Red Planet

Flashback Friday: Stacation to Chestnut Mountain

2011-08-19T11:48:00.005-05:00

So lately I have been CRAVING going on a mini stacation. It seems post-baby we don't get out too much. Pre-baby we used to go on mini Stacations about once a month and had an absolute blast doing it. In January 09 the husband and I took an adventure to Chestnut Mountain ski lodge and did some shopping in Galena Illinois...No skiing it was too dang cold for that!

We woke up early one morning and on a whim we were out the door. There was lots of snow along the way. I managed to take this one as we were heading out.

It was cold...REALLY cold. I think it was -10 with ridiculous windchills the entire time. Neither of us wore gloves. Bad idea.

The Husband was a trooper and didn't mind me dragging him to 'girly' stores and eating at 'girly' restaurants that served 'girly' food like salads and soup. (I think he is a carnivore)
Not only was it cold outside...it seemed just as bad inside. Our hotel room was crappy and straight out of 1975, the only way to keep warm was with the heat lamp in the bathroom...And bourbon which inspired this photo...

And this photo...and lots of giggling and telling bad jokes.

I Heart:

2011-08-17T16:41:00.003-05:00

Is it completely weird that seeing images of pretty stacks of fabric, like this, excite me? Seriously. I have a room full of pretty fabric and a lonely sewing machine. It is all completely covered in saw dust...The sewing room has become the wood floor cutting room and it kinda makes me sad. sigh.

image source

Circus Party Pictures & The Most Handsome Strongman I Ever Saw.

2011-08-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

Birthday pictures, finally!! The last few weeks have been hectic, I am sorry for the delay. Here is Luke's Circus birthday party...or should I say Strongman Luke complete with mustache and chest hair!

Here is the table complete with ringmaster mustaches, handmade clown bowties, and plush beach balls.

The bowties were a hit (with the parents) and SO simple to make. No sewing required. I will be posting a tutorial on them soon!

I also sewed up these cute fabric beach balls from a fun little tutoiral I mentioned here.

Another table shot. I tried to keep things as baby friendly as possible. Instead of pop corn we had Puff Corn, Smarties, and animal crackers.

The cake :)Luke loved it!

We had toys and adorable babies EVERYWHERE. I would say it was quite a success!

Barred Owl and a Busy Week

2011-07-25T17:07:00.005-05:00

(Taken from me bedroom window)

(I had to sneak outside for a closer look)

(He/she was a bit camera shy)

Have you ever heard barred owls communicate with each other? It is the craziest sound. I have not lived in the woods all that long and earlier this summer I heard them carrying on just outside my bedroom window. Scared. The. Heck. Outofme. They sound like...monkeys...or what I imagine monkeys would sound like if they were just outside my window. (You can hear them here)

This week is going to be a bit hectic. Saturday is Luke's first birthday party. The in-laws as well as my mom and step dad are supposed to arrive on Friday and I may just lose my mind trying to get this house ready for company. With that said posts will probably be a bit slim in the next week or two.

Font Love: FREE FONTS

2011-07-24T00:52:00.004-05:00

So, I am totally slow when it comes to advancing on anything...ANYTHING. And as of 11:00pm I am officially a font hoarder. I would have continued missing out on something so wonderful had How About Orange not posted a link to The League of Movable Type.

The League of Movable Type shares FREE yes FREE fonts which is a great way to start a new obsession. Currently they have 15 free fonts available (give or take, I counted and it's 1am so I could be wrong)

That totally made my entire weekend.

I Heart Color!

2011-07-20T10:11:00.009-05:00

Have I told you how much I love color?? Well...A LOT.

I am really in love with this rusty orange color. It makes me happy. I am seriously considering repainting the master bedroom in this color. Its fun and kinda sexy at the same time!

I love this rainbow of colors for a kid space
And dont get me started on these fun cushions!
And if you havent noticed already my living room is yellow. I love yellow.
And how about this dining room. I love the deep color on the walls, the wall art, and those curtains. I NEED those curtains!

I lost image sources sorry :(

I hope to share some fun tutorials and pictures of some recent projects as well as a renovation update once The Babe is feeling better and I have time to take some pictures :D

Room Swoon

2011-07-19T08:24:00.001-05:00

I stumbled on this room over at House of Turquoise yesterday and I am completely in love. I am working on putting my living room back together and definitely keeping this one as inspiration! I love how cozy it looks and I love that it has STUFF. I like a little bit of clutter in my space. It makes it feel like a home to me.

County Fair

2011-07-18T09:05:00.003-05:00

I spent a little bit of time wondering around the fair this weekend. It was not very eventful but the lights sure were pretty. No rides for this lady. I used to love rides but seeing some of them make my stomach turn just thinking about them....not to mention the fact that they were put up in a matter of hours and are taken down just as quickly! (...I am turning into my mother)

Birthday Invitation

2011-07-17T21:23:00.004-05:00

So I debated posting this here since I just said I was moving baby things to the baby blog...but I thought it was on the line of being 'crafty' since I designed it. It makes me happy so I had to share. :D

New Baby Blog

2011-07-16T23:46:00.003-05:00

Red Planet was initially a crafting blog that, after the arrival of The Babe, turned into a baby blog. I realize my original followers didn't sign up for all my gooey baby rambling so I have decided to separate crafting/pretty things and babies and started a new blog dedicated to The Babe. Feel free to stop by!

Treat for ME!

2011-07-13T16:35:00.005-05:00

Being the momma of a grabby baby I have officially decided to completely retire the dangle earrings until the grab and pull stage phases. Which has lead to my first Etsy purchase for MYSELF.

Look at these adorable little posts! AND the design is hand drawn AND ON TOP OF THAT they were only $14 shipped! I will be sure to brag about them again once they arrive!

I Heart: Book Clutter.

2011-07-11T08:39:00.005-05:00

"Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house." Henry Ward Beecher"A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it." William Styron
"These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves. From each of them goes out its own voice... and just as the touch of a button on our set will fill the room with music, so by taking down one of these volumes and opening it, one can call into range the voice of a man far distant in time and space, and hear him speaking to us, mind to mind, heart to heart. " Gilbert Highet

"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I am in love with book clutter. I have been opening up old boxes of books and trying to find a home around the house for them. At first I was reluctant to pull them all out but after falling in love with these spaces I will let them clutter my home and I will love it.

Post 245: Flashback Friday: One Year Ago Today

2011-07-08T16:39:00.005-05:00

I can't believe this was me one year ago! (Fancy photography skills huh?) I was still only anticipating dirty diapers, sleepless nights, and walking around with pureed pears in my hair.

Little did I know how some little boy was going to take over every aspect of my entire world. (example: this blog, haha)

Post 244: Little Musician.

2011-07-07T10:09:00.005-05:00

I have a crush on a musician...

Isn't he dreamy?

Post 243: Fourth of July

2011-07-05T10:12:00.004-05:00

The husband and I are still adjusting to baby life. Usually, for the 4th we take the 8 hour drive south to be with family on the lake in Oklahoma. This year we couldn't pull it together so we stayed home and enjoyed the local festivities. The Babe loved every second of it despite the fact he had only one short nap yesterday. He is quite the people watcher and loved watching all of the other kids play. Sometimes he would join in with a little hoot or squeal.

I was excited to play with different settings on the new camera.
We drove to a small town just north of here expecting something small. The firework show ended up lasting an ENTIRE hour!

Lucas was enthralled. By the end of it all we had him saying a new word. "BOOM!"I was so delighted that he really enjoyed it. It makes my heart happy to show him new fun things in this world.

I am ready to do it all over again next year!

Post 242: Playing Hookie

2011-06-29T11:15:00.008-05:00

Over the weekend the boys and I played hookie from everything-- church, dinners, social outings, bills, showers--everything. So we could work on the floors I have been complaining about for months.

