Are we there yet…

Poor G has been working non-stop to satisfy my nesting needs. Over the last few weeks, he has assumed the role of a plumber, electrician, yard man, carpenter, designer, and husband to a very large and demanding wife. He rarely complains and always strives for perfection. God love my sweet, sweet husband! Here are a few of the projects we have been working on…

Hutson’s nursery is still a work in progress…We chose Top Sail by Sherwin Williams for the color on the walls; the pie-safe was a hand-me-down from my sister, and the flags were sewn from scraps of fabric in my sewing room.

Hutson will use the same crib and changing table from MR’s room; the rocking chair was handed down from my grandmother; the pelmet boxes are made from foam board, fabric, and bias tape (the tutorial can be found here). JuJu Bea has kindly offered to purchase a custom name print to go between the windows.

My wonderfully talented sister-in-law painted this mural for the nursery (we plan to hang it as soon as we find a side table for the room). G has his private pilots license, so as soon as I found out we were having a boy, I knew I wanted to incorporate aviation. We have also ordered this sweet airplane mobile to hang above the changing table. 

And while sweet Hutson had absolutely no say in the design of his room, MR had everything to do with hers…a few weeks ago, I took her to my favorite fabric store and let her pick out fabric for her new curtains. Much to my dismay, she stuck her nose up at the cost-effective lavender gingham that I had picked and instead chose a much more expensive pink floral design. We have yet to paint her big girl room, but hope to do so this fall.

A large blank wall in our breakfast room proved to be the perfect spot for a magnetic/chalk board. G taped off the area and painted several layers (6 or 7) of magnetic primer; followed by a few layers a chalkboard paint. Picture molding purchased from the hardware store completed the look.

Look closely…a bed full of weeds was no match for sweet G. He spent all day (yes, all day) on Saturday digging up weeds and laying down 50 bails of pine straw!

Before… 

After…

Before (side bed)…

After…

Finally….my ribbon is now in one place! G helped me transform an old shutter into the perfect ribbon holder for my sewing room.

The playroom is by far our favorite room in the house. Right off of the kitchen and living room, it stores all of MR’s toy’s. A few months ago, I had G transform an old filing cabinet into a reading cubby for MR and Hutson.

Believe it or not, this was me last August (a far cry from the 60 pounds I have gained over the last 11 months)…behind me sits the old filing cabinet. Wish I had taken a true “before” picture, but at least this picture is a reminder that one day I will be back into non-elastic jeans, fitted shirts,  and cowboy boots.

 G removed the drawers and the metal brackets, sanded the cabinet, and painted it. It was such a easy transformation and has proved to be a great storage solution for the playroom.

Garrett’s return from New York was short lived. After being home for three days, he was off again. This time he was headed to Idaho to a remote wind farm where cell phones and communication were hard to come by.

The day before he left, we headed out with a realtor to look at houses. Because of G’s job, we have never lived anywhere long enough to even consider purchasing a home. We had several houses lined up, but there was one in particular that I was very excited about him seeing. I feel in love with the house a week earlier and hoped that Garrett would like it as much as I did. It had everything we wanted: a kitchen open to the living area, a  playroom on the main floor, a large master, two rooms for the kids, and a guest room for the grandparents. It even boasted a perfect downstairs office for Petey Pie’s.

It didn’t take much to convince G that this was the house for us. By late that afternoon, we were already in the process of making an offer. The next day, G boarded a plane to Idaho. Throughout his 6 day visit and limited cell phone service, we managed to firm up an offer. Papers were signed last Saturday and our closing date is set for the end of March. Although we have a lot to do in a short amount of time, we couldn’t be any more excited!!! 

With the new house on my mind, I almost let Petey Pie’s first birthday pass by. A year ago today, I decided to put my sewing machine to use and start making handmade appliques for children’s clothing. A year later, the shop has sold more than 350 pieces!!! The business has been such a blessing to our family as it has allowed me to set my own schedule and work from home, while also caring for sweet MR. 

God is good and we continue to thank Him for His many, many blessing!

Under Contract!!!

G and I think the house needs black shutters (hopefully they will look better than the ones I made in Microsoft Word!). The builder has agreed to add them per our contract. Black rocking chairs on the porch and potted plants are also in the works.

I love the openness and use of space in the new house.  After spending a year and a half in a home that was built in the 20’s, the fact that it is brand new construction is also very exciting!!!

I’ll be trading in a cramped laundry/tool/fabric room for my own Petey Pie’s space! The small office has lots of storage and counter space for my sewing machine and fabrics. Its right off of the kitchen so I will be able to work while the kids play in the playroom.

