A few Thrifty Thursdays ago, I spoke about the awesome DIY project my husband and I (well, mostly just my husband) worked on for my best friend's baby shower gift. The theme of the shower and little Oliver's nursery is vintage Winnie the Pooh so I was trying to think of something Pooh-related to gift Jen.
That's when I saw it..
My mom and I were thrifting around my hometown one stormy Saturday afternoon when I stumbled across a Winnie the Pooh coat rack -- I couldn't believe it! It was pretty beat up but I knew with a little elbow grease and a lot of love, I could have it fixed up in time for Jen's baby shower.
Once my husband caught wind of what I was doing, he swooped in to help with hijack the project (actually, I'm very, very thankful that he took over -- he's a perfectionist and makes everything he touches perfect -- me on the other hand? Not so much.,.).
Here's what it looked like before:
As you can see, it was in pretty bad shape and housed some showcased some wonky mirrors and a random pink bow. So Brandon got to work!
Brandon worked hard on sanding, painting, detailing, and stenciling Oliver's new coat rack and it really couldn't have looked better!
Wanna see?
Isn't that cool? Brandon resanded the whole thing, completely redid all of the paint (including on Pooh himself), and stenciled in the letters. I just love the way it turned out and am so grateful to have such a handy husband who is willing to help me with my projects!
What cool things have you thrifted/redone lately?? I'd love to see!
Have I mentioned that Jackson is obsessed with the show Good Eats?
It's hilarious!
When Brandon and I were staying with our friends in KC last month, we were introduced to Good Eats (I watched part of an episode in one of my college video production classes but that was the extent of GE viewing) and brought it back to CO with us.. anyway, we were watching an episode one night and Jax was entranced and has been fascinated by Alton Brown's shenanigans ever since.
Where am I going with this, you ask?
A few weeks ago, we watched an episode about cinnamon rolls and I realized that I hadn't had homemade cinnamon rolls in a long, long time. So I became overly ambitious and decided to make this recipe..
..it took seriously 2 1/2 hours to prepare (including letting the dough rise in the refrigerator for an hour) but it was SO. worth. it. I will be making these again and I highly recommend you do the same.
I found the prompt for this post on one of my favorite blogs (Little Miss Momma) and thought I'd give it a go!
{this moment} – A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
On Wednesday night, Brandon, Jackson, a friend from Kansas, and I attended our first Rockies baseball game of the season!
You know what that means..
Spring has arrived!
The weather in these parts has been absolutely glorious and we really couldn't have asked for better baseball weather on Wednesday evening. While I'm more partial to the fall, I must admit that spring has been pretty good to us thus far!
Speaking of spring, I have declared that spring is coconut season (fall is pumpkin, winter is peppermint). I've been enjoying coconut creamer in my coffee every morning, have been burning a coconut candle, and have been lathering my hands with a yummy coconut lotion.. it really is a refreshing scent/taste!
In other non-spring related news, Jax is actually beginning to ear strawberries and other fruits.. this is a big deal people (he ate TWO strawberries yesterday with his veggie burger and cheese)!!
That's about it around here-- have a great weekend!!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: what this boy lacks in size (at his 15 mo. checkup he was in the 25% for height, 5% for weight, and 95% for head, no joke), he makes up for in personality! He is such a sweet little goober who likes figuring things out on his own and giving kisses to his family and to the garden gnome.
Wearing: 12 & 18 month clothes (18 month shirts fit pretty well but the pants are still way too long); Size 3 diapers
Sleep: Ugggggggggggggg*takes a long breath*ggggggh.. this has been a rough couple of weeks for us. Jax has been sleeping for only a few hours at a time in his crib before waking up, crying uncontrollably, and then coming into bed with us. Then once he's in bed with us, he cries off and on in his sleep.. Mommy and toddler are both very, very tired. We can't wait for the rest of these stinking teeth to make their big debut (more on that below..)!
Jax likes: Bella, opening & closing doors, doing whatever he sees mom or dad doing, playing outside, pushing anything with wheels (so he can walk), saying no, reading, going down slides, his toys/eggs from the Easter Bunny, chalk & markers, stickers, "Good Eats", clapping for himself
Jax dislikes: When he can't get something to work right away, being told "no", sitting still for too long, teething, when he's walking with mommy or daddy and we let go of his hands in an attempt to get him walking on his own, sitting in the shopping cart Food: Veggie burgers, cheeses, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, Belvita biscuits, breads, crackers, snack foods, peanut butter, sugar, veggie noodles
Teeth: 10 teeth!! He had his first ever dentist appointment on Thursday (which he wasn't too happy about) and she was shocked to see that ALL of his remaining teeth (minus to 2-year molars, of course) are coming in at once! Poor, poor baby.. now we know why he isn't sleeping well.