By noon The Babe was turning into a crank so we decided to pack up and head to the park for lunch and some much needed time on the swings...all work and no play...well, you know.
The Babe was a bit skeptical at first. He had been strapped down all day (highchair, jumper, exersaucer, repeat) and he was ready to feel the wind in his...hair?
Mr. Mom.We had a lovely little lunch in the park. Then it was on to the swings! The Babe was not so sure about it...

Once he got going he was a giggle machine. He LOVED it. He has been on the swings a million times but is so surprised with the outcome EVERY. TIME.We swung, blew bubbles (which he is completely not interested in yet), and swung some more until it was obviously nap time . I'm not sure who had more fun, The Babe or me and The Husband! I am glad we have a good excuse to act silly in the park and not seem quite so crazy..

(my head doesn't look that huge in real life....really)

Post 241: Date Night

2011-06-28T19:48:00.007-05:00

Tonight The Babe and I were missing The Husband who is currently on a business trip. We broke all of the rules, threw caution to the wind, drove with the windows wide open and went out on cookie date .He giggled the whole way there, made it through a quarter of his cookie and...well, needless to say our date did not last long. He did get to enjoy a little bit of forbidden sugar before the sandman sprinkled him with cookie dust...

Goodnight happy baby, I love you to the moon and back. :)

Post 240: New Prints

2011-06-28T07:18:00.006-05:00

My walls are looking bare, and so are my pockets so I hopped on Photoshop (Elements) and threw these together yesterday. I am quite pleased!

This one is my favorite. I love triangles. Can someone love a shape?? ...Even my wedding ring is a triangle cut.
This was an idea I got from The Pleated Poppy, where you can find a fun tutorial on how to make it on canvas, which I totally plan on doing when I'm working with more than a 30 minute baby nap break.A little while back I saw something similar to this. I believe it was a vintage travel ad/poster and I had to recreate it, living in Peoria and all. :)

Everything turned out better than I had expected considering I made all 3 in about 30 minutes. I will be sure to post pictures once they are printed and hung!

Post 239: Flashback Friday!

2011-06-24T14:10:00.005-05:00

Summer 2009: The best mani/pedi I have ever had came from my baby sister, Briley. She was 4 at the time...
She insisted and of course how could I resist?
She had polish all over herself but she loved every second of it (so did I).

She was so super proud of herself. I love that baby!

Post 238: Quiet Moment in a Hectic Day

2011-06-24T09:03:00.004-05:00

I love everything about this. The Babe, the colors, the fact that he is sleeping...So sweet, so quiet. I wish this moment would have lasted longer than 20 minutes, then maybe the dishes would be done...

Post 237: I Found Love On Craigslist.

2011-06-22T11:15:00.007-05:00

I want this stuff! I would own it if I was not sinking every extra dime into wood floors!

(all items from Peoria Illinois area...)

Antique architect file, it would make a great small entry way piece or a night stand.

Antique card catalog, a little "well loved" but that adds character right??
Haywood wakefield dining set. I love those chairs! Re-cover the chairs and it's a gem!

Mid century credenza, mmmmAnnnd this is a child size hutch. It is only 3 feet tall. It would be SO cute converted into a "work bench" for The Babe <3

Post 236: Around Town

2011-06-22T10:46:00.005-05:00

I have to admit I am quite the home body/recluse/hermet or what you will. I can go weeks without leaving the house (except for the occasional grocery run). But, now that I have a baby I feel the need to get out more. To socialize him...you know...like you do with pets so they dont act crazy every time the wind blows...ha. Plus he LOVES seeing new people.So lately I have been making an effort to see the sights and do things around this town. I have lived here for nearly 5 years and I am just starting to introduce myself to the community. Lame right? A couple weekends ago we hit up the Moss Avenue Sale. Which, I thought was just going to be a normal neighborhood garage sale (locals would say I'm clueless).

It ended up being quite nice. A lot of antiques, neat sights, and food vendors in a historic part of town. The homes were beautiful. Too bad I can't say the same for my photography skills.

The antiques were fun to look at (and dream about owning). We ended up talking to a guy who used to be a part of the Blues Society. (The Husband is a HUGE Blues Buff/Fan) We even picked up a few throw back posters for a dollar a piece. Not to shabby.

We didnt go home with much because we were not quite prepared. But believe me, I will be there next year!

Post 235: Mid-Century Swoon

2011-06-22T10:20:00.004-05:00

I was cruising the interwebs for some inspiration on the home project and stumbled across this fantastic home office on MyHomeDesain.com. And let me tell you I am IN LOVE.I love the cool colors with the natural wood.
And that rug!
Swoon.
For now I can only dream of an office space/craft room....but it is quite a nice dream. sigh.

Post 234: No Sleep and Black Coffee

2011-06-21T08:30:00.005-05:00

I remember a time in my life, about 6 months ago, where 5 hours of sleep was like a blessing from the heavens. I would have done anything...A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G for 5 hours of continuous sleep.

(Sometime about 7 months ago...I was still chipper after a night of NO sleep, enough so I caught this beautiful moment The Babe and I were having...ha)

I was tough. I did it and I survived. I have lost that...skill...can I call it a skill?? Five hours of sleep last night did NOT feel heavenly. It felt quite the opposite. The Babe rises with the sun (which is now 5:00am) and I apparently stay up way too late for my own good. Nothing coffee cant cure right? Unfortunately I am all out of cream and sugar. I am going to choke this black coffee down, suck it up, and cross my fingers that I am productive and I don't kill anyone in the grocery store.

Ya, see that cup? It says "Sisters are forever and I'm so glad your mine"....I have three younger sisters and...well, I bought it for myself, I am sure they were thinking it though.

Post 233: Fun Sewing Project- Skirts!

2011-06-20T10:52:00.007-05:00

So I was fiddling through some of my favorite blogs today and Noodlehead directed me over to Crafterhours who is having a totally awesome skirt week! There are tons of pictures, fresh ideas and great tutorials! Looove!

Swoon!

Being a momma a skirt with pockets is a fantastic idea. That way I still have a place to stash the stray cheerio or dropped baby link while still looking fashionable. And who doesn't just love fashionable and functional??

Post 232: Fabric Beach Ball! (Tutorial Link)

2011-06-20T08:38:00.010-05:00

The Babe's first birthday is in 6 weeks! SIX WEEKS!! I can't believe I'm a mom and a real human being that is turning ONE YEAR OLD IN SIX WEEKS!

Anyway, I have been working on putting together a fun circus/carnival birthday. I think I may be expecting too much of myself. But if I stick to it I too can have one of those fancy shmancy birthdays that I am seeing all over the internet. Sorta.

I had a hard time coming up with party favors considering all of Luke's "friends" are his age and younger. BUT then I realized I have been making these for baby shower gifts:

(Balls and Picture by Purl Bee)

Why not make the small one for a party favor?? I only need 10...not too bad...at least I am telling myself that. You can find the tutorial at The Purl Bee. (I LOVE THAT BLOG)

Sew it up, slap a tag with my cute baby's face on it. and BAM. PARTY FAVOR.

Do any of you have any other great idea for favors for the 1 and under crowd??

Post 231: God is great.

2011-06-19T20:56:00.004-05:00

The Babe is fast asleep and The Husband is putting together his Father's Day gift in the garage.

The house is quite except for the soft hum of the radio in the garage and the occasional ratcheting. For some reason this moment has my heart overflowing with joy. This is my little family. My boys are happy and I played a part in that. God is truly great.

Post 230: Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T00:05:00.003-05:00

Father's Day is here and if you are anything like me you are trying to pull something together at the last minute...thank goodness for the internet. Over at Sweet Scarlet Designs you can get this adorable FREE printable Father's Day card!

Post 229: I Kinda Wanna Do This...

