Adventures of One CrAzY LaDy!

Busy Sewing Bee!

2012-02-01T23:14:00.001-05:00

These past couple of weeks/months, I've been sewing, sewing and sewing some more. The majority of my Winter Break consisted of me sitting in front of my sewing machine or standing in front of my ironing board. You see, I offered to make my dear friend, Traci her baby bedding BEFORE I found out she was having twins (oopsies!) although I wouldn't have traded it for the world! And then my sister-in-law discovered she was preggos with Sweet Sofia and of course I wanted to help her out for her nursery as well! Needless to say, making 3 crib skirts, 3 sets of bumpers, a blanket and such really kept me moving and grooving, doing what I love on my time off. Throughout all of it, I realized that I love to sew even more than I thought I did. I love the creation that I have at the end of the day and being able to see that I made out of nothing. Oh, and I'm obsessed with fabric. Wait, did I admit that I'm obsessed with fabric? Well, I'm obsessed with fabric...

Sweet Sofia's bedding:

Blanket: 1 side is a purple paisley cotton fabric; the other side is a super soft, pale green minky-dot; bordered in a jumbo, wine ric-rac

Close-up of bumpers: outside is a purple paisley cotton fabric

Inside of bumpers: super soft, pale green minky-dot

The crib-skirt: tailored using a purple polka-dot cotton fabric

Close-up of tailored crib-skirt

My friend, Traci's baby bedding:

Bumpers: chevron cotton fabric for inside and out

Tailored skirt: polka-dot cotton fabric

Bumpers: floral cotton fabric for inside and out

Tailored crib-skirt: solid pink cotton fabric

Are you or someone you love pregnant? Would you rather have your own custom-created nursery as opposed to having to choose from the generic pink&greens and blues&browns? If this is you, click here.

I'm partying here this week:

Gluesticks; House of Hepworths; Creations by Kara; Seven Thirty-Three; Delightful Order; Someday Crafts

Christmas 2011

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah, again, I know the date...better late than never, right??? Moving on...
This past Christmas was the first Christmas that I did not leave the city of Louisville since I was in high school. It made things really calm, which helped balance out the craziness that I was wrapping presents on Christmas morning (are we all noticing a theme here....again, better late than never, right?). It definitely beat last Christmas when it felt as though we travelled the globe to see everyone at Christmastime! Unexpectedly, Stephen's mom ended up staying in Louisville for Christmas because Stephen's sister had a baby. Which meant that we celebrated with his family on Christmas Eve, my family on Christmas day, and then with his family again (when his dad returned from Pittsburgh) later on in the week. We had a lot to celebrate, and celebrate a lot we did!

So, on Christmas Eve we went to church with Stephen's family (minus his pops) and then went back to his parents house to eat a yummy meal!

Christmas Eve:

On Christmas Day we woke up and headed over to my parents house to enjoy Christmas with my family...unfortunately, we're not good about taking pictures - here's the only picture that I have from Christmas day (I stole it from my sister):

Celebrating Christmas later on that week with Stephen's whole family (Pops included):

All the grandbabies

This picture makes me laugh - Nathan and Ashley are both still such attractive people, even in their outtakes!

Noni and her great grandbabies

4 generations

Jake, getting some loving!

Nona and Nunu with their grandbabies

The whole clan

Somebody (I'm not going to name any names...) got really hot from running around like a crazy woman. Her solution? Strip. Ah - the benefits of being a child!

A little late, but I hope you had the merriest Christmas!

I'm an Aunt...AGAIN!

2012-01-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

Sweet Baby Sofia was born on December 20, 2011 after making us all wait about 2 weeks before she decided to make her debut! This is my 4th time being an Aunt and my 2nd sweet little niece! Sofia was born to my sister-in-law, Cali (Stephen's sister). Talk about 1 good, early Christmas gift!

Aunt Kari loves you, sweet baby! Even if she looks a bit overly excited to hold you...don't worry - she'll try reeeeeaaaallly hard not to squeeze you too tight!

I love everything about this picture - from the excitedness that he felt from getting to hold Sofia, to the awkwardness that is his hold - Stephen is one proud uncle!

Stephen, Cali and Sweet Baby

Sofia was telling them about her day

One last time, for good measure, and also for you to see that awesomely, big bow on Sofia's teeny-tiny head!

She might look like a teeny peanut, but teeny was one thing she was not. Cali was ALL belly from the beginning of her pregnancy on - if you saw her from behind, you'd never even know she were pregnant. When Baby Sofia came into this world weighing a whoppin' 8lbs 15 oz, we all felt sympathy pain for Cali!

I have most definitely loved taking advantage of having a sweet little baby to hold! My other sweet baby, is no longer a little baby, but a little man who doesn't so much like to snuggle anymore.

There's Elliott-man, enjoying his big boy food!