Happenings: Mommy's 25th birthday, multiple play dates/family visits, staying with Great Aunt Nancy during our birthday date, yard work/lots of outside time/park play, second Easter, first fishing trip, first Easter egg hunts, and playing around the house.
~I'm so happy to report that Jackson is FINALLY starting to enjoy being read to and "reading" himself (video below). Before this month, he was always too squirmy to sit through an entire book so this has been a welcome change of pace~
~Shopping with this kid has become a nightmare.. he will not sit in the cart and wants to get out and "help" push the cart. He's SO close to walking but seems to be lacking the confidence to actually do it on his own without holding onto something or someone! Hopefully next month's update will be about him walking on his own..
~Not that I'm complaining, but this boy is a complete mamma's boy (unless my mom -- his Grammy -- is around.. then he only wants her)! I think we're attached at the hip because we're together all day every day but I'm hoping he'll begin wanting to play with other kids/adults in the coming months.
~This kid is definitely a toddler and wants to do EVERYTHING himself (pictured: I took him to the coolest toddler gym last week and all he wanted to do was open and close the door by himself). If he sees Brandon or me doing something, he picks up on it quickly and wants to try it for himself. I'm sure I'm a bit biased but he just seems so smart to me and is able to pick skills up almost immediately.
I was compensated for this post with product and/or payment; however, opinions are 100% mine and as always, I would never recommend something to my readers that I wouldn't use myself.
To the Class of 2015:
You've worked your tails off these past 4 years and now you're here -- high school graduation! Congratulations!!
The gowns have been ordered, invitations sent, and overly priced prom dresses put away, never to be worn again (or was that just me?). Now what? College? Work? Traveling the world in order to find yourself? Whatever it may be, the world is yours!
My lovely cousin and me at my graduation! Also, remind me to sometime tell you the story about how my mom insisted on trimming my bangs the week of graduation..
If you do what I did and head off to college right after high school, enjoy! Trust me; you have lots of hard work and all-night study sessions headed your way, but you will also make some of your best memories and friends. College can be such a stressful time for several reasons (leaving home, classes, trying to maintain your social life, etc.) but your friends at Campus Book Rentals are here to ease the financial burden of buying pricey textbooks.
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via Operation Smile: Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft. A child with a cleft has twice the odds of dying before their first birthday. Children with cleft conditions who survive may have difficulty eating, speaking, hearing or breathing properly. In some places, they are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can't afford the surgeries they need to live a productive life.
I found the prompt for this post on one of my favorite blogs (Little Miss Momma) and thought I'd give it a go!
{this moment} – A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
I'm going through major "thrifting for baby shower decor" withdrawals..
As I've previously mentioned, I had the honor of co-hosting my best friend's baby shower last month and had the BEST time thrifting for baby shower decorations that could double as nursery decor.
Between weekend thrifting outings with the guys and scouring eBay, we made out pretty well! Wanna see what I found?
The frame on this Pooh painting was really beat up so we actually ended up thrifting a different frame, sanded, and repainted it (well, I shouldn't say we.. Brandon did all that). The grass/flower sticker on the pull toy was in pretty rough shape too so I ended up soaking it, peeling off the rest, and then repainting it.
The book in the upper right corner was used as the guest book.
Okay, I could have swore that I'd taken a picture of all the stuffed animals I found but can't find it anywhere.. Anyway, I was able to buy them all from a guy on eBay for a flat price (and free shipping!) -- I had two Poohs, two Tiggers, a Piglet, and Eeyore!
And last but certainly not least..
Much, much more on this next Thrifty Thursday -- it looks nothing like it did when I originally thrifted it!
Brandon, Jax, and I strolled around Mile High Flea Market last weekend and I came across an entire bag full of Winnie-the-Pooh goodies that I was ready to snag.. until I remembered that the shower is over.. *sigh*
I guess what I'm trying to say is: Do you have a baby shower you need help planning/decorating? Hit me up.
I was compensated for this post with product and/or payment; however, opinions are 100% mine and as always, I would never recommend something to my readers that I wouldn't use myself.
Psst.. Can I let you in on a little secret?
Weddings are expensive.
Like, really, really expensive.
Even if you don't have an invitation calligrapher, designer silk gown, or a stellar Frank Sinatra cover artist performing at your reception, the numerous expenses can add up really quickly -- and you shouldn't have to throw away your dream wedding plans just because you can't afford it.