2011-06-18T18:38:00.003-05:00

I have been growing my hair out for about a year now. It started out as pure laziness...and fear of another bad haircut. Then I started to miss having long hair. Now, between the humidity and the fact that Lucas thinks my hair is an acceptable thing to chew, pull, or whatever else babies do, I want it gone. And I'm kinda in love with this pixie cut...

It makes me swoon a bit.

Post 228: Hello Frog

2011-06-17T21:58:00.004-05:00

This little tree frog hung around my back door all day today and sang me a song or two.

Many days living in the woods and fighting off the rodents and bugs make me feel like I'm camping (not in a good way). Some days I wonder what I have got myself into...then pretty little frogs sing to me, the owls hoot and all the pretty wild flowers send their sweet scents through the windows....and that reminds me why I did this.

Post 227: Nom Nom Nom

2011-06-17T16:24:00.005-05:00

My name is Mandi and I am addicted to sweet potato fries. I can not seem to get enough! Which is absolutely terrible when I'm still trying to shed some baby pounds. (Yes, sweet potatoes are better for you, and these are baked but at the quantity at which I eat them, it completely negates that fact.)

(Yesterday's dinner: Bacon turkey burger on wheat and sweet potato fries. Nom Nom Nom)

The best part, besides being so delicious, is that they are SO easy to make. I am not much for sharing recipes. I guess at everything and I'm not much of a cook... but I think everyone should be partaking in these. They are the perfect mix of salty and sweet!

Ingredients:

3-4 Sweet Potatoes

1 tbl spoon Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Cajun seasoning to taste (or any other seasoning you like)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch strips, you can also do little cubes if that's more your style.

3. Drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and seasoning and mix so everything gets a good coat. Lay them out on a single layer on a cookie sheet. (I also shoot some Pam on the cookie sheet to ensure they don't stick)

4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until potatoes start to turn a nice golden brown.

5. Eat! (I recommend dipping in BBQ or ketchup)

The awesome thing about this is you can change up the flavor a bit. Next time I think I will substitute the Cajun seasoning for some Old Bay. Yum-o.

Post 226: First Father's Day Weekend!

2011-06-17T15:41:00.007-05:00

This weekend Lucas and I will be showering The Husband in silliness and love for his first father's day as a dad!!

He has been a pretty great dad if I say so myself. &hearts

Annnd I haven't forgot about my own dad!

Don't forget to show the dads in your life a little extra love over the weekend!

225: Handsome Boys

2011-06-02T11:38:00.005-05:00

This boy has my heart to a point it is ridiculous.
On the way to the wedding the hat made its rounds on the bus (kids apparently LOVE hats). By the end of the night it didn't look like much, but Lucas was as cute as ever. I love that little grin, it melts my heart EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

(the loves of my life)

Enough mush. I am working on a few sewing projects and hopefully I like them enough to take pictures and share later.!

Post 224: Last Minute Projects/Pulling Out My Hair.

2011-06-02T09:41:00.004-05:00

June was already going to be a busy month, and it just got busier. I dont do well with short notices and list minute things, which have come in an abundance this week. After being out of town for 10 days, things really start to pile up, and I dont even have a real job! big sigh.

Post 223: Back Home

2011-05-31T10:32:00.004-05:00

After 10 days gallivanting around Kansas and Oklahoma the boys and I have made it home. (huge sigh of relief) Road tripping with a husband, a dog, and a baby is hard work! It was exciting to have so much time to see family and friends but I am happy to be home. I have tons of pictures to share, TONS. Unfortunately today has been declared laundry day. Two suitcases and a trash bag FULL of dirty clothes. Gross. Have I ever told you how much I hate doing laundry?? ...and dishes...and grocery shopping...sigh.

(image found here)

I bet if my laundry room were this cute I would enjoy it more...or not...I may never know. I am so in love with the vintage fabrics and the aqua cabinet. Sooooo stinkin' cute!

Enough carrying on for now. I'll be back with pictures later...if the laundry doesn't kill me.

Post 222: Me Me Me Meeee!

2011-05-19T23:13:00.003-05:00

So, it has been awhile since I updated the pic or rambled on about myself so I figure it was about time. I know you are all just DYING to know more about me. I am SO interesting and, well, full of...sh...junk. ha. yeah you see that. I censored it. Anyway. Midnight is nearing, I have a 12 hour drive to Kansas in the morning and I don't want to sleep.

I haven't visited the family since January and I will be seeing some family members for the first time in YEARS. I am supper giddy...I will regret being so giddy and sleepless when 6:30 rolls around, but what can I say, I never learn.

A few random facts about me that you probably don't care to know, but you are bored and going to read anyhow. (haha) :p

1. I drink WAY too much Diet Dr. Pepper. I am surprised I have not gone into an aspartame coma yet.

2. I am only one of 7 siblings (not counting the 2 steps)

3. I am obsessed with fabric. Seriously. (Oh man, a Sonic Diet DP and a stroll through Joann Fabrics, heavenly. )

4. I used to want 1 or no kids, after having Lucas I want 30. (Yes, thirty)

5. I am random. And I have no idea why I do the things I do. (i.e. this entry)

6. I love way too easily. Some may see that as a pro, but to tell you the truth, it is not. Not at all.

7. I am a hermit and outspoken...and loud.

8. I pretend I am tough, but anyone who REALLY knows me, knows I am far from it.

9. I dream of one day being able to keep up a blog with some consistency as well as an Etsy shop...one day...maybe (I am planning to reopen Red Planet on Etsy this summer!!!)

Siiiigh, anyway, I will be giving sleep another shot I suppose. I will be back and blogging in 2 weeks!

Post 221: Wedding Weekend

2011-05-19T10:42:00.003-05:00

Eeee! Is this not the cutest? We have a week of weddings, friends and families coming up. We will be out as soon as I can stuff this ungodly amount of baby junk, clothes and a dog in our little rental car. I may need to pull out some Mary Poppins tricks to make this work. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Post 220: OPINIONS PLEASE!!

2011-05-18T14:51:00.004-05:00

So, the boys and I have an outdoor wedding to attend this weekend and I was putting something together for the Babe. Is the light green polka dot too girly?? I cannot make up my mind!

Post 219: Waiting for Peonies to Bloom

2011-05-18T09:34:00.002-05:00

Ever since the peonies quit blooming last summer I have been anticipating there reappearance. I love them. The way they look the way they smell, reminds me of childhood. Sitting on the cool cement porch, the hum of the neighbors radio, the smell of mom baking mixed with the sweet scent of peonies <3<3
I was playing with the new camera and the zoom lens the other day, seeing if I could catch anything interesting. I live in the woods but it seems as though all of the insects and animals were hiding. The pup did manage to chase this squirrel up a tree and I got a few sub par pictures. It wasn't until after I put the pictures on the computer that I noticed the baby squirrel!
I have been impressed so far but still have A LOT to learn. I refuse to have such a nice camera and use it in automatic mode...I actually took this picture from INSIDE the house. pretty awesome huh?
And I am posting this because we have these little purple flowers growing all through the woods. They are quite pretty and fragrant but I am clueless when it comes to identifying flowers. Do any of you happen to know what these are called?

Post 218: Outside

2011-05-15T20:25:00.005-05:00

This weekend was a cold rainy lazy weekend. I didn't take pictures. I didn't want to. All I wanted to do is sleep...and pout. Before the gross weather blew in Lucas and I got to spend a little time outside playing in the dirt...and eating the dirt/leaves/grass.
Then I told him dirt and leaves were not for babies to eat. He was less than pleased.
Today the sun is out again and it should be warming up. Last week the house was as hot as 83 degrees and last night we were at 62, inside. This weather has been nuts! Now that the sun is back I hope to get some good pictures with my new toy. I am super excited! I have read the instruction manual front to back. My head hurts from information overload but hopefully I can come up with something nice :D

Post 217: EEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

2011-05-11T19:38:00.000-05:00

My Mother's Day/5 year anniversary/birthday gift/Christmas gift/whatever else comes in the nest two years gift came in the mail today!!!!

