect mascara. I don't know if I have deep-set eyes or oily eyelids (doubtful since I have the world's driest skin) but for some weird (and very annoying) reason, my mascara never seems to stay put. I have tried so many different kinds but I always end up with the dreaded raccoon eye. I was using this one for a while and it was great but on a whim, I tried this one and it gave me the same effect for about $17 less. Then suddenly, it just stopped working for me. Raccoon eyes were back and it dried out prematurely. Not happy. So, I went searching again.

This time, I found Blinc! and I love it. It's my first experience with tube mascaras. What's that? Never heard of a tube mascara? It uses polymers that wrap around your lashes and create little "tubes" that do not come off until you're ready for them too. And the best part? Despite it's staying power, this mascara is so easy to take off. All you need is hot water. That's it. No makeup removers. Just wet your lashes and slide the tubes off with your fingers. It looks a little like your eyelashes are falling out (and also a little like tiny spider legs) but it's cool. It's fine. Don't panic. Your eyelashes did not just fall out.

I am officially on the tube mascara train.

We love:

Stumbled upon this video the other day and loved it. As you may well know, I'm pretty much obsessed with Harry Potter. It's kind of like the Lord of the Rings of our day. And I'm always fascinated by those little unknown details and facts of stories.

Mark my words, Rowling is not done with the Harry Potter series. How could she be? She created such a rich world full of deep and interesting characters. There's still so much story to tell. And this video gives me hope that there's at least one more book in her.

Enjoy!

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday! I am so ready for the weekend! We will be doing some work around the house and attending a memorial for a running friend. I've also got an art project for the nursery that I'm dying to try. What about you? Got anything fun planned?

It's freezing outside! What happened to Fall? Stay warm and dry out there!

Baby's first ornament:

I've been on the hunt for the perfect baby's first Christmas ornament for a few weeks now. I don't really know what I'm looking for, I just know what I like when I see it. That pretty much means looking at every single ornament out there. It's hard work, let me tell you.

I've managed to narrow it down to a few different ones. Here are the front runners:

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We are leaning towards the bear ornament but there are so many options, I'm having trouble deciding. I think about my first ornament (and all my other childhood Christmas ornaments) and the fond memories I have seeing them on the tree every year, and I want little M to have wonderful memories of his childhood Christmases like that. It makes it hard to choose. Suddenly, it seems like a huge responsibility. I have to make the right decision but I feel torn.

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday, friends! What are you doing this weekend? Our local library's used book sale is happening this weekend and I am excited to pick up a few new treasures. I am also getting together with a friend to run/walk around the lake. I have really been slacking on my exercise routine lately. My running has gone completely out the window. We've also got a few projects to tackle around the house and I will be working on some sewing. It seems like that's what's always on our "to-do" list every weekend. That's real life right there.

Here's what we've been up to lately:

1. We celebrated Halloween at a good friend's Halloween party (more on M's Halloween costume here).
2. This time change has really messed with me. I expected it to mess up M's schedule but instead, it messed up mine -- something I did not anticipate.
3. I got to celebrate a friend and the upcoming arrival of her sweet baby girl. She is one of the only other people I know that cloth diapers (or will be, anyway) so I got her some cloth diapering goodies and a few homemade knitted baby hats.
4. Some of our good friends welcomed their first born, a son, on Sunday! We're looking forward to meeting him and welcoming them into the new parents' club!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

While you were sleeping:

This year, for M's first Halloween, we decided to dress him as Yoda. This decision came after much discussion and brainstorming. I wanted something that I could make but wouldn't be too labor intensive or demanding. I wanted to make his first costume but have fun doing it, too. So, Yoda it is.

I didn't really have a plan for how to go about this. After searching online, I found a knitting pattern for a Yoda hat that turned out to be surprisingly quick and easy. I think I finished it in just two evenings. As for the robe, I found a pattern but after looking it over, decided it was too difficult. Not that I couldn't do it, I just didn't want something that had so many steps. I didn't need it to be an actual garment because he'd only be wearing it for one evening. Finishing didn't really matter to me.

After scrapping my first attempt, here's what I ended up doing:

I laid M down on top of some tracing paper and drew around his body. I made sure to not follow too closely so the robe would be nice and loose. Then I cut out my pattern, pinned it onto some muslin, and cut it out. I went rogue on the sleeves and cut it even wider so the sleeves would be nice and wide -- sort of a bell sleeve thing going on.

After I cut it out, I just stitched up the sides, finished the edges, and added a tiny little hood. I picked up a plain brown long-sleeved shirt and brown pants to go under his robe. Baby costume done.

We went to a friend's Halloween party and M did beautifully. He was up past his bedtime but didn't fuss or cry. He just took it all in (and looked insanely cute while doing it).

I may have already said this but having a baby has really reignited my sewing. I have been having so much fun making little things for him. It's exciting and fulfilling. I am enjoying it immensely. 