Bloominous is your partner who understands easy (and afforable!) DIY flowers. What makes them so special? Well..
The DIY experts at Bloominous design collections that are not only beautiful, but also really easy to arrange.
The flowers come straight from the farm, ensuring your stems are fresh and cut-to-order.
Included step-by-step pictorials make it easy to build a beautiful piece in just 15min.
Bloominous de-thorns and proportions your flowers to save you time.
Packages carefully packed and ship by Air to ensure freshness.
Pretty cool, huh?
The concept for Bloominous actually came about when one of the co-founders was getting married and experienced first hand the high cost of wedding flowers. After a year of research and design, Bloominous was born (you can read the whole story here) -- this just goes to show that they know first hand what goes into budgeting a wedding!
Confession: I'm not a DIYer (I've said it before and I'll say it again -- I have no talent when it comes to creating things.. except for cute babies, of course) so I was extremely nervous about the process. Folks; I was pleasantly surprised!
My flowers were shipped on Thursday and arrived Friday morning via FedEx (I got a little too excited and opened the package before taking a picture.. oops!).
The box comes complete with ribbons and pins to make your own bouquet!
As you can see, the box came with stunning roses, instructions, flower food packet, and bouquet adornments. Brandon and I were both amazed at how fresh the flowers were (considering they'd been shipped over night) and how they managed to perk up even more after they were watered!
I was super nervous about trimming the roses incorrectly so my hot cameraman (AKA my hubby) stepped in to save the day!
I really cannot say enough good things about my Bloominous bouquet! They are truly the highest quality and most fragrant flowers I have ever had -- I really wish they'd been around when Brandon and I were married! If you're looking for incredible wedding flowers (or just high quality flowers in general), you need to give Bloominous a try!
My beautiful Bloominous flowers make me want to renew my vows to Brandon (because that's what most people do after 27 months of marriage.. right?)!
I found the prompt for this post on one of my favorite blogs (Little Miss Momma) and thought I'd give it a go!
{this moment} – A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Our little family had such a wonderful time celebrating His resurrection in my hometown -- it was seriously the perfect way to end such a peaceful and spiritually fulfilling Lenten season!
On Good Friday morning, Jackson and I surprised my parents by coming earlier in the day than Brandon (I told them we weren't going to be able to and my mom called right as we were pulling into town to see what we were up to.. Jax and I walked into the office while we were still on the phone and the look on her face was priceless!) which was the perfect way to start the weekend! We spent the rest of the day catching up on soaps, relaxing, and waiting for both Brandon and my brother to get off work and join us!
Saturday was the official kickoff to the fun & cliche Easter festivities! Brandon, my parents, and I took Jackson to meet the Easter Bunny, we had lunch, came back into town to take the babe to his first ever Easter egg hunt, napped, played outside, feasted on my mom's fabulous pepperoni bread, and celebrated our Lord and Savior at a beautiful Easter mass. After church, we all got comfortable and sat around visiting for the remainder of the evening.
This boy pleasantly surprised us all by going right to the Easter Bunny and sitting nicely with him while we all snapped our pictures (we were fully expecting crying and panic to ensue).
*Ignore me in the background picking up the eggs for him**
He's definitely my son -- he likes his candy (though I tend to prefer mine unwrapped)!
Headed to mass with my beautiful family -- how did I get so lucky?!
On Sunday, Jackson woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had visited Grammy & Grandpa's house! Jax wasn't too into the Easter egg hunt itself (it took us a good 45 minutes to hunt/open all 12 eggs) but enjoyed opening and closing all of the eggs.. oh well, there's always next year! The Bunny spoiled Jax with new books, puzzles, toys, chalk, and other little non-candy knick knacks that he's been playing with ever since. After everyone was up and moving, our gang packed a picnic lunch and headed to the lake to do a little fishing -- we used to go fishing on Easter when I was in high school and I'm so glad we decided to do it again this year! It's a fun tradition that I look forward to carrying on with my family.
I lied.. a few of the eggs actually did contain candy.
We fish you a Happy Easter.
Dad with the first catch of the day!
Awful picture but this is some of the picnic spread -- my mom made her famous fried chicken and it was as delicious as ever!
Jackson was asleep on me so I had to take this picture one handed but here is Brandon with his first fish of the day.
I re-shaded his face as soon as I had my picture :)
We couldn't have asked for a better way to spend such a special day and it made me realize again just how blessed we are to have such wonderful family (both near and far) and to have a God who loves us so much that He gave His son for you and me. I hope that you all had a wonderful day with your family and friends!
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