I am super-duper excited to put this baby to work! I am NO photographer by any means and I have a lot to learn but I definitely look forward to it! Thanks Husband!!

Post 216: Flashback Friday!

2011-05-06T09:31:00.008-05:00

My family is the outdoorsy, nature & animal loving type. And this would have to be one of the more interesting things I have seen. It was Memorial Day weekend '08 and my cousin, Ryan, shows up on a wave runner with a fawn....A baby deer. On a wave runner. Nuts!
Ryan found him with two injured legs stuck in some rocks in the lake. It looked as though he had fallen from a drop off. Ryan and his momma were on it immediately. They bandaged up the little guy and contacted a wildlife rehab.

(Seeing this picture now makes me giggle. I remember, when the cousin was younger, him and my little sister would bandage up stuffed animals in the same way with toilet paper and popsicle sticks.)

It was pretty amazing to see the little fawn get so comfortable with people. (And to see the cousin so comfortable with the wild animal)

After bandaging the fawn up and making a couple of phone calls they jumped in the car and took him to a wildlife rehabilitation center. It still seems a bit unbelievable to me. I am glad I was able to get a few pictures :D

Post 215: Happiness in My Mailbox!!

2011-05-04T18:42:00.004-05:00

I bought this beauty the other day... (here)

I love her!

Usually, I buy something online and stir and wait for days, sometimes weeks for it to arrive. Waiting for items in the mail is a very dramatic time for me. But the folks at New Duds apparently know how excited and impatient I am and this pouch made it here four days from the night I ordered it. F-O-U-R days! Talk about on the ball!!

Saddest part of this story, I bought it as a gift for a special momma in my life. I really considered keeping it but then I realized I received a coupon with my purchase! OH YEAH!!

Post 214: Here We Go Again!

2011-05-04T11:38:00.004-05:00

Overnight, Aid for Aidan took off again! All of us were completely surprised to hear it made it to FARK.com yesterday as well as several Brazilian publications and who knows where else. We thought it was over in December. I shut down the Etsy since I was no longer able to juggle it, a new baby as well has home renovations. The kindness of people is amazing.

Aidan as a Gnome!

This week I was complaining. I was in a bit of a funk over the way people were acting towards me. I feel like this is a bit of a reminder from God that there are more amazing people than there are mean ones...and that maybe I should be a little less selfish.

Follow Aid for Aidan on Facebook.

Post 213: Nine Months.

2011-05-03T09:54:00.002-05:00

Post 212: Craft Room Disaster.

2011-05-02T09:05:00.004-05:00

This weekend I was motivated to sew...then I walked into the sewing room and saw this.
Needless to say, I changed my mind. For the past few months it has turned into a catch all as well as the cutting room for our flooring project and storage for all the things Baby Luke has already grown out of.

I know I have mentioned working on the sewing room time and time again. But it seems like everything else that happens around here trumps that project. So I sat down last night and started making a list of things I needed to do in order to get the sewing room organized and usable again.

Then I stopped.

Lucas turned 9 months yesterday. I have always had plans of having Baby Numero Dos when Luke is around two. That means within the next year or two I would be kicked out of the sewing room left finding a new spot to set up shop.

So this morning I am rethinking. We have Luke's room, our room, a guest room, Husband's music room...and the sewing/next baby's room...That leaves me with a closet or the laundry room. Bummer right?? Then I found some of these great small craft spaces on the ol interwebs.
Then I started thing it might not be so bad...
In fact it may force me to be a bit more organized, which is always good...
Yep...
I love this last one. Love. I love the wallpaper and that it is well decorated for such a small space. It excites me. A little surprise space behind some plain old closet doors.

Do you have some tips or idea for small craft spaces??

Post 211: Spit

2011-05-01T09:35:00.003-05:00

Hi, my name is Lucas and I like to spit.

Today my little man is 9 months and last night he learned how to spit (raspberry style). He thinks he is quite the comedian.

Post 210: Flashback Friday!

2011-04-29T10:54:00.008-05:00

Soo, I come from a large family. Growing up for the longest time it was just my sister and I. When I was in middle school my dad remarried and while I was in high school my first little brother, Eli, came a long (followed by 2 sisters and one more brother!). Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool having this little guy around and once I left for college I tried to spoil him as much as I cold. This picture was from the weekend that the husband and I, (we were only dating at the time) took him to MOKAN Raceway. Eli was 4 or 5.

We all wore cowboy hats and obnoxious sunglasses and listened to The Killers on the way there. I remember this because Eli, who had never heard The Killers, said "Aw man guys this is my favorite band! Rock and Roll!!" and proceeded to play his version of the air guitar which looked more like dinosaur claws playing a piano.

Take note of the green bowl...Being young at the time I didn't consider pumping a 5 year old full of sugar and nachos then letting him jump on the moonwalk = vomit. Well, it did. He was a good sport. He just lost a shirt, no harm.

That day is one of my fondest memories with the little guy. While we were at the t-shirt stand buying ourselves obnoxious neon car shirts Eli grabbed my hand and turns to me and says "Mandi, this has been the best day of my life!" (happy tear)

Here is Eli now. He is 10 (and about as tall as me!) and has been an awesome uncle to my baby Lucas. I know one of these days he will be making memories with Lucas as I have with him. I love my family!

Post 209: Slow Progress

2011-04-28T09:44:00.005-05:00

I was going to straighten the living room up and hang a few pictures before taking any pictures but then I thought "Lets not kid ourselves Mandi." Yeah, I talk to myself....a lot.

The living room has been like this for a few weeks now. I am really the queen of procrastination and unfinished projects. Just about every room in my house is in the middle of something. I have been tripping over loose boards and half empty paint cans for weeks...months even. (I was standing on a wobbly box of flooring and a paint can to get this picture thus the poor quality)

BUT Lucas is now on the verge of crawling. We know what that means. Trouble.

Here is what it looked like a few weeks ago:

I really need to find the pictures of this place with green walls and green shag carpet...but time to get to work for now!

Post 208: I Heart: Bunting!

2011-04-27T10:03:00.006-05:00

I have a bit of an obsession with bunting...I love it. Everywhere. Everyday should be celebrated with bunting!

I want it all!

Necklace by Peapod Treasures

Carry All by New Duds

Coasters by Mable Mae

Personalized Zipper Pouch by A.E. Wilder

Embroidery by The Wind Hover

Embroidered Shirt by Imago Drift

Post 207: Circus Love!

2011-04-26T09:55:00.007-05:00

In four days the baby will be 9 months. I have no idea where the time has gone. He may as well be turning 30. I feel like the moments slip by so quickly! So, with that said, this means it is time for me to start planing his first birthday!

Being a lover of elephants, popcorn...

striped straws, apothecary jars full of colorful candy...and bunting...i LOVE bunting...and just all things cute, bright and colorful, naturally I MUST go with a circus theme... (I am going to pretend that my current obsession with the novel Water for Elephants has nothing to do with it...)How cute is that??? Just a little Google image search has tons of inspiration. I just have to find a way to make everything baby friendly since all of his "friends" are about the same age. Anyone have any great party favor/food ideas for a bunch of babies??

Post 206: Random.

2011-04-25T10:36:00.007-05:00

My blog has been dead lately...and for good reason. The baby is learning a million things a minute, the house renovation is starting to fall behind...not to mention the piles and piles...and piles of laundry I have been avoiding. One of these days I will get back in to the blog groove. Although, I do not know when that will be.

