Random things...

So it's been another whirlwind tour for us. 

The beach was wonderful. Iris just loves the sand now and has taken to chasing (on all fours) the seagulls. She doesn't mind a faceful of sand.

I planned on returning last Monday but with computer issues, a new iphone to get up and running (one having everything to do with the other... Jeesh!), trying to get organized from being away and everyday life with an energetic baby it just didn't happen. But we're here now.

Not a bad view huh? There is music and weddings in this gazebo every weekend. I'm really going to miss it there.

I added a little something to my dining room decor. This little round vase has housed some mementos from our travels (beach glass, smooth stones, shells, etc.) for some time but I added a little sand in the bottom from the beach where my Dad lives (pictured above). He'll be moving away from there soon so it was the perfect addition to a bowl full of memories. I know it's corny and it makes even me throw up in my mouth a little bit but at the same time it makes me smile and it has meaning to me.

This is me having fun with my new phone...

Gotta love that morning sun!

Since we've moved our dinner time back until Iris goes to bed (you know...so we can actually enjoy our food) I've been whipping up these little snacks for us. A little cheddar, goat cheese, olives (black and red cerignolas...my favorite), whole grain dijon, crackers and my latest edition but not yet pictured... organic medjool dates do the trick.

The platter was a 5 year anniversary gift from our BFF Danielle who also officiated our wedding. Apparently wood is the traditional gift for the 5th wedding anniversary. There's a joke there somewhere.

We were also able to do something else we hadn't done in a while... go to the library. I love the library! By today's standards it's an old fashioned concept. I love the hushed environment and the access to all the books I could ever want without paying a dime for them (unless there late of course but even then it's pennies on the dollar)

Must... learn... to... knit... in... round.

This is my happy place (below). I rarely get to hang here but when I do I'm usually....well...happy.

I even made myself a mini margarita. Ahhhhh summertime!

And finally, my main focus right now is Iris's birthday party. I bought some supplies for the invitations (can you tell I'm in love with instagram). So until then... no new projects unless they're birthday related.
I pained over a theme of some sort and I didn't want to go overboard on a first birthday (but still want to make it special of course) so I just chose colors. That's right, my theme is colors. Pink and green. All shades.  I'm still kicking around ideas for food. I'm keeping that simple too.

And I bet you can't guess what I'm doing right now...that's right, I'm at the beach...again...in the rain.

Beach Bound.

Hey all. We're heading back to the beach to visit grandpa and to attend a wedding shower. We'll be back Monday (hopefully with pictures this time). 

And I'm soooo excited to be attending a farm to table dinner at Blooming Glen Farm on Sunday. It will be my first time out with just the girls since I had Iris 10 months ago. It's long overdue. Of course, I'm already planning what I'm going to wear, how I'll do my hair and what kind of wine we're going to bring. 

We wish everyone a safe and fun filled weekend and we can't wait to share ours just as soon as we can!

Coffee Talk.

You might not believe it in this Starbucks-driven mocha-frappe-latte saturated world but I never drank coffee (not never, just never habitually or ritually) before I had a child. Not because I didn't like the taste but because I didn't want to have that vice. That whole don't-talk-to-me-before-I've-had-my-coffee attitude just never appealed to my general outlook on life and personality.

Well motherhood changed all that. I was just having that moment about three months in thinking "I don't know if I can go on like this" and then I turned to my husband and said "pass the coffee". This request was met with shock and disbelief. Nonetheless, he passed the coffee.

Something else you should know about me... if I'm going to do something, I like to do it right (my interpretation of right). And I like my milk foamy so when I discovered this little jewel in ikea I  was thrilled. And the price was right too ($2.99). I've seen others for way more (like $35 more). This was a sign.

So every morning, preferably during Iris's morning nap, I enjoy this...

...sprinkled with a little cinnamon.

Eat your heart out Starbucks!

Does anyone have a morning ritual that they started after becoming a mom? Out of necessity or maintaining of sanity?

BTW, I was not paid by ikea or anyone else for that matter to mention products. I just really like it.

The Pinterest Challenge.

If you're just getting on board you can read about what this is here.

Well here it is. My adorable little jumper project. Here is the original pin.

I cut the inseam in a wide U shape to create a harem pant effect.