Happy first birthday, Petey Pie’s! Please visit my etsy shop to see more of my collection. The shop offers classic, everyday clothing for your little one!

It really is. We are just an average, middle class family and for the most part, we are happy. Very happy. We live in a modest home, drive average cars, and try our best to cut corners. We haven’t always lived this way, but learning to do so has brought us a tremendous amount of satisfaction.

Last weekend was perfect example of the simple life…

While G cleaned bathrooms, I got a chance to make Sweet MR a new dress. A day earlier, I had scored a Vive La Fete blouse with a precious peter pan collar at our local Goodwill for $1.50.

An hour of my time and two clean bathrooms later, I was basking in the simple life as MR pranced around the house in her new outfit. The total cost for the blouse and dress– a whopping $5.50.

Later that afternoon, the simple life continued with a short drive to Cumming, Ga to visit family and celebrate a late Christmas. After visiting, we filled our plates with pot roast, mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese, peas, rolls, and strawberry shortcake. Presents followed. And then, lots of lots of laughter.

On Sunday, we enjoyed another simple pleasure with the arrival of Gran C and Big Daddy. MR colored a Valentines day card, while I baked the last batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. An after lunch visit from Julie, Bill, Nene, and Boss made the day even more special.

These simple blessings are what we live and pray for. After all, being a parent, having a healthy little girl, and getting to enjoy time spent with loved ones is far better than a big house, fancy cars, and all of the riches in the world.

Thank you God for showing us the joys of the simple life.

Sometimes the best form of birth control is a place full of dogs and kids…

Just when I think I’m ready for baby #2, I get a reality check. Sunday’s Bark in the Park baseball game at Turner Field set me back at least two more months. Between MR and Sadie, we barely got a chance to watch the Braves take on the Astros. We did, however, score a few good pictures of our “girls” enjoying their time at the ballpark…

If you happen to be watching the Braves tonight, keep an eye out for this handsome guy…he’s in the fifth row behind the Braves dugout.

And if you happen to see me out and about in the next few days, be prepared to see this and know that my soon to be famous husband had nothing to do with it. It’s simply a case of poison ivy. And a great excuse to be a shut-in:)

If babygirl could speak full sentences, this is what she would say:

Last night my mama burnt our supper so bad that the fire alarms went off and we had to eat cereal and cookies for dinner.

My mama is choosing to blog when she should be cooking supper. I think I heard her tell daddy that we were eating leftovers tonight. I’m hoping that means cereal and cookies again, but I fear it means the pork steak that she so badly burned.

My mama did not take a shower today. In fact, she didn’t get out of her pajamas until way past noon. Come to think of it, I didn’t either. I plan to seek revenge when I can dress myself. No more handmade clothes and definitely no more bows.

Speaking of handmade clothes, my mama just opened up an Etsy shop called Petey Pie’s! She said that if she makes a little extra money, we can do more together. I hope that you all will go and visit the shop and spread the word. Right now, it’s all appliqued onesies, but once spring comes, she hopes to add dresses and john johns. The onesies (NB-24 months) or shirts (2-4T, 5/6, 7) make a perfect gift for any occasion. They are fun, durable, and under $20! Click on the picture below to check out her selection.

Because elephants are both sweet and silly and more importantly, always in season, I decided to make MR a new outfit. Hopefully this one will get her through until the warmer weather arrives.

Note: I am fully aware that babygirl is in need of a haircut. However, I simply cannot bare the thought of life without her sweet curls.

G transformed the living room into an office with a view.

I reconnected with my sewing machine and learned to applique (with a view).

We walked barefoot on the beach. Held hands. And pretended to be 20 again.

We watched a sunrise,

got dressed up,

and ate A LOT.

We caught up with old friends. Danced. And stayed out late,

wished the newlyweds well,

and hurried back to sweet MR. Thank you mom and dad for taking such good care of the girls. And thank you Wiby and Danette for letting us enjoy a much needed vacation at the condo!

On Wednesday, sweet MR went in for her 15 month checkup. Besides “sshhing” the crying babies in the waiting room and “no, no, noing” a mom on her cell phone, she did perfectly! We love big babies in our family, so I was pleased to hear that she’s holding steady in the 90% for her weight and the 95% for her height. “Perfectly proportional and full of sass” as the doctor said. I would have to agree. It seems that Babygirl has an opinion on everything these days! She keeps us on our toes and constantly reminds of us how lucky we are to be her parents.

Practice makes perfect…dress #2 was much, much easier. This one needs to be monogrammed, but I love the fun, brightly colored fabric.

Packing for Camp Grandparents…