I need to know the mommy bloggers secret. How do you manage to find the time, energy or motivation to keep up!?! Well...time...time might not be such a huge issue if I didnt find myself browsing Etsy, reading Facebook updates, or burying my nose in books. Motivation. Thats the real issue.

Speaking of books, I have become a total bookworm these last few months. I don't think my husband knows what my face looks like anymore. Once Baby is asleep, I am hiding in a corner of my dismembered house with a book. I think I was born with the traveler gene. I have never stayed on one place as long as I have been in this town and it makes me itch. Books seem to scratch that itch for now.

Post 205: Green!

2011-03-17T10:13:00.006-05:00

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's day than with a few beautiful spaces that feature the color green:

I hope you all enjoy your St. Patrick's day! :)

Post 204: Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-07T15:48:00.004-06:00

Post 203: Getting Started

2011-03-06T21:44:00.006-06:00

Step 1: Removing the 50 year old shag carpet!

This weekend was quite the busy one. Despite Luke’s 3am cry fest, the rain and strong desire to sleep in the husband and I got an early start. We managed to visit every home store within a 20 mile radius with at least 5 trips home in between for diapers, formula, baby naps and whatever else I forgot that the boy needed. (We are true rookies here) Not only are we rookies, but we are apparently not the smartest folks. After loading up our truck, in torrential downpour, with 25 boxes of wood flooring, we realized that 15 of the boxes were the wrong color….So we unloaded them. In the rain. I was soaked. My socks were squishy. My mascara was running. It didn’t slow me down, too much. By the end of the day we had a garage full wood flooring, a beautiful rug and other necessary supplies. It may have taken us 12 hours to get there but we did it.

Gus was NOT happy to see the carpet go...

Post 202: A delight for your ears

2011-03-05T21:43:00.002-06:00

Sooo, PBS aired a show on "The Weavers" tonight and I think I fell in L-O-V-E with Ronnie Gilbert.

Post 201: Like, Whoa! Flashback Friday!

2011-03-03T19:11:00.011-06:00

Ok, so I had PLANNED on completing my Lucas story. But this child insists I hold him all day long, and since I am mush, I will. So, today I am keeping it short and sharing this gem of a photo with you.

Of course, I am the smokin' redhead front and center. The stylish baby next to me is my sister and the blond sporting the geometric print and shoulder pads is my mother. All of the other ladies are my aunties. I really wish the picture would have captured my socks, I am sure I was wearing at least two pairs of contrasting socks layered upon each other with my K-mart version of keds. Go ahead, be jealous, it's okay.

You all have a like, totally RADICAL weekend!!

Post 200: Sewing Room.

2011-03-03T09:11:00.003-06:00

(Post 200 woo hoo!)

Anyway, I moved into a new home one year ago come March 15th. At the time I was 4 months pregnant which means I was unable to make as much progress as I would have liked to. Then Lucas arrived. Once I got into the swing of being a mommy Aidan's Monsters showed up. I am just now finding the time to get started on the list of 1 ZILLION projects I have planned. I am deciding to skip over the kitchen and living room for now and get to what is most important, the sewing room!

I have been looking for some inspiration on how to transform a 10x10 room into an AWESOME sewing room. (Here is what I am working with)

I think the key here is going to be organization...which is not my strong point.I love how light and airy these three rooms are.

My first step is finding the floor. Over the winter it became the catch-all for everything luke and I have grown out of, as well as summer clothes, cleaning supplies and a few unused pieces of furniture...wish me luck!

(All images above were found browsing the internet and do not belong to me.)

Post 199: Sweet & Simple

2011-03-02T09:07:00.008-06:00

So, I have to admit, as much as I LOVE old photos I have VERY few from my family's past. I have plenty from my husband's family, and a ton that the previous owners of my house left behind but just a handful from my own family. Which makes me sad. I believe it has a lot to do with the fact that my grandmother's house burnt down just before she passed and a lot of history was lost. Today an Aunt of mine shared this picture with me and I love it. LOVE IT....love really is not a strong enough word for the feelings I have for this picture.

My Great Grandma "Shorty" Grace is on the right and her sister Ruthie on the left. They are so beautiful!

I remember going to Grandma Shorty's where she would fill my days with sweet tea, flowers, westerns, and bird watching. Her sister Ruthie lived right across the street and would come over for coffee in the backyard. It was sweet. It was simple. I long for a life full of sweet and simple and hope that Lucas and my future children can find sweet and simple and savor it the way I did.

Post 198: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Luke's Arrival Part 1

2011-02-24T11:01:00.008-06:00

I know it has not been that long ago...less than a year really. It is still a flashback, especially considering how things have changed around here in the past 6 months!

You cannot tell me he is not the most beautiful baby EVER.

I woke up the morning of July 31^st and was determined to have my baby by the end of the day, although he was not due for another week. I was measuring 45 weeks. Seriously. They measured twice…No, three times. I was told Luke was going to be 9lbs 11oz by ultrasound measurement and I was not sure my body could take any more baby! Fortunately, that morning, there was a city wide garage sale.

32 weeks (im not angry...just focused..in my 1960s bathroom)

I told everyone I was going to walk Luke, no questions about it. Needless to say I walked every neighborhood street that day. It had to be well over 5 miles. My husband and Mother-in-law looked like they were about to pass out from exhaustion so I had to call it a day. Being that we had not eaten all day, since I was excited to get going and refused we stop for breakfast, we decided to go to the Chinese buffet across town. Not the healthiest choice for a mother to be, but really, who is still eating healthy after their 6^th month??

36 weeks measuring 39

Anyway, we arrive at the buffet, get to our table and I decide I need to pee for the 1,029,323^rd time that day. On my way to the bathroom…ooops! I thought I started peeing my pants from the weight of my big…no, enormous baby! I thought I would die of embarrassment…then I realized I had NO control over what was going on with my body at that moment. I was incontinent! NO! My water broke!!

38 weeks: I thought it would be a good idea to get out...in one baziollion degrees. I also forgot I could no longer sit.

After taking baby steps the rest of the way to the bathroom I took a moment to freak out.(I mean REALLY freak out) I then wiped what leftover mascara had run down my face in my quick 2 minute meltdown, squeezed my knees together and shuffled back out to the restaurant. Scared to go too far, I stood at the edge of the room and yell at my husband…or try to. At this point I was so shook up I could hardly speak

Me: "Uhhh. . .Adam…Adam….ADAM…we have to go!”

Adam: “huh?”(alarmed look, jaw drop, food rolls from mouth) “OH SHIT!”

Then I called the same to my mother in law who then dropped her plate on the buffet and we rushed out. The waitresses were confused but when they realized what was going on they shoed us out. It was as if they couldn't do it fast enough. I felt their hands on my back pushing me out the door. They did not seem fond of the idea of baby junk in their restaurant.( I don’t blame them. There has to be some health ordinance issues with that.) Once I took my first step out of the door there was no question of what was going on. I was drowning. Drowning in amniotic fluid and panic.

Part 2 coming soon…maybe…

Post 197: Little things

2011-02-24T08:19:00.006-06:00

I buy whole wheat waffles so that when I slather them with Nutella, which is essentially candy, I do not feel so guilty.

What little things do you do?

Post 196: Babies!

2011-02-23T14:47:00.008-06:00

In the past 6 months 7 of my beautiful friends/family have had babies! Talk about timing right? Well last week, now that I have more time on my hands, I was finally able to do a little sewing for one of those precious new babies, Charlotte "Charlie". (How cute is Charlie?? I LOVE IT)

I say us ladies put together one fine baby shower...Oh, and the food!

I cannot even begin to tell you how delicious it was...needless to say I had absolutely no part in making it.

Of all the little bits I sewed, this is by far my favorite. I know this was not a completely original idea. I have seen quite a few of these cute little elephants floating around and I love them so, of course, I had to make one.

With two more babies on the way in the next several months, I am sure I will be making some more of these :D

Post 195: I AM BACK!