Whelp, all that to say that our Christmas season was quite memorable and exciting! Having a precious peanut come into this world always makes your heart go pitter-patter. Anything smaller than normal size is always too cute. If you don't believe me, listen to any woman's reaction when she sees a puppy, a kitten, oh for heaven's sake, even a smaller than normal size can of coke!

Salt Dough Ornaments 2011

2012-01-23T20:51:00.000-05:00

So last year, I decided that I was going to try my hand at making salt dough ornaments every year to act as a gift tag for Christmas gifts for friends and family. My 2010 salt dough ornament was a snowman's head and I decided that this year I was going to go for a Christmas tree. I used a very simple recipe:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water

Directions:
1. Mix salt and flour.
2. Add in half the water, then gradually add the remaining water.
3. Knead until the dough is smooth
4. Roll out the dough on baking paper or floured counter top
5. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or design your own.

Bake at 250 for 1-1 1/2 hr Make sure you don't burn them.
Let cool completely & paint.

Here is a progression of my 2011 salt dough ornament:

It was super easy and a lot of fun to do. I ended up throwing away dough because I just didn't need 9,999 Christmas tree salt dough ornaments! My goal for my 2012 salt dough ornaments (I know, grow up Kari and stop making goals for your dumb salt dough ornaments) is to take advantage of my summer and get 'em done in July! Haha. Isn't that always how it goes...????

Christmas Tree update:

As I was taking ornaments off of it, more and more lights continued to go out. Are you kidding me?!? No, no I'm not. My tree is de-ornamented with 1/2 the lights working in the middle of the room. Ugh. Decorating for Christmas is SO much more fun than de-decorating. Can I get an "Amen!"?

In other news, we made it through another Monday. Congratulations to you on that great accomplishment! Every Monday I live through reinforces the idea that my students aren't capable of killing me...yet ;).

May your Tuesday be great, swift and painless!

Christmas Ornaments 2011

2012-01-22T22:26:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I know, it's January 22...I get it, Christmas is over. My tree is still up in my family room (pathetic, I know), which I believe constitutes me being able to share with you our Christmas ornaments that adorned our tree this year :). You can check out our 2010 ornaments here.

Introducing our 2011 Christmas tree!

I'm all for pretty, color coordinated trees that look elegant and really bright up a room, but I'm even more for a tree that has fun, multicolored lights adorning it and filled with ornaments that hold special memories from loved ones or fun occasions. Maybe one day, when I can convince Stephen that it's not frivolous, I can have both types of trees - until then, the one multicolored light tree is what we'll have! Here are our special, 2011 ornaments that called our tree "home" for the first time this year:

In March, Stephen and I had a wonderful trip visiting friends and hitting the slopes in Salt Lake City, Utah. The awesome ornament on the left is made out of salt from the great Salt Lake, and the ornament on the right is in honor of Stephen trying out his hand at Snowboarding and not dying - way to go Stephen!

This ornament made it's way back from Alaska this year from when my mom and dad ventured there in July and August of this year. It also reminds us of our great trip there back in 2010.

I picked up this great ornament to help me remember a FANTASTIC trip that I took to New York City last December with the besties and Steph-O. I searched the city high and low for a more authentic New York ornament, only to be stuck buying this sucker at an ornament tent in Central Park...oh well, it does its job!

Last Christmas I decided that I was going to make Salt Dough Ornaments to act as Gift Tags for friends and family. This little guy was from my salt dough batch last Christmas.

Stephen and I have a Chicago ornament from our first two years of living in Chicago. This Christmas marked our first year not in our beloved city, but I couldn't bring myself not to get a new Chicago ornament. When we ventured back "home" in November, I made sure to pick one of these 'beauts up at Holiday Lane in Macys.

"Santa" brought me this awesome UK ornament in my stocking last Christmas. Evidently, I have an obsession with Christmas trees and hope to have ANOTHER tree one day in our basement that is adorned with all our sports themed ornaments.

"Santa" brought Stephen this IU ornament last year in his stocking. The Troy Polamalu ornament was a gift to him from our sister-in-law in honor of his love for Troy. These ornament would also find it's way onto our future said sports-themed tree that could potentially end up in my basement one day :).

Two years ago I picked up this ornament for my sister and brother-in-law in honor of their first year in their new house. Since then, I couldn't wait to get my grubs on it! As soon as I could I had one made for us in honor of our new home. It has our new address written on the bottom of it.

Just like we picked up a Chicago ornament every Christmas we lived in Chicago, I thought it would be fun to do the same here in Louisville. This year, I found this fun Flur de Leis at a local store and thought it was perfect to represent our first Christmas back in Kentucky!

So that's it, those are the ornaments that made their way on our tree this year...I know what you're thinking, it's time to go and take that tree down! I think my tree would agree with you. In fact, I believe that it's begun to protest that it is still working overtime at the end of January. So much though, that about 1/3 of our lights have gone out on our tree leaving it to look even more pathetic than a regular tree would look still standing in January. Here's a peek at our sad, sad tree:

What about you? When did you get around to taking your tree down? Anybody still rocking their tree like I am in the end of January? Come on, speak up! I know there's someone out there that's still in the same boat as myself!!!