I cut two pieces. A front and a back but this could easily be done by cutting just one piece and sewing the seam in the back. I'll do that next time.

I hand stitched around the edges to create the cinched look. I don't know what the technical term for this is but I remember seeing my mom do it for something. Then I sewed the bias tape over that.

My camera battery died while I was doing the bias tape and neck tie so I'll just tell you I used a 2 inch strip of an old tablecloth in my repurpose pile. It was soft and had a nice contrast with the vintage sheet I used for the actual jumper.

Is she nuggaliscous or what!? 

Check out all the challengers and our gracious hosts below.

Sherry from Young House Love

Emily from Style by Emily Henderson

Katie from Bower Power

Lana from Making a House a Home

Thanks ladies! This was really fun!

#9. Check.

If you missed the sneak peek you can read about that here.

Let me first tell you I ended up buying the bookshelf new. Why? Well, the person I was going to get it from on craigslist took to long to get back to me and in the end I would have had to drive too far and it came with a coffee table that I didn't know what I was going to do with. In my book it was a wash. I still got the desk for $20 and sold my Trofast system for $50 so I only ended up spending $20 total in the end. Not too bad!

The next thing is I wanted to use the desk in a formation that it was not made to be used in. I new I'd have to do some retrofitting of my own but in the end I would have exactly what I wanted.

We used metal brackets to secure it to the book shelf and I leveled it (since the bookcase on it's side was a little taller than the desk) by shimming it up from the other end.

I also want to address why I chose the dark brown bookshelf with the white desk. 1) I didn't want all dark wood in that room as it is already lacking in natural light. 2) I like the idea of a simple white worksurface especially with patterned fabrics and sometimes small objects that could be hard to see on anything but white. 3) The dark brown and white combo is the same as Iris's furniture and I thought it might one day make a good place for her to do homework if we ever decide to move it into her room.

I spent alot of time rearranging, repurposing and reorganizing all sorts of things so that this new configuration would work for all it's purposes.

This person didn't help much.

Just to name a few... I moved a hanging organizer out of the closet to use as storage for fabric and took what previously resided in it (pants, pajamas, etc.) and placed them on the shelves (pictured below) of the ikea closet system that I was not utilizing (bad girl). Then I moved Iris's old yet organized clothes (you can read about that here) into her closet and also maximized some use of space in there. That freed up a three drawer rolling storage (bonus) which slipped perfectly under the desk. For now it remains empty but will soon house some of the clutter that still lingers.

This room is doing overtime and busting at the seams (puns are fun) but for now it works for me. 

It's like a puzzle. You just have to experiment and find where all the pieces go.

Tomorrow is the reveal of the Pinterest Challenge! I've been working feverishly to complete my challenge and so far I'm pleased with the results. I hope you will be too! Betcha can't wait to see what I chose to do. I'll give you a hint...You'll find it on the board titled Nugget.

Pinterest.

Have I mentioned pinterest before. 

If I haven't I'd be suprised. In fact, I'm sure I have.

Anyway I'll be participating in The (1st) Pinterest Challenge hosted by these lovely ladies.

Sherry from Young House Love

Emily from Style by Emily Henderson

Katie from Bower Power

Lana from Making a House a Home

There are no winners. It's just a challenge to take one of our many pins and good intentions and bring them to life and then share them with eachother. I'm not telling which pin I'm going to do ( mainly because I haven't decided yet). But this is a great jumping off point and a good excuse to break in my new workspace. A full post about that will follow tomorrow.

Look for the post on Tuesday for the final results and visit the blogs above for more pinterest fun!

You can follow me on Pinterest through the button in the sidebar. I'd love it if you would.

Happy Pinning!

Heat Wave.

Again I have to apologize for my silence. We are (as most of this country is) having a heat wave to rival all heat waves. 102 degrees in the shade to be precise. And I have mentioned on this blog once before that we are sans air conditioning. Yeah, I know. 

So I did what any mother would do to protect her child's health and comfort. I packed up our car and headed to Grandma's and then to the beach (where it was a cool 89 degrees). 

Here she is waking up from her nap on the beach. Jogging strollers are the way to go. Everyone needs a good all terrain vehicle.

So here I sit on a saturday trying to make it up to you. But now I must go and tackle that dressing room before my sleeping nugget wakes from her slumber.

Stay cool!