2011-02-23T10:05:00.006-06:00

So, my part in Aidan's Monsters has finally come to an end. Again I have to thanks all of the wonderfully snarky and entertaining folks from Regretsy for their big hearts and loud mouths (hehe) for spreading the word. (and of course my lovely BFF Leanne for contacting April Winchell) We were able to sell over 7500 prints for Aidan's family in two short months! And it took me about 4 months to fill them all. You can see a clip of the Aidan's Monsters story on World News here: (be sure to watch the video!)

It is sad that it is over but I am more than ready to spend some more time with my beautiful baby Lucas...and sewing of course!

Speaking of sewing, I hope to have a giveaway soon to celebrate re-entering the blog world! Keep your eyes open for it!

Post 194: Happy Holidays!

2010-12-16T13:01:00.002-06:00

Well this year has been quite eventful! I had the joyus arrival of my beautiful baby boy, Lucas and the terrible heart wrenching news of my nephews leukemia, only to be brought up again by the outpouring of support around the entire WORLD! I can say, comming out of 2010, I have changed for the better and I will never be the same. I started as Mandi, and came out a Mommy. I opened up and I have spoke with people I never thought I would be speaking too and have been touched by stories that I had previously never opened my eyes to. I have no idea what is in store for the years ahead but I know after 2010 I will be spending a little less time on myself and a little more time on others. I am thankful for this and grateful that I will be little less ignorant for this next trip around the sun.
Happy Holidays!

Post 193: My life belongs to MONSTERS!

2010-11-16T11:42:00.007-06:00

I can say that this last month has been completely OVERWHELMING! The word overwhelming doesn't even begin to paint the picture...

As I had mentioned last month, with Regretsy's help, we started a fundraiser for my nephew and his family.

(Aidan and Little Brother Amry)

My nephew, Aidan, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia September 13th. You can read about it here. Since the fundraiser kicked off October 19th, we have raised over $50,000. How you might ask?? By selling his adorable monster drawings on Etsy. I have no idea what happend but the stars aligned and the world fell in love with Aidan and NOW I have a garage full of thousands of picture mailers, photo paper, printer ink, and lables. We are nearing the sale of 5,000 drawings in a little less than a month. THAT IS NUTS!

His art has gone to Austrailia, UK, Russia...just about anywhere you could think of and it completely blows my mind and still seems completely unreal. It doesent make Aidan well again but it makes us feel like we all have the world in our corner. And that, my friends, is an amazing and uplifting feeling.

So that explains the lack of crafting and blogging these days. :)

Post 192: Procrastinator...

2010-10-15T22:48:00.003-05:00

Hello, my name is Mandi and I am a habitual procrastinator. sigh.

SO way back on July 10th some beautiful women threw the most fabulous baby shower at a tea room for me and Lucas. It was adorable and it could not have been more perfect. I suck for not getting these out sooner. I just got around to mailing their thank yous out today. These things have been sitting on my desk for over two months now!

I could have sent out the cards right away but I really wanted to send something more. And being pregnant at the time I had to keep it quick and easy...but I still managed to fail at getting them out at a decent time! Dangit!

Anyway, I guess now is better than never. I hope I do not seem ungrateful :(

If a friend was this terribly slow at getting her thank you to you what would you think of it??

Post 191: Aidan's Monsters!

2010-10-12T08:27:00.005-05:00

We have opened up a new Etsy shop, Aidan's Monsters, to sell some prints of Aidan's artwork! 100% of the sales goes directly to help pay for Aidan's Leukemia treatments.

(Scary Guy by Aidan 8x10 - $12.00)

(Red Monster by Aidan 8x10 - $12.00)

Psst...You can even find this one on a tote here. PERFECT for a Halloween treat bag :)

If you do not know already Aidan is my 5 year old nephew who was diagnosed with leukemia one month ago. You can read more about his story at AidforAidan.wordpress.com

All of your thoughts and prayers are very appreciated.

Post 190: Pink Elephant!

2010-10-08T10:14:00.009-05:00

Hey, its Friday! Annd to make my Friday even better I just received this beautiful ring in the mail! I won it from a fantastic give away over at Wichita Handmade! The ring is made by the one and only Pink Elephant Embellishments.

I must say the ring is even more adorable in person and very sturdy (and when you are me that is VERY important). The cuteness does not stop here! Swing by Pink Elephant Embellishments and check out some of her other cute jewelery!

Oh, and a cute baby update for good measure!

Lucas is now 2 months old and weighing it at 13 lbs 12 oz. He is a big ol boy and getting bigger every day. One of these days I will learn to balance Red Planet and a baby but it does not look like I will be opening the shop any time soon.

Post 189: Heartbreaking News

2010-09-30T09:46:00.005-05:00

Earlier this month my family and I recieved some terrible, heartbreaking news. We were told that my 5 year old nephew, Aidan, has Leukemia. You may remember me mentioning him here a while back. Aidan will be facing two to three years of chemo. The doctors say it is 97% cureable which is great, we are just heartbroken at what Aidan will have to go through to get better.

Along with dealing with this terrible news my brother and his wife also had a baby this weekend and Wylie, my brother, is out of work for a month. Times are definitely tough for them. Instead of crafting I have been filling my time with ways to help out Aidan and his family. You can learn more about it at AidforAidan.wordpress.com

Post 188: Remember me?

2010-09-07T21:19:00.004-05:00

So it has been brought it to my attention that I have not posted in a whole month! I cannot believe it has been so long. As you all can imagine I am adjusting to Mommyhood and it is a hectic, sleepless, exhausting time but I would not change it for the world! I live my days covered in baby spit up and up to my knees in dirty diapers and anything to do with crafting or the like is so far on the back burner I have no idea when I will get back to it. One hobby I have picked up is taking pictures of my beautiful baby Lucas. I am absolutely no professional and neither is my camera (hint hint, Husband!) but you can see our Project 365 here.

Post 187: Welcome Home Lucas!!

2010-08-07T11:45:00.005-05:00

Lucas William was born August 1st at 10:16 am and weighed in at 8lbs and 15 oz!

My water broke at a chinese buffet of all places...embarassing huh? After 20 hours with no progress, including 10 hours of pitocin Luke arrived via c-section. He is the sweetest baby and my heart is so full of love. I am on cloud nine.

Post 186: Neglected.

2010-07-26T08:44:00.005-05:00

Oh dear blog I realize I have neglected you. I hope you understand it will only get worse these next couple of months...

Today is my 26th birthday (woo hoo) and today is also the day the MIL gets in town to help me and the husband adjust to our new up coming lives as parents! Baby Lucas is not here yet but I have a feeling it is any day now. At my last doctor visit I was told he was measuring nearly 9 lbs with two more weeks of growing to go!! Ah! Sooo, we have to make the decision for c-section, induction, or waiting it out. I am just hoping he decides to make his own appearance in the next few days. *finger crossed*

(Lucas William @ 31 weeks)

I have managed to make some progress on the nursery and hope to share that with you all when I am not too lazy to take some decent pictures. But for now here is little sneak peak of what a took a couple of weeks ago...

My 'quilt' that turned out to be a blanket due to lack of time and energy to do much else to it...

Well, enough for now! Hope you all have a fantastic week :)

Post 185: Hot Air Balloons!

2010-07-17T20:30:00.002-05:00

This weekend the husband and I accompanied some friends to watch hot air balloons! The balloons were so big and beautiful!At night they were so beautiful! We got to see a bunch of them glow and it was quite a sight.
I only wish I were smart enough to charge the camera before we went! Maybe next time.

Post 184: Last Minute Projects

2010-07-16T13:18:00.005-05:00

I finally finished Luke's crib 'quilt'...It was supposed to be a quilt at least, but I got lazy and it ended up being a patch blanket. It is cute none the less (if you ask me). :D

I'll post nursery pictures next week so stay tuned!