Deck the Halls!!!

2011-12-15T08:35:00.003-05:00

It's so funny how decorating for Christmas can make you feel like a kid again! The anticipation of such a fun holiday, with an important meaning and a time to spend with those you love - it's almost too much to handle! Stephen and I are both very excited to celebrate our first Christmas back in Kentucky! With our move, decorating proved to be both fun and tiring all at the same time. We spent a lot of time trying to find the boxes of decorations, and are still coming up empty handed with some things that we can't seem to find. Until then, take a look at our Christmas, 2011 decorations:

Our Mantle - I bought an amaryllis to put in the lefthand corner...it's not proving to be exactly what I was looking for. More to come on that later...

Our Decked out and Fa-La-La-La-La-ed Family Room

We decided to park our tree right in front of the french doors leading into the Office. Our reasoning behind this was that then the tree could be seen from the front of the house, and we don't really go in and out of those doors often, anyways. So far, we haven't regretted that decision one bit..minus not having a good spot to ~~hide~~ put the ~~ugly~~ much loved ornaments...

A view of our Family Room with me standing in the corner looking onto the Kitchen. I made our Christmas pillows last year (ribbon pillow, stenciled pillows, button pillow) and have some other pillow projects up my sleeves!

A view of the bookcase to the left of the fireplace. I put leftover ornaments all over the shelf, as well as pine cones that I crazily collected on UICs campus in the middle of July :)

A view of the bookcase to the right of the fireplace - again, ornaments and pinecones wherever I could find room

Do you remember our Christmas Card display from our Chicago Apartment? I found a perfect spot for this in our Kitchen on our Basement door. It was crazy to put the ribbon on this door and see how much shorter it is than our door in Chicago - our ceilings and doorways aren't quite as high as they were there!

That's all the halls I'll be decking tonight. I've got to get some sleep so that I have some form of patience for the kiddies tomorrow. Are you all geared and reared up for this wonderful holiday season???

Take a look at our Christmas, 2010 decorations here.

Wreaths for the Windows

2011-12-14T09:48:00.004-05:00

I've been itching to decorate our house for Christmas for the past 3-4 weeks now. I knew that we had tons of Christmas decorations for the inside of our house, but when it came to the outside, we were coming up short. I was trying to think of ways to decorate that would be good on the budget and I knew that my love of wreaths would be a great way to make a costly compromise.

I headed off to Wal-Mart and snagged four 24 inch plain wreaths for $4 a wreath. I knew I wanted pops of color on each wreath so I whisked away with 26 red, shatterproof ornaments for $5 and 26 silver shatterproof ornaments for $5. I also got me some red, sparkly ribbon (100 feet) from Target for $10 to make me some bows for these said-wreaths. Total cost spent (with ribbon and ornaments left over: $36). I immediately got to work, pulling and twisting on the wreaths to open them up and make them more full. I then strategically attached 6 ornaments on the front of the tree and then called my mom over for reinforcement. I have one of these handy-dandy EZ Bow makers:

that I needed some help maneuvering. We immediately got to work and she whipped out 4 great wreath bows for me while I attached them to the wreaths. When it was all said and done, we had 4 great looking wreaths (if I do say so myself) to attach to our windows:

Here it is in all it's glory, hanging by way of a jumbo suction cup (it still hasn't fallen yet - praying they hold all season!) on our window:

So....what do you think?!

A trip back to our first home!

2011-12-13T09:15:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Stephen and I trucked it back to Chicago for the first time since we moved. The whole time we were driving in, we were getting misty-eyed and nostalgic, missing our beloved city. That came to a screeching halt when we drove around for an hour looking for a spot to park our car! Parking is DEFINITELY not something I miss about that city!

We stayed with our good friends, Matt and Amy and yet, somehow, we didn't get a picture with them! How does that happen?! We enjoyed catching up with friends, and pretending like we still lived there. We drove past our old apartment, and got really sad. It's so funny because I went kicking and screaming to Chicago, and then was so sad to leave it. You can read more about that here.

I made sure I went into the Walnut Room at Macys to see their annual Christmas tree...it was only a year ago when Stephen's sister and her husband came up to visit us and we enjoyed the Walnut Room for dinner with them...seems like yesterday!

The BEST part of Macys at Christmas: Holiday Lane!

The entrance....I felt like such a tourist.

Macys on State Street. Have I mentioned that I love Chicago???

Stephen and I on the Michigan Avenue Bridge overlooking Trump Tower and the Chicago River. We have a picture of the two of us on this bridge 6 years ago before we were dating. He always says, "that's when you hated my guts..." He's a funny one!

One of the biggest reasons we ventured to Chicago: our good friends Mike and Amanda had a sweet little baby, Baby Emma! She is TOOO cute!

