Oh My.

I've been absent for several days, and in a minute you'll see photo evidence as to why.  What started out as an innocent "let's paint the living room" project has morphed into a full fledged living room re-do that has left my house looking like it was picked up, violently shaken, and dropped back down.  I am currently living in a half-painted and entirely messy disaster area.

Let's back up.

This all initially started here, where we decided to paint the dark wood trim in the dining room a nice, crisp white.  We didn't want to commit to doing the rest of the trim in the living room and upstairs hallway until we were sure we really liked it.  It's a big change, and frankly, it's a crappy job.  Well, we ended up loving the look of the white trim so we decided to move forward with finishing the rest of it.  Since we knew we'd be moving everything out of the living room to paint the trim anyway, we figured why not just repaint the walls since it's been way too long.  Makes sense, right?  K.

We've also wanted to install built-in bookshelves in the dining room pretty much since we moved in.  We finally had someone out to give an estimate and decided to go for it.  These will be installed within the next several weeks, so we thought we ought to hurry up and paint the living room since we didn't want two rooms out of commission at once.  We're also going to do all the priming and painting of the bookshelves ourselves, so yet another reason to get one painting project out of the way.

While I was testing paint colors for the living room, I was reminded of how our couches have seen better days.  Much better days.  We've had them over 8 years, they were pretty cheap to begin with, and they're a blue/green color that has not aged well.  I bought slipcovers last year, but I really didn't like the look of them.  They were ill-fitting and just ended up looking like...slipcovers.  So then we decided we should take the plunge and get some new couches.  Ok, so now we're at new paint, built-ins, and new furniture.

As we were getting the room ready to paint, we decided that a new furniture arrangement would be nice.  We'd been stuck with pretty much the same one mostly because of our TV.  The TV isn't a terribly large screen (I think 27"?) but the entire unit was approximately the size of our refrigerator.  I think it was at least 3 feet deep and weighed at least 185 pounds.  We had it on a TV stand/entertainment center thing that I've never liked but it worked and served the purpose we needed.  Chad's been heavily hinting for years that maybe we should look into a new TV, maybe one that doesn't require a crane to lift or a huge contraption to store it on.  It just so happened that he had researched exactly which TV we should get if we should ever decide...and, coincidentally, Costco had said TV on sale.  Two hours later it was in Chad's trunk on its way home.

So, without initially planning on it, we've completely rearranged and gotten rid of half our living room furniture, ordered new couches, and gotten fully immersed in repainting.  Oh, and since we had to take the picture frames off the walls anyway, I decided to update all the pictures and spray paint some of them to coordinate with our new colors better.  Because what's one more project, right?

We're chugging along, getting as much done as we can during naps and in the evenings after Charlotte goes to bed.  In the meantime, it looks like my living room threw up all over my dining room and kitchen.

It's not pretty, but here you have it:

Don't worry, I didn't decide on a leopard print design for the trim.  It's wood filler, waiting to be sanded and painted.

My poor sewing table.

Charlotte "helping"

I like order.  This is definitely not orderly.  It is chaos.  I'm finally getting to the point where I can see progress and things are taking shape, but I'm very much looking forward to getting this done and our house put back together.  You know, so it can get all messed up again in a few weeks when the built-ins are installed.  :)

I can't wait to have the finished "After" pictures.

~Stacy

Project Pinterest: Yearly Photo

I saw the cutest photo idea on Pinterest awhile back where someone took a photo of their little girl and then listed her name, age, and a list of things she liked at that moment (the link to the original location on the author's blog is not working, so see the Pin here).  The idea is to do one every year to see how they grow and how their interests change.

I don't use any sort of fancy photo editing software.  I used to have Photoshop, but it made my head hurt and I usually ended up getting way to frustrated with it and finally stopped using it altogether.  I need simple, and for me Photoshop did not fall into that category.  Normally I do all of my editing in iPhoto, but unfortunately you can't add text--normally not a problem, but for this project it was needed.

Over the weekend I discovered Fotoflexer and if you ever find yourself in need of a free and easy to use photo editing application, this is your place.  Uploading pictures is quick and simple and they separate all the editing tools into categories like "Beautify" or "Decorate", where you can simply click a button to apply different effects and adjust by dragging a bar.  You can do basic editing like cropping, reducing red eye, etc., but also more involved things like adding layers, text, faces, special effects, you name it.  I found it very easy to use and could figure out how to do exactly what I wanted without help.    Yay for Fotoflexer.

Here's my masterpiece:

And, just because I was having fun...:

Howard also likes eating garbage he finds in the backyard, rolling in dead animal carcasses and licking the propane tank on the grill, but I left those off.

:)

Happy Monday.