Sooo, nearly every woman I know is expecting a baby in the next month or two so I have been sewing my tail off trying to finish up shower gifts before baby Luke gets here! It has actually been quite fun to work on some quick easy projects. I like seeing the results so soon! It is also a fantastic way to use up all the bits and pieces of fabric I have gathering dust.

Lil' Taggies:

(I was going to post more pictures but they are all blurry!) My mind and photography skills went out the door once pregnancy hit. ah!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!

Post 183: Folk Facebook Giveaway!

2010-07-15T08:17:00.004-05:00

Check out this giveaway!!

Is that not the most adorable little pouch ever?? You MUST enter by going to Folk's Facebook page, becoming a fan, and simply leave a comment on the giveaway image. Contest ends July 24th. Easy peasy right?? Don't forget to mention Mandi sent you!

Post 182: Baby Belly and Some Babbling

2010-07-14T22:33:00.006-05:00

This month sure has been a busy one! I have been meaning to keep up on posts but have not found the time. Hopefully I can start to make up for it this week.

So a few random babbles...

The husband and I managed to drag ourselves out in the heat and humidity to watch Fourth of July fireworks. I didn't think anything of it and just brought along a picnic blanket. Bad idea. I forget how hard it is to sit on the ground let alone get up with all this extra baby on me! Speaking of baby, at my last appointment (according to the ultrasound) Luke is measuring 39 weeks, 7lbs and 14oz (with 4 more weeks to go)!! "He's a biggun" as my dad would say.

36weeks 3 days

On Saturday some of my fantastic girlfriends threw me and Luke a beautiful baby shower at the most ADORABLE tea room (I wish I would have remembered my camera). The food was DELICIOUS and I have been craving it ever since, but my husband refuses to accompany me to some place so girly. Sigh.

Friday the husband won tickets to Vince Neil (ridiculous). I passed and went to the movies to see Despicable Me (Totally adorable movie by the way). It was my first 3D movie so I felt all giggly and excited about it. On the way home I hit a pot hole...maybe a crater and bent two rims on my car. That was an expensive mistake!

I also had a little summer book exchange with my BFF Leanne of Folk.

We sent each other 3 books from our stash. The ones I received are:

1. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

2. Pavilion of Women by Pearl Buck

3. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Annnd, along with the books, to accompany all of the ridiculous Twilight hoopla, she sent me these lovely buttons.

Is that not hilarious! I'm all about Team Luke and have buttons for my hospital posse to sport. That is, as long as they are not too embarrassed, hehe.

Post 181: Happy 4th of July Weekend!!

2010-07-02T18:52:00.004-05:00

Happy 4th of July to all my fellow American bloggers! I hope you all have a lovely weekend full of festivities. This will be my first Independence Day celebrated away from family. I have decided I am too pregnant for the 8 hour drive. Sooo I will be celebrating by painting my master bedroom and straightening the house for the arrival of Luke and the in-laws.

180: Good Morning

2010-07-01T08:16:00.008-05:00

Good morning breakfast, I love you.

Good morning Gus and stupid looking teeth, I love you.

Good morning flower, I love you.

Good morning most perfect looking spider web I have ever seen, I love you.

Good morning sunshine, I love you.

Good morning Lucas, I LOVE YOU!

Post 179: Fancy Fun DIY Project

2010-06-28T09:45:00.003-05:00

I was browsing through some blogs this morning and stumbled across this fun little project at Ticklish From A Distance. Now, if I can ever get through my never ending to do list I would love to get started on this and see how it goes...I am sure some of you ladies have some Mardi Gras beads you could make some good use of ;p

I think it looks so cute outdoors. Perfect for a flower garden.

You can find the tutorial here.

Post 178: Bedroom Inspiration

2010-06-27T21:33:00.003-05:00

Sooo, this week I am hoping to tackle the master bedroom. I have been putting it off for way too long. I have posted a few lovely pictures of rooms I looove.

How awesome is this beautiful yellow bed?

I know I posted this in the previous entry but it is too fantastic to not include again.

More grey...
I love the modern twist to this room...I am really excited to get started I am hoping I can follow through with it without getting too exhausted. If you have some pictures of fantastic grey and yellow rooms be sure to share them with me!

(all images found on flicker)

mandi

Post 177: Happy Weekend

2010-06-25T08:37:00.005-05:00

This baby thing has me totally exhausted. I plan on spending my weekend getting lost in books and enjoying obnoxious amounts of sleep.

(image from flickr)

The house is coming along at a decent pace considering how out of it I have been. My next room to tackle is the master bedroom. I love the room above with its pretty yellow and grey color scheme, I hope to do something similar before baby arrives. That gives me 6 weeks, if I can keep myself awake long enough to accomplish anything!

Post 176: Happy Fathers Day!

2010-06-18T09:16:00.005-05:00

So as a tribute to my Dad on Father's Day I thought I would share a photo circa 1992.

Hehe!

I wish this video were of better quality so you could see the deer-in-the-headlights look on his face when he found out he was going to be a Grandpa! By the way, if you have not guessed, all the little blonde kids are my little siblings :)

Post 175: Adorable Giveaway on Facebook!!

2010-06-08T13:25:00.003-05:00

The awesome and incomparable Wichita Handmade is hosting a fabulous giveaway for the next two weeks!! It begins today and a winner will be drawn on Saturday, June 19th. The prize is a lovely, summer-inspired lemonade, linen, and lace wristlet created by Folk. It really is a little cutie!

All you need to do to enter is head on over to Wichita Handmade's facebook fan page, become a fan (or "like," as they're calling it these days), and leave a comment on the giveaway status!

I am providing a direct link to the status right HERE.

Post 174: A Peek at Lucas!

2010-06-07T19:54:00.005-05:00

Today I got to take a little peek in at my lovely baby Lucas! Im 31 weeks along but he is measuring a whopping 34 1/2 weeks! Eeek!

He has my nose! Ah! I am so excited and terribly nervous about his arrival!

Post 173: I Daydream Of Sewing In An Organized Space...

2010-06-01T22:14:00.005-05:00

Oh how I wish I had the motivation to organize and clean the sewing room. It has become a catch all for unpacked boxes, paint buckets, and all of the clothes i can no longer squeeze my pregnant body into.

(I love this pic! Found on flickr)

I have managed to squeeze myself in there when I am feeling brave and sew up some fitted crib sheets and start working on Luke's crib 'quilt'. I use the term quilt loosely because it may just become a patch work blanket since quilting sounds like a daunting task...I will post pictures of my works in progress very soon. I promise. Maybe.

Post 172: Oh My Peonies

2010-06-01T20:12:00.004-05:00

My lovely flowers!
Peonies are my FAVORITE and they make my heart happy! The owners did a fantastic job with flowers around here. Every two weeks I get a new kind of flower blooming :D
Too bad they were not able to keep up with the vegetable garden...It is my project for next year!

Post 171: Nursery!

2010-05-18T20:12:00.009-05:00

Baby Luke's room is coming along! Here was my sloppy 'design board' of what is going on thus far:

We put in hardwood floors and painted the walls...I love the little chandelier that came with the house, but I am not sure I will being keeping it in a boys room... And my favorite part...the fabric! Yum!

We have made it a bit further than the picture shows but I have been busy sewing up Luke's bedding and have had no time for pictures! Over the weekend the husband and I assembled the crib and put the quarter round around the room. I am in love with it!!

Things are settling down a little around here and I hope to get back to my sewin' blogging self for a little while at least!

Post 170: Overwhelmed!