On Sunday, before we split town, Stephen and I got to have lunch with our Small Groups. I was so happy to spend some time loving on, being loved on, and catching up with these amazing ladies in my life!!!

All in all, it was a great trip! It went by way too quickly, but it was much needed for my heart and soul. I miss Chicago a lot. I miss what our life looked like up there, our church, and our family of friends. I know that we're in a great place now and that we're where God has called us, but it sure has been hard! I'm looking forward to visiting again and again and again, and to all the new memories and good times that will be had here in our New/Old Kentucky Home :).

Thanksgiving

2011-12-12T08:40:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I know - it's December 12 - why am I posting about Thanksgiving? Well, because my body still thinks it's November despite what I keep telling it! As a result, I'm just now getting around to sharing my Fall decorations with you :).
This year, Stephen and I had the pleasure of hosting my families' Thanksgiving at our new house. I was so excited to have everyone come over and hang out - I knew that this was what was going to make our house feel more like home (I know, gang me, but it's true!). Thankfully, I've been loving fall for a long time now and so I had plenty of fall decorations and table linens already. However, in our Chicago Apartment, we only had a dining room table. In our new house, we have been blessed with the room for a kitchen table and a dining room for a dining room table (which we inherited from my parents). So, when I knew that Thanksgiving was going to be over here, my mom and I trucked it to Kohls and we got some good deals on linens to adorn our dining room table. I was also excited because this would be the first time we used our wedding "china". I say "china" because Stephen and I didn't actually register for china because we know that eventually, one day far, far away, my mom is going to give us her china. However, we did register for what I call our "fancy dishes" from PB (the emma dishes) to use whenever our Fiestaware was just too much for the occasion. This was an occasion that the Fiestaware needed to tone it down a bit!
We were hosting my immediate family (mom, dad, sisters and their husbands - and also Little Elliott of course) as well as my Aunt and Uncle from Bowling Green. With that being said, there were 10 of us total so 4 would sit at the kitchen table and 6 at the dining room table.

Our kitchen table all decked up for Fall, wearing her reversible fall table runner and place mats that I made last year. I ~~wanted~~ needed some burnt orange napkins to go with the whole she-bang and scored big time when I found a set of 6 pumpkin fabric napkins at JoAnns for $2 a pack - yes, please!

A close-up of the table all set.

Here's a close-up of a place setting.

In the dining room, I reeeeaaaalllly wanted this table runner from Crate and Barrel, but just couldn't bring myself to spend the $50 on it.

I was pretty pumped when I found one at Kohls that looked pretty similar only with olive branches on it for a MUCH better cost (I think it was like $15) than the one at Crate and Barrel. You might also notice that we've painted our dining room....more to come on that, later!

Our dining room table wearing her new table cloth, runner and wine colored napkins, all ready for Thanksgiving!

A close-up of the set table.

One of our emma place settings - sorry for the turned picture!

I loved decorating for the season, but I also loved baking and preparing just as much! My sisters, mom and I tagged team the efforts for our big Thanksgiving Feast and it was a success (if I do say so myself!)! My mom bought the turkey and I had the honor of preparing it and roasting it. If you've never done this, please know that it is incredibly disgusting! I immediately got on the phone with my mom and my mother-in-law and thanked them for graciously doing this every year! My mom also made a beef dish (for all those none turkey goers out there) and pecan squares for dessert. My sister Melissa made a killer goat cheese and beet salad, as well as an amazing pumpkin, gingerbread trifle - a true pinterest success! My sister Laurel made my mom's famous cheese grits, as well as her spinach casserole. I made (with the help of all listed above) mashed potatoes, Southern Living's cornbread stuffing (to-die-for) as well as a tasty brie appetizer (recipe compliments of Melissa). My Aunt brought her sweet potato soufflé as well as her cherry fluff. Needless to say, we were all holding our bellies and wallowing around for a bit after the meal :).

If I had to pick, my favorite Thanksgiving dish is my mom's cheese grits. I know that may not sound Thanksgiving-ish to you, but boy does it scream Thanksgiving to me! What about you - what's your favorite dish? Anybody else out there from the south and enjoy some good grits on T-day?

I can still post about fall decorations....right???

2011-12-10T14:18:00.002-05:00

I had so many things that I wanted to share with you, and before I knew it it was December. How'd that happen?!?!?!? It just didn't seem right to share with you our Christmas decorations without sharing our Fall Decorations, so despite the tardiness, here they are! If you're interested in seeing our fall decorations from last year in our Chicago apartment, click here.
Fall is easily, hands down, my favorite season of the year. There's something about the air turning from hot and muggy to crisp and cool that gets me excited. I would be lying if I told you I didn't like smelling the faint scent of smoke from a good fire or hearing the band practicing for Friday night's big game (assuming you live somewhere close to a college or high school). I love the anticipation of the holidays and the excitement that comes to my mom and husband as they gear up for football season. So, with all that being said, needless to say, I love to decorate for fall!

