Project Post 21: Heirloom Bookshelf (after)

This post is sort of an (informal) introduction to a post series I'll be doing from time to time on heirlooms. So while this included in the Project Posts Series, it's also Post #1 in the Heirloom series too:)

I've mentioned before (especially here and here) that I love family heirlooms, and am honored to have the ones that I do. They are very special to me, because family is very important and something to be cherished. In the weeks and months to come, I'll periodically be highlighting certain family heirlooms that are special to me. 

The bookshelf I showed you two weeks ago (that belonged to Tyler's maternal grandparents) is finally finished and in it's permanent resting place (until we outgrow this house). That alone is hard for me to commit to (I change the furniture placement often), but there is only one place that makes complete sense for it to go in our home. I know this because over the last week I have placed it in every possible spot it would fit in our house (no comments from my husband or parents please). You can see the before and during pictures (I painted it) in this post, and here are the after pictures:

Happy Birthday Tyler!

March 6, 2011

March 6, 2012

Oreo Cupcakes

Tomorrow is Tyler's birthday, and he loves anything with Oreos, so I made Oreo cupcakes (found them on Pinterest) for one of our celebrations this past weekend. I cook a LOT more than I bake, and there are certain things I make from scratch because it's the first way I learned how. I make pie crust from scratch, and gravy, but when it comes to baking I will admit, with the exception of cookies, I am typically a straight-from-a-box kind of "chef." So I was a little nervous about these but they were fun to make...and learn. I copied the recipe exactly, so HERE is where you can find it - it's not mine to type out since I didn't change a bunch of things. Here's how they turned out (yes, I do know that my icing is ugly):

February Instagram Photos

I probably should have titled this post something different, because I don't have a 'January Instagram Photos' post, and likely will not have a March one, but as it turns out, I'm lacking creativity today in the title department.

I participated in this Photo-A-Day Challenge:

{Photo and Challenge from here}

There is one every month, and some ambitious people are committing to a whole year of a photo-a-day (wow). Not me:) I had fun doing it in February, but I don't think I will commit to March. I feel like my pictures are really boring, especially because my dad and brother told me so, (sorry to anyone who follows me on Instagram/Twitter) and it's a tall commitment for me. I'm also currently trying to enact a say "no" to new commitments policy to have time to work on the 40 billion commitments I already have lined up ;) So, since I did finish the February commitment, here are my photos from the challenge:

1. My view at lunch 2. Words: distance, time, calories 3. Hands: Levi & Hunter's hands on our front door 4. A Stranger: This little baby-where did he go? 5. 10am: it was a Sunday, so at 10am I was in our SS classroom 6. Dinner: bacon-wrapped chicken, wild rice, green beans 7. Button: pushing buttons in the car 8. Sun: a scripture I read that morning 9. Front Door: Levi waiting for Dad to get home 10. Self-portrait 11. Makes you happy: a pleasant letter from the IRS (rare) 12. Inside your closet: we were out of town & this was my closet where we stayed 13. Blue: blue eyes, blue pacifier 14. Heart: V-day balloons 15. Phone: my phone in the rear view mirror 16. Something new: sitting still in the chair 17. Time: couch time with my sick boy 18. Drink: Saturday morning coffee 19. Something you hate to do: be at the doctor 20. Handwriting: daily list 21. A fave photo of you 22. Where you work 23. Your shoes 24. Inside your bathroom cabinet 25. Green: apple juice box 26. Night: "working" a puzzle before bed 27. Something you ate: dinner 28. Money: diapers$$$ 29. Something you're listening to: Quiet - baby napping, windows open, breeze blowing, birds chirping

Have a great weekend!

Project Post 20: Toddler Pom Pom Toy

I've seen these floating around some blogs via Pinterest, specifically here and here. So me and my little companion stopped by the store one day while we were out and got the supplies to make some of these. 

I bought a value bag of assorted sizes of the pom poms - There's no way we will use them all for this but I am currently stringing them up to make some colorful garlands (we have a lot of birthdays to celebrate in February and March) . I made 3 containers, with different sized holes in each one for the 3 sizes of pom poms. Purely out of vanity (if we're being honest), I wanted something a little cuter than Rubbermaid Take-n-Toss - and I found these containers for 99 cents each around the corner from the pom  poms, so I snatched them up. They were made of heavier plastic so my box cutter wouldn't cut strait (cute) lines, but they work.

Here are our new little toys - believe it or not they keep him busy for minutes at a time :) 

Heirloom Bookshelf: Before & During

I love family heirlooms. I am big on them..and I have a very generous family who loves giving and sharing things. I have a LOT of things from relatives (past and present), and I treasure every one. I know that is cheesy but it is real. Being a girl, I am drawn to heirlooms and things for my home, but guys think differently. My husband has a shop full of tools that belonged to his dad and grandad that are very special to him, but the thought of having any other type of family heirloom never crosses his mind. When he was helping move some things at his grandparents' home last year before it was sold, he brought home this bookshelf. I love it - it's very tall which is great for our tall ceilings. It's very sturdy and a very unique shape, but the best part is that we didn't have anything from that side of the family - and now we have something from all 4 sets of our grandparents.

I am in the process of refinishing the bookshelf, and very eager to be done and enjoy it as a permanent living room fixture. It's taking a while (It has taken 5 coats of paint and I only work on it during naps and some at night - so it will take me a few days to finish it), but I will be done soon and share some after pictures. For now, here are some before and during snapshots. Some were taken at night and some in the morning, so that's why the lighting is crazy - that and the fact that I just say that to cover not being a very good photographer. I like to leave that to the professionals... :)

Project Post 19: More Wreath Fever

I showed you in this post the wreaths I made out of Pottery Barn garland we got as a wedding gift. After making these and loving them so much, I still had wreath fever :) I waited until grapevine wreath forms went 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby (which made them 50 cents each, for the smaller ones), and I stocked up on a few. My parents had a bunch of garland in their attic that we used for past decorating projects, but they haven't seen any love for several years, so I decided to give them some purpose (here ya go, Dad). I also had one more Pottery Barn Bay Leaf garland, so I made two more wreaths out of that last garland.

I love these little wreaths and am excited to find a home for them (I will take a couple to my parents' house - after all, they did fund a lot of the project...kind of). I almost bought a couple of miniature boxwood wreaths like this in Canton, (for $26 each) and so now I'm glad I didn't! Here's the project (It only took about an hour):


{Forms, garland, wire cutters, floral wire - these are made with that cheesy, rubbery boxwood garland you can buy for about $5 a strand}



{Some of the garland laid out on the floor}



{I just wrapped a piece of wire around it to hold it on the wreath form securely}



{Finished!}



{This little guy is my favorite - he's really cute}



{I gave the other bay leaf wreath to my mom - it looks nice right when you walk in the side door - hanging on a door in the kitchen}