2010-05-05T16:41:00.004-05:00

Lately, I have been overwhelmed to say the least! Things are going well. Most crafting has been put on the back burner besides the few burp cloths, taggies, and bibs I have made for friends babies. I have not even started anything for my wee one yet! Most of my time has been devoted to working on the house when I have the energy for it. My second trimester energy is starting to drain from my body and my belly is blowing up like a balloon as I begin week 26 of pregnancy.

Oh and here is my first pregnant picture.... 25 weeks

(Little Sister, Me, & Baby Luke)

Post 169: Update!

2010-04-09T11:15:00.003-05:00

I knooooow it has been awhile. I am getting 'lazy' with my blogging. I am SO busy with the house and making baby plans that I cannot find the time or desire to blog (terrible huh?).

Since the move I have received some FANTASTIC surprise packages from some blog and non-blog friends of mine that I keep meaning to share! Every one has been so sweet and fantastic, it warms my heart. I will get around to posting those once I can find the time for pictures (oh, and the camera i misplaced again...).

In other news the husband and I found out we will be having a BOY! I am so excited to know who has been making my stomach turn all this time. Our next big hurtle is coming up with a name since the man and I agree on NOTHING. haha. I am sure it will come to us just in time.

I am not sure exactly when I will make it back but I can promise there will be some time between blogs until I start to get things organized and in place around here. Thanks for following along!

<3>

Mandi

Post 168: Rawr!

2010-04-01T11:10:00.007-05:00

I really wish I would have taken some better pictures of this room. It would have been fantastic if I could have taken one with the original furniture. Supposedly, this fabric wall was designed by some great interior designer 40 years ago for the owners' son. (They used interior designers for EVERYTHING)

It is fancy fantastic! I have taken the fabric down (against my husbands wishes) but I did manage to salvage the fabric out of the deal. I WILL be using it for some fantastic handmade items once I get the time.

Post 167: I love this place.

2010-03-31T08:22:00.008-05:00

It is such a beautiful morning, it makes my heart happy. Puppy Gus and I enjoyed our breakfast on the deck the morning watching the world go by. I am in love with this place.

Oh! I have to share what the husband and I saw out the bedroom window Monday morning. At first glimpse it scared the heck out of me.

I wish I would have caught him with his feathers still fanned out, he was beautiful!

Post 166: Bragging

2010-03-30T16:18:00.004-05:00

So, I received a FANTASTIC little surprise package from my BFF Leanne in the mail last week!

I think this pincushion is SO adorable! It is so tiny!
A lovely bundle of fabric and lace. I already have plans to use it for some little bits for baby!Lastly, the most fantastical fortune teller/cootie catcher ever! It has me giggling to myself for quite awhile. :DAnd, Since I have been promising to share the house treasures with you here is the first of many. The old owners left us this gem. It is a record player/radio in SUPER condition. Not even a scratch (except some small scuffs along the bottom). It has two working tube speakers which sound better than any stereo I have ever heard. I only wish I could play MP3s or CDs on it hehe. I do have quite the record collection so i still have selection. But you really don't understand the quality of sound that comes out of this dinosaur! I love it. You must also take note of the groovy green shag carpet (covered in wall paper scraps). I will be sharing more about my trip to 1968 later! ;p

Post 165: I'm Back!

2010-03-26T08:38:00.003-05:00

So we are moved in and busy doing 1 bazillion things. We finally got Internet yesterday and once I find my camera cable in one of these boxes I will have plenty to share!
It is fabulously 1968 in this house even down to the Green and gold flecked damask-ish wall paper to the working Nutone intercom system that my husband finds great joy in. I have been peeling wall paper for days and it is about time to start painting!
I will be fairly busy but I hope to start posting pictures of the treasures I come across in this little adventure!

Post 164: Catchin Cooties!!

2010-03-09T18:59:00.005-06:00

Swing by Ms. Shelly's Blog, I Didn't Sing Up For This, and catch a cootie!!!

Shelly made THREE unique cootie catchers and is giving them away on her blog. That means three winners! I think this has to be one of the cutest little giveaways, so fun and nostalgic!

On another note, my MIL arrives tomorrow and we move this weekend so I am sure I will be absent for several days. Have a great week!!

Post 163: Moving

2010-03-08T12:18:00.003-06:00

(image from flickr)

Moving day is growing near! My Mother-in-law arrives on Wednesday to 'help' and on Friday we move in to the dream home! Getting around this house has become nearly impossible with all of these boxes. It is a really weird feeling to see our little world packed away in a few bags and boxes. This house is starting to feel empty and much less like a home with each passing day but I cannot express how excited I am to move on. I only hope the next owners will enjoy it as much as we did!

Post 162: Happy Weekend!!

2010-03-05T09:47:00.007-06:00

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! This is my last weekend in the old house, it is so exciting but a bit sad at the same time. I am really happy to start a new chapter at a new place, but this, being my first home will be missed.

I hope you all get plenty of sunshine and signs of springtime this weekend! Do you have any big plans? Besides packing and fixing a few last things I hope to go see Alice in Wonderland!

I am not a big Tim Burton fan nor am I in love with Johnny Depp but as a child I was HUGELY obsessed with Harry Harris' 1985 made for TV movie of Alice In Wonderland.

I am honestly expecting to be somewhat let down since I am sure Tim Burton's version will not include a hookah smoking tap dancing caterpillar played by Sammy Davis Jr. sigh.

Post 161: Check Out My Interview!

2010-03-04T13:27:00.004-06:00

Stop on over at I Didn't Sign Up For This where I answered a few fun questions. While you are there you should also check out the past weeks worth of interviews. I loved reading and comparing all of the different answers. It has been fun!

Post 160: 7 Things...

2010-03-02T16:30:00.008-06:00

Beautiful Amy of Ponder & Stitch passed on this Beautiful Blogger Award to me. Be sure to check out her shop it is too fantastic!Seven things you may not already know about me...I did something similar to this in the past so I tried my hardest to come up with some new facts!

1. I hate when I remember my dreams, especially if they were REALLY good dreams about fantastic things I will never obtain. It just makes the next day entirely too depressing.

2. I am a turning into a hermit and I enjoy it.

3. I am the biggest scatterbrain to walk the face of the earth. I am convinced I am going to have full blown Alzheimer's before I am 30.

4. I terribly miss living in Kansas. Most people complain about it but I think it is beautiful. I love the pace and most of all I miss my family!

5. I have never lived in one place for over 3 years. I plan on spending the rest of my life in the new house. I am excited but at the same time it scares the heck out of me!

6. I think I am going to be one of those people who are stuck in a different decade. You know you see people in their taper leg, acid wash jeans and 80's hairdo. I am stuck in 2006 and I am not sure if I will ever catch up. I may just settle there and be happy.

7. When I was 8 I won the "Guess the Real Captain" contest by Captain Crunch. I sent my answer in AFTER they had announced the real Captain Crunch on television. I thought I was clever and that I had cheated the system. I won a bike, I also was given a bike as a gift that same week for my birthday. Later that same year I won first place in the fire prevention poster contest and the price was a bike! The back up bikes came in handy after I had left the others in the driveway to get ran over...

I am passing this award on to:

Post 159: Paint Colors

2010-03-01T08:26:00.002-06:00

I am having the HARDEST time deciding what colors to paint the walls in the new house. I have become so frustrated with it I have almost found myself resorting to white, and if you know me, you know white walls are generally never an option.

I will be moving in a little less than two weeks and I am making an effort to be organized so I can get my decorating and renovating done as quickly as possible, before this pregnancy completely consumes my brain. I am sure I have the nursery all figured out but everything else is beyond me. Dangit!

Post 158: Nine.

2010-02-26T09:21:00.004-06:00

I was part of a fun little project at the blog, I Didn't Sign Up For This! Ms. Shelly picked 9 of her favorite blogs and asked each of the writers to answer 9 questions. She asked some fun questions so I suggest you swing by and check it out!

Nine Days. Nine People. Nine Questions.