I love having the bookshelves on either side of our fireplace - the decorating capabilities are endless!

A close-up of the fireplace. If you like the wheat bundle on the left side of the mantel, I made it last year and blogged about it here if you're interested in making one for next year.

The bookshelf to the left of the fireplace. I made the fall artwork in the upper righthand side of the bookshelf a couple of years ago and blogged about it here. The greatest thing about this artwork is that you can make it for any season or with any cutout you'd like.

To the right of the fireplace

Do you remember my fall pillow that I made with my friend Amanda last year? Read about how to make your own, here.

Our coffee table. I snagged the candy corn dish at Kohls this year for $1.50. I was so excited to bring it home to my candy fiend husband!

The entire falled out family room!

Did you really think I was done? :)

This was in the kitchen, next to our 'fridge. I got the small pumpkin thinking I would paint it and decorate it with a monogram...that didn't happen. Maybe next year???

Our hall bath downstairs. The fern wallpaper wasn't my doing - please remember to only look at the fall decorations in this picture :)

Whelp, there it is - my homage to fall! I feel a lot better about sharing Christmas decorations now that I've shared my fall ones!

Are you all decorated for Christmas????

Christmas Card Picture Preview

2011-11-27T23:26:00.000-05:00

My sister snapped some pictures of Stephen and I in front of our new digs. Enjoy the slideshow and help me pick the picture that should adorn the front of our Christmas card :).

Choice #1:

#2:

#3:

#4:

#5:

#6:

#7:

These next 2 won't be on the front...but they could make an appearance somewhere in our cards...

Stephen is claiming in this next picture that we're #1!

#8:

#9:

#10:

So, what do you think? Which one would you like to see hanging from your 'fridge; sitting on your mantel; in your Christmas card display? I need help! What about you - are you sending personalized Christmas cards this year???

Christmas Cards

2011-11-25T03:39:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that it's already that time of year again?! As much as I love Christmas, it's hard to believe that I'm already getting the tree out of the basement and making my Christmas card list! I love receiving Christmas cards in the mall from all of our family and friends. My favorite kind of Christmas card is one with a picture of my loved ones on it. The reason I love that kind so much is because I display my cards in our home and the picture reminds me of those people every time I look at it! Because I like getting picture Christmas cards so much, I find myself sending picture Christmas cards of Stephen and I now...it's kind of a tradition. If you weren't around these parts last year, here's a picture of how I displayed our cards last year (and plan on doing again...):

As you can see, if you send me a card with your picture on it, you're hanging up for all to see :)

One of my favorite card/invitation shops, tinyprints has amazing personalized Christmas cards that you can choose from! I highly suggest you head on over there by clicking here to check out their 2011 Christmas Card line-up. I would also highly suggest that you help me choose my 2011 Christmas card from all the great choices :). Stephen and I love to get Christmas cards that reflect the true meaning of Christmas; the fact that Jesus came to this world to save us from our sins. In saying that, all of the choices that I'm looking at are religious Christmas cards.

Choice number 1: Smooth Sincerity: I really like the gray and how elegant this card is. I also like what it says: O holy night, the stars are brightly shining. O Holy Night is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

Choice number 2: Triumphant Type: I like how this card also incorporates a Christmas song, as well as the Christmas color-scheme. I also really like the font.

Choice number 3: Angels Sing: Again, simplistic, elegant and a great Christmas song.

Choice number 4: Blessings Be Yours: Even though there won't be a picture of a babe on the front cover of our Christmas card, I think that this card is my favorite of the 4. I really like the message on both the front and the back, I also like how there is green, red and white but not in an over-the-top kind of way.

I also love tinyprint's "New Classics" line and would take any and all cards from this collection!

You should go and check out tinyprint's Christmas photo cards and let me know what your favorite is...only after you tell me which one I should choose, of course :)!

Happy Christmas card browsing!

Guest Posting Today at LTC

2011-11-09T19:14:00.000-05:00

Hi bloggity friends :) I hope you're enjoying your hump day and are staying warm and bundled up wherever you may be! I had the honor of guest posting for my friend, Patrice over at Lemon Tree Creations. Be sure to head over there and check out an oldie, but a goodie!

Happy Two Year Anniversary!

2011-11-04T11:06:00.004-04:00

On October 10th of this year, Stephen and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary. Last year, to celebrate this wonderful day, we headed north to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and enjoyed a long weekend together, just the two of us (you can read all about that trip, here). This year, we decided to go check out Brown County, Indiana - and I am SO glad that we did! Brown County is absolutely beautiful in the fall! We rented a cabin and enjoyed time to spend together, enjoying each other's company, which we haven't really had a chance to do in quite some time!

We split out of Louisville on Friday afternoon straight from work. I left school as soon as I could get my beee-hind outta there and I headed downtown to pick up Stephen. Once we were together, it was a quick hour until we arrived at our cabin, Curly Shingles.