~Stacy

Almost 15 Months ~ Photo Shoot

My girl is almost 15 months old.  Even though I stopped doing monthly photo sessions when she turned a year old, I decided to dress her up and take her to the park for pictures today.  We had them done at the same place this time last year, when she was just an almost three month old, tiny, precious little baby.  My friend Sara is a professional photographer and took beautiful pictures of Charlotte, which we have framed in the dining room.  I decided this time around to try my hand at taking them myself.  Far from professional, I think they turned out nicely and I could not have asked for better weather or a cuter dress for this girl to wear (thanks Uncle Carl & Aunt Sondra!).

She had fun, and then left the set completely:

My news feed on Facebook has been swamped with people talking about their kids going back to school or just starting preschool or kindergarten.  This always make my heart flutter a bit, because I now understand (somewhat) what they must be feeling; it truly would be a bittersweet moment.  But I have to admit, it also makes me breathe a small sigh of relief.  Even though the days continue to go by and she continues to get older (and always will), she's still, for now, my baby.  The farthest I have to see her walk away from me is to her stroller, 10 feet away.  If I could keep it that way forever I absolutely would.

~Stacy

Project Pinterest: Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ahh, Pinterest.  The site that is single-handedly responsible for ruining a well-intentioned evening of productivity.  To say that Pinterest is addicting is an understatement.  I can literally spend hours browsing the endless supply of inspiring, beautiful, and mouth-watering pictures and "pinning" away to my 29 (and counting) pin boards.  I have discovered tons of recipes, decorating ideas, craft projects, photography, and new blogs this way and several times a week add more pins (currently 594) to my idea boards.  I can't get enough.

Despite pinning almost 600 ideas, though, guess how many I've followed through with?  None.  Granted, some are just pictures I think are funny, or quotations, or photos of dream houses, but there are at least 100 that are project or recipe related.  I have this whole virtual idea box that I keep adding to but never actually using, so I decided it was time to change that.  Thus the idea for Project Pinterest was born.  The goal with this is to make/bake/sew/cook at least one thing I've pinned twice a month.  Those are the only rules.  I made them up.  I like simple games.

I completed my first Project Pinterest today, and I'm very pleased with the results.  I knew it was going to be cloudy, rainy and kind of chilly today and it was making me think of pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks.  I consulted Pinterest and pinned a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes from Skinnytaste.com.  Have you heard of this site??  I hadn't, but I'm pretty sure it's my new favorite site (besides you, Pinterest).  Gina, the author, makes delicious desserts, appetizers, main courses, drinks, and more that are low in fat, calories, and all the other bad stuff that we crave.  Her photos are amazing and she includes nutrition information and Weight Watchers points values for every single recipe.  I spent a long time browsing her site and ended up making our dinner menu for the week from it.

The recipe I used is Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting.  Check it out for the full recipe--it's quick and easy and will make your entire house smell ahhh-mazing.  Also, if you're on Pinterest (and if not, join! You won't be sorry and it's free), follow Skinnytaste.  You can also follow me here or by clicking the Pinterest link on the right column of this page.

Verdict?  They're delicious.  And moist.  And dreamy.  And only two points (three with frosting).  I made the frosting but ended up not using it.  The cupcakes are really flavorful and work fine without it, plus my frosting ended up really runny and hard to spread.  I could have thickened it with powdered sugar, but the point of using this recipe was to eliminate as much sugar and calories and possible.  If you do plan on using frosting, you may want to decrease the amount of pumpkin puree you use--you can always add more if it's too thick.

I will be making these again, and soon.

Happy pinning!

~Stacy

100 Posts and Other Bits

I didn't even realize it at the time, but my last post was my 100th!  I don't feel like I've written that many, but I suppose that's a good thing.  If it felt like a chore I wouldn't enjoy it (unless it was folding laundry, which is a chore that I love.  I know that's weird.  And you'd think I'd hate it given how often I do it, but nope.  Love it.).

I've had people ask me what the blog is about, or if I want to "do anything" with it.  Well, I guess I'm not really sure.  The blog isn't really about one specific topic.  I have too many interests to narrow it down very much.  I like sewing, crafting, making stuff, decorating, cooking, baking, the list goes on.  But I also love photography and taking pictures of nature.  And Charlotte.  And Howard.  And Chad.  (this list is in no particular order).  I have an Etsy shop, but the blog rarely focuses on it.  It doesn't exist to promote or sell any particular thing, but sometimes it does.  So I guess the blog is just me--a snapshot of my life on a given day.  The house I'm constantly trying to make a home by updating/changing/personalizing/painting/fixing.  The projects I'm sewing/quilting/building/trying not to mess up.  The food I'm cooking/baking/burning/sharing.  The baby I'm raising/chasing/cleaning up after/loving.  The dog I'm scolding/feeding/Frisbee-ing.  The husband I'm sharing all of this with.