Rug love:

We have been slowly finding pieces that we love to fill our home with. For the past seven months, we've been living with a lot of bare floors, bare walls, and temporary pieces while we acquire new things to make our home feel lived in. It has been an extremely slow process partly because I am incredibly picky (we have a rule that we only bring in things that we really love) and partly because we don't have the budget to do a major redecorating project. We're getting there though.

A few days ago, West Elm had 20% off rugs so we picked up this beauty for the office:

I love that it's a flat weave so it will vacuum easily. We do a lot of living in our office -- watching tv, surfing the internet, snacking, knitting -- and I like that I don't have to worry about food particles and dirt getting trapped in the rug. 

Now I just have to find a nice couch to go in that space. Anyone know where I can find a 65" sofa?

Photo project:

Every week since M's birth, we have been taking a weekly photo of him. We've committed to this project for the entire first year of his life. And it has been such a fun way to document this special time in his life.

We dress him in a white onesie and a white diaper and lay him down on a different fabric each week. It has been so much fun to plan each of these little photo shoots. I've been picking up yards of bright-colored fabric since before his arrival (see here). I usually haunt the clearance sections of our local fabric stores and a few choice websites, so I'm able to grab multiple fabrics at a bargain.

After we take a few dozen photos, I edit them, photoshop the week onto his onesie, and add them to our growing collection. Now that we're almost halfway through this project (!!), I'm starting to plan what to do with all this fabric when we've finished all 52 weeks. 

The plan all along was to cut each of the fabric up and make a quilt for little M for his first birthday. I think it would be such a sweet little gift -- something that will grow with him his entire life. I can see it on his bed as a toddler and I can see myself packing it away in a box to send with him to college. I can see him cuddling up in it for story time now and wrapping his own children up in it later on. I really want it to be an heirloom piece for him -- something he carries with him as a reminder of how much his mother loves him. I can't wait.

I am thinking about using the rest of the fabric to create a "happy birthday" banner for him, too. I like the idea of having something that we can break out each year to celebrate his special day.

I realize that whatever I do for him, I will have to do for any additional children we may have but I'm having so much fun with this project that I really don't think I'll mind. In fact, I look forward to it. I like having an excuse to buy lots of fabric. Apparently, my mother's fabric hoarding has rubbed off on me.

Happy weekend:

Happy Friday and a very happy Halloween! Got anything fun planned for this evening? We are going to a friend's costume party. I have been working on little M's costume for weeks and am so excited to show it off (more on that later). It's his first Halloween, after all.

This weekend, we've got big plans to take a long walk (weather permitting), catch up on sleep, and do a little sewing.

Have a great one, friends!

Baby bump:

I took a photo of my belly every day while I was pregnant with every intention of making this video to document my experience. And then M showed up and life with an infant got underway. Now here we are 5 months (happy 5 months, M!) later and I'm just now getting around to sharing this.



But better late than never, right? And what a great way to look back and remember. I know it's only been 5 months but I have already forgotten so much. I have another video that I've been working on but at this rate, I'll be happy if I get it done by M's first birthday.

How about you:

Time for another "How About You". This time? Childhood obsession. This is really fun as I had a ton of really weird ones. Ready?

1. A very real fear of constant kidnapping. Every where we went, I was convinced someone was just waiting to kidnap me. Apparently, I was a very nervous child.
2. Trees. Or more specifically, climbing trees. As a child, I wanted to live in a tree and once I actually tried it! (It didn't go well.)
3. The Victorian Age. Loved the clothes, the the lack of electricity (candles are just more exciting), and the oh so proper manners. I spent waaaaay too many hours dressed up playing prim and proper tea party.
4. Old graveyards -- deliciously creepy, I found them completely fascinating.
5. Whitney Houston. Apparently, I had a picture of her above my bed that I would kiss every night, I had a dress that I called my Whitney Houston dress, and I used to sing her songs into the hose of our vacuum cleaner.

How about you? Any fun or weird childhood obsessions?

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday! So glad we have made it to another weekend! What are you doing with your precious time off? I pretty much live for the weekend now because that's when I'm able to tackle all my projects and spend time with my family. So, this weekend we will be hanging out, doing some sewing, and hopefully sneaking in a nap or two. We have a small Halloween get together this weekend with my running group and I'm looking forward to bringing M and introducing him to the members that we don't see very often.

Here's a little of what's been going on in our world lately:

1. M rolled over! After weeks of laying on his side and struggling to get over his shoulder, it finally happened!
2. I fit into my old clothes again! 
3. Decided not to run the Soaring Wings Half Marathon this weekend.
4. I've been working on M's Halloween costume (more on that later) for a while now. I couldn't decide which style of hat I liked best so I'm making them both.
5. We are still dealing with the aftermath of our power outage. Now all that's left to fix is the washing machine. 

Have a great, relaxing weekend, everyone!

New clothes:

I am finally back into my pre-pregnancy clothes! Rejoice! To celebrate the day I thought would never come, I treated myself to some new clothes.

LOFT is having a 50% off everything sale right now. Head on over there and snap something up for yourself. You deserve it.