Our cabin was nestled in the woods of Brown County and it couldn't have been any cuter or more more perfect for us to relax and wind down for the weekend.

There she is from the front

A view from the back

Mini Cabin Tour:

Our fully equipped (just missing a dish washer) kitchen

Our family room

Our 2 bedrooms

On Friday night, we drove around to get our bearings and then we headed to a cute, little, local pizzeria to enjoy a late dinner.

We ate at Harvest Moon Pizzeria in the heart of downtown Nashville, IN and it was yummy!

On Saturday, we woke up late and enjoyed a home cooked breakfast. We then headed to Brown County State Park to enjoy the sites of the season and do a little hiking. If you're into activities in the great outdoors (hiking, biking, riding, etc) then this park is for you!

Scenes from Brown County State Park:

After an afternoon of hiking and taking in the beautiful weather, Stephen and I headed to downtown Nashville, IN to enjoy a little local shopping.

Scenes from downtown Nashville:

On Saturday night, after a full day of hiking and shopping, we hit up the Artisan Colony in downtown Nashville, IN for dinner:

On Sunday, we enjoyed another lazy morning and breakfast at *home before we made the 20 minute drive to Bloomington, IN to visit Stephen's Alma Mater, IU. It was a gorgeous day outside, which solidified our plans to go and watch a soccer game.

Look at that sky!

Here is Stephen, hanging outside his home of two years: Briscoe Shoemaker - he was one happy kid the whole time we were reminiscing (okay, mostly him reminiscing) on IU's campus!

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend! It was so fun to sit and talk about how fast time flies and how our wedding felt as though it was yesterday instead of 2 years ago. I can't wait to hear our conversations on our 10 year anniversary, 20 year, 30, etc. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't thank God for giving me Stephen. God knew that out of everyone on this earth, Stephen would do the best at showing God's love to me on a daily basis. I am so thankful and speechless at the blessing of marriage and the fact that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend!

And for those of you who weren't around when I posted this shortly after we got married, here's our wedding highlight video. I know you probably won't love it as much as I do, but I hope you enjoy :)

If you're having a hard time seeing it, click here and watch it directly on youtube :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrO0H8q6-Gs

SUPER belated Happy 94th Birthday, Noni!

2011-11-02T10:49:00.005-04:00

So, Noni turned 94 back in July and we celebrated her birthday when Stephen and I moved back at the very beginning of August. Because things have been so out of whack, I haven't shared with you pictures from her birthday celebration. Noni is Stephen's maternal grandmother. She is 100% Italian, having moved to the states from Sicily when she was in her late 20s. Noni might be one of the cutest and sweetest old ladies that I've ever met. It might have something to do with her broken English whenever she says things like, "Close the lights" or "You, Eat!" :). Happy Belated Birthday, Noni - I can't wait to celebrate many more to come!

My sister-in-law, Ashley decorates cakes on the side and so she made this one for Noni's birthday. The cool thing about this cake is that Stephen's little sister, Cali is pregnant. Our extended family didn't know what she was having (boy or girl - including Noni), so the cake was colored to reveal which it was. Watching Noni's face as she found out was priceless!

Sweet Noni blowing out her candles.

She really is so cute - this is her clapping for herself after blowing out her candles.

Noni's going for the cut - as you can see, Stephen's mom (can you tell that Noni is her mom?!) is anxiously awaiting the reveal to see everyone's reaction.

The cake is pink! They're having a girl!!! (If you can't tell by this picture, Noni is crying...this is a normal occurrence for Noni. When she's happy, she cries happy tears; sad, sad tears; scared, scared tears...you get the drift!)

Stephen and his sweet Noni. Bet you can't tell they're related, can you (do you sense the hint of sarcasm that I laid on that statement)???

Here's all of us with Noni, including Stephen's cousin, Julie. We're missing cousin Michael and his wife, Terry, and that would make it a complete picture of Noni and her grandchildren, their spouses and her great grandchildren.

Jake is Stephen's older brother's son. He was helping Noni open gifts - Jake loves his Noni.

I couldn't pass up this sweet photo-op of Halle (Stephen's older brother's daughter) and her Nunu (Stephen's dad).

Catch-Up

2011-10-31T21:03:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I've been a horrible blogger. And by horrible, I mean HORRIBLE. Things have been a little bit hectic here and when it came to blogging, it just had to take the back burner. Before we moved into our new house, Stephen and I were living with my parents. Our stuff was living at my parents house, in our new house, and in our storage unit. I never had my camera cord whenever I needed it, which led to me not uploading pictures or blogging. I'm considering my blogging vacation to be over, and I'm expecting to be back with a vengeance!

Just in case you're not completely bored out of your mind with pictures of our new house, I have somewhat updated pictures. I took these pictures about 3 weeks ago, so while they're an update to you, they're not really an update because the rooms have improved so much more since these were taken. However, I figured I'd share with you the ugliness that moving in, painting and situating things brings with it, so you can get a real picture of our C-R-A-Z-Y life right now. Enjoy!