This blog, like my life, is a mixed bag of everything I find worthwhile and interesting.  Sometimes I just want to make something and tell you about it.  Sometimes I want to practice my photography and need an outlet to share and improve.  Sometimes I have a recipe that's too good not to pass along.  A lot of times my little girl is adorable (I know, I'm biased), and since she consumes about 80% of my time each day I wouldn't be giving an accurate portrayal of life as I know it if I left her off here.  Also, I have a lot of family who doesn't get to see her (or us) on a frequent basis, so this is a place they can come to "visit."

So after 100 posts, I still don't have a clear direction of exactly where this blog is going.  I just know that I love doing it, and if you enjoy reading it even half as much then we're in good shape.  And if you do enjoy this blog, please follow or subscribe--I am thinking of phasing out Facebook over the next couple of months, which is where I usually share the blog now.

Also in the next couple of months I want to overhaul the look of the blog.  I want it to be more personalized and creative--I think I've finally learned enough to make it happen.  Stay tuned for those changes, as well as a bi-monthly segment that will be starting soon called "Project Pinterest."  More on that to come...

In the meantime, here is my latest project that was one of the inspirations for Project Pinterest: a large quilted tote bag.  I bought a quilt kit at Kathie's Quilt Shoppe in Maine (it was just featured in the Spring 2012 issue of BHG's quilting magazine as a Featured Shop!).  The kit used a mix of Amy Butler fabrics, which are some of my favorites ever--I'm a huge Amy Butler fan.  I used a pattern from Quilts Illustrated by Penny Sturges  called ps030 City Zipper Tote:

I made a few changes: made the straps a couple inches longer, changed the number of interior pockets and their sizes, and omitted the zipper and the flower embellishment on the outside.  Otherwise, I followed the pattern and it ended up turning out great.  I'm so happy with it, not just because I scored a new bag, but also because it was one of the more challenging projects I've made and I didn't ask for any help.  That's a big deal.  I tend to get overwhelmed with more complicated patterns and get help on a few steps, even if I don't necessarily need it.  To finish something without that boosts my confidence to try out more projects that I might have avoided before.  Though I still, despite sewing for almost 3 years now, have never made anything with zippers or ruffles.  I should address that.  Anyhow, here's the evolution of my bag from scraps of fabric to finished product:

It's big enough to do double duty as a diaper bag, too.  Score.

Happy Monday!

~Stacy

Sleeping Beauty in the Woods

Yesterday I had a crabby baby on my hands.  Well, more like a sleep deprived and over-tired baby.  She's going through some sort of sleep issue where she wakes up, sometimes several times, each night with major separation anxiety.  I'm not sure why this started, but apparently it's pretty common (so long as you read the credible baby websites out there.  I've learned to stay away from sites that allow just anyone to dispense advice as though it's gospel and in any way factual.  I walk away from those convinced I have a terminal illness and will perish that evening, and I know if I read any of them with baby issues I'd probably move my bed into her room at night and never leave the house during the day).    Anyhow, it's a phase that is not ideal but we're working on it.  Bleh.  In the meantime, I need to make sure this child gets plenty of napping done during the day because an over-tired baby at night means lots of wake-ups.  I love to hang out with her, but not at 2:30AM.

So yesterday I decided to take her to the park and walk while she slept.  Thankfully she was down with this plan.

Still holding on...

...and finally off to dreamland.  :)

It was a perfect day to hike and, according to Charlotte, to nap.  I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than sleeping soundly, surrounded by the beautiful outdoors, all while being pushed around without a care in the world.  Must be nice.  But I can't say I had it too bad myself :)

Happy Weekend.

~Stacy

The Smallest Forces of Destruction

See these two?

They may be small but they're capable of quite a lot--most notably, rendering my entire house a disaster in a matter of seconds.  I like things neat and clean and do my best to keep my house looking that way. Sometimes it can be a challenge given the amount of things that are stuffed inside a pretty small house.  Add that to a dog who sheds his entire coat about four times per week on top of wood floors that show every single speck of dust that lands on them and a baby who stirs up even more dust and trouble and you can see how things can go from acceptable to war zone in no time at all.

Every time Charlotte is done playing in a room or goes down for a nap, I pick up all her toys.  I know she's going to come back and take them all out again, but I can't stand leaving a bunch of stuff all over the floor.  Some days, though, she's just too quick and into too much to make that a possibility.  And when Howard gets in on the action and realizes that stealing baby toys makes the baby laugh hysterically, then the battle is pretty much lost on my end.  It's best to just surrender and let whatever will be just be.  Here's one of those days.

"Mom, she's emptying your purse again.  I think you should go check on her so I can take all of the stuffing out of this sock monkey when you're not looking and eat it."

"Do you see what she did?"

and off to tackle the second floor...

Happy Friday to you, and enjoy your weekend!

~Stacy