So we'll start with the first floor. If you remember, when you walk into the front door, to your left is the Living Room, which we have converted into Stephen's office. We snagged this solid wood antique desk and office chair off of craigslist for a steal, and I knew once I saw it and waited a week so I could talk the seller down, that it was just meant to be!

This is the view when you're standing in the Living Room/Office and you're looking out into the entry way

This is the view right when you walk into the Living Room/Office

Here is a view of the Living Room/Office from the french doors in the Family Room

If you know me, you know I'm totally NOT afraid of color. I wanted to paint this office a color that would match our other color choices, and would go with my love for dark wood. I didn't want to paint it a really dark color, and in real life, this green isn't as dark as it's appearing here. I got all our paint from Lowes, and went with their Valspar brand. We painted our apartment using this paint and I loved the results. This color is Homestead Resort Moss. In all the rooms that I have painted, I've also painted the trim as well. I used a Porter Paint color, despite getting the paint at Lowes. The color is White Umber.

Moving onto the Family Room. If you remember, when you walk straight into the front door and to the back of the house, you walk into our Family Room. I didn't think I was going to repeat the same orange that we painted in our apartment, but I loved it so much that I found myself going right back to it.

Right when you walk into the Family Room, looking to the left

Looking into the Family Room from the french doors in the Living Room/Office

The Family Room, looking into the Kitchen

The orange paint is La Fonda Copper.

Here's our Kitchen, in it's crazy state. This room is going to be the last room that I am going to paint. I'm planning on painting it Cincinnatian Hotel Carl Tan, which is the same color that we painted our bathroom in Chicago.

Moving Upstairs...

This is our updated bedroom, which is at the top of the stairs to the right. This is the same color that we painted our bedroom in Chicago. It is called Olive Grove. Now, let me tell you, it is not this green when you're looking at it in real life. Also, with stuff hanging on the walls, the color is broken up. In the near-er future, I'm hoping to DIY some crown molding up at the top of the walls/ceiling, which I know will help to chill out the green even more.

This is standing in our bedroom, looking towards the bathroom (the door out is to the left, the door to the closet is to the right)

Here's our bed...if I pretend, it looks just like our room in Chicago (check it out here)

Walking down the hall...

Remember that pink room? Well, it's now a calmer shade of tan! This is a Porter Paint color that I got mixed at Lowes. The color is Sea Sand.

Standing in the room, looking out into the hallway

Remember that farm mural room? That room got a complete overhaul. I chose this light shade of blue because it matched all my bedding that I had before I converted from a Miss to a Mrs. If you look in the corner, you can see that bedding :) This color is New Day.

Here is a shot of the room looking out into the hallway

So, as you can tell, we've been busy little bees. We've painted the family room, living room, and all three bedrooms; not to mention all the trim in the hallway. Since these pictures were taken, I've begun tackling the dining room. More to come on that later! What about you? Have you been doing any home projects lately? How do you feel about painting??? I'm beginning to be annoyed with it...

Upstairs Tour

2011-09-27T22:02:00.000-04:00

If you stopped by yesterday, you saw the downstairs of the home that my husband, Stephen and I just bought. Now buckle your seat belts and get ready to see the upstairs :)

When you get to the top of the staircase and look to the left, you see the hall closet, bathroom, and 2 bedrooms (picture to the left). When you look to the right, you see our bedroom (picture to the right). We'll start in the master bedroom...

Right when you look in the door, you see where our bed will go (that is not our bed, it was the previous owners, they hadn't gotten it out yet..). You also see our closet (to the left of the picture)

Here's a shot of our bedroom after you've walked in the door more (our bathroom is behind you, our closet is to your left and our bedroom door is to the right)

This is the view of our bedroom if you're standing in front of our closet door. The bathroom is to the right - don't worry, Stephen was simply checking to make sure that the toilet had been fixed per our request after inspection, he is not doing anything that shouldn't be put on the internet!

This is our closet. The picture to the left shows you what it looks like from our bedroom door (the door you see leads to our attic). The picture on the right shows you what the closet looks like from the attic door. You should've seen our closets in Chicago - this is a MAJOR improvement!

The master bathroom; the picture to the left shows you the right side of our bathroom and the picture to the right shows you the left side of our bathroom

Let's move on out and check out the hall closet and the hall bath...

The picture on the left shows you the hall closet - awesome storage! The picture on the right shows yo the hall bath. Now onto the bedrooms...

When you get to the end of the hallway and go to the room on the right, you go into what we fondly call the "farm room". This room had a farm mural painted on the walls and ceiling...ay yi yi! What a hard room to paint! The picture to the left shows you what the room looks like when you're looking out the door and the picture on the right shows you the alcove window with the window seat.

When you get to the end of the hallway, and go to the room on the right, you head into the pink (now tan) room. The picture on the left is what the room looks like when you're looking out; the picture on the right is what the room looks like when you're standing in front of the door.

That's it for our upstairs tour. This house has 3 different colors of trim throughout the house with 2 different types of sheen. Needless to say, we've been busy! We've already painted 4.5 rooms as well as the trim that's in that room. I'll be back soon to show you our progress!

Downstairs Tour

2011-09-26T23:00:00.001-04:00

Whelp, it's been MUCH longer than I had anticipated it being...needless to say, things have been CRAZY! I've been good to keep my head above the water and stay sane! Anyhoo - I promised pictures of our new home and so pictures I have. These are pictures from when we did our walk-through 3 days before our closing (so about a month ago). Since then, we've been busy, busy, busy painting and preparing for this weekend when we finally move all our furniture in. We're both really looking forward to waking up and knowing that all of our clothes are in our closet, where we can find them! I wanted to include a floor plan to help navigate you around our digs, however that is taking me much longer than expected. I decided to just bite the bullet and share the pictures with you without the floor plan.

So our house is a 2-story Cape Cod with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a 2 car garage. We do have a basement, but it is unfinished (I included no pictures...it looks just like any unfinished basement you've ever seen). So, without further a-do, here she is:

{First Floor}

Right when you walk in the front door. Just so you get your bearings, the dining room is to your right, the living room to your left. If you go straight past the stairs, there is a half-bath in the little hall to the left and then the hallway ends in the family room (which is connected to the kitchen).

Looking to the right...

Dining Room from the front door

Again, the dining room, a little farther in looking into the kitchen

In the dining room, looking on the front door (standing next to the kitchen door)

Looking to the left when you're standing at the front door...

To the left is the living room (we will be using it as an office) and you can see the hall half-bath in this picture

Looking into the living room (office) - it is connected to the family room by french doors

Looking into the living room (office) from the family room

Moving to the back of the house...

The family room (as if standing to the left of the french doors) and looking into the kitchen

The family room, with the kitchen in back of you

In the family room, with the fireplace to the right and the kitchen to the left, looking towards the front door

The kitchen (standing with the family room facing your back)

The kitchen with the bay window behind you

and off the kitchen is a little mudroom...

The blanket is the efficient window treatments that the first owners had covering the window...the short wall hides the door leading to the garage

The half bath in the entry hallway

I'm so excited to paint this ceiling that the old owners had green (that comment is dripping in sarcasm).

That's the downstairs of our new home. I'll share with you the upstairs tomorrow. I'll also be sharing with you the plans that we have for our new home and the progress we've made. Don't get me wrong, it's been great living with my parents, but we're both SUPER excited to move in and enjoy having all of our stuff put up where we can find it!

Where I spend most (let's be real: all) my time...

2011-09-08T22:45:00.000-04:00

I figured that I ~~live~~ spend so much time in my classroom that it only seemed appropriate to show you what it looks like. I have a thing for primary colors...I really like them. In my very first apartment, I had different primary colored pillows for our couches and we decorated in primary colors. It only seems appropriate for me to incorporate that color scheme in my elementary classroom!

This is a picture of me standing in back of my desk looking out onto the room...it's definitely lacking in size...we're getting to know each other reeeeaaallly well in the cozy space!

This is a view from me standing in front of the door looking into the room.

This is a view of the white board. To the right is our calendar, jobs and mailboxes and to the left is the "Who Is Mrs. Corsi?" board (which will later be turned into the "Star Student of the Week" board).

To the right of the white board

To the left of the white board

Here is our sink area...this is where their lunches hang out (if they brought them from home) until lunch, where they switch out their dull/broken pencil for a sharpened one, and of course, where they wash their hands :)

Here's our "book nook" and the site of all of our morning meetings and number talk discussions...that rug sure does look big but my big 4th and 5th graders definitely don't all fit on it!

Here are our student computers as well as our Mastery Club board...if you're a teacher and you haven't checked out Mrs. Renz's website, you definitely need to give it a look!

And lastly, here is a view of our SMARTboard (I have a chart taped to it for this particular discussion) with our lone window to the right (my desk sits right in front of it).

It's so funny how the room looks so peaceful when it's empty. It's definitely anything but peaceful during the day, although I feel as though I'm starting to figure out day by day a teeny-tiny bit more on how to survive in a split classroom. For the longest time I couldn't get them to stop talking. Like, seriously? Why won't you stop talking??? I figured out something today that surprisingly worked really well: I started talking very quietly so they had to turn off their voices in order to hear mine. I was pretty impressed with such a simple solution...I know I sound like such a debbie-downer when I say this, but I only give this solution a short amount of time before they decide they really don't care to hear what I'm saying! If you're a teacher, do you have a great website resource that you recommend I check out for some great classroom ideas?

In other news...

Stephen and I close on our house tomorrow! AHHHHH!!!! We had our walk-through tonight and I snapped a ton of photos. These will be great for me to look back on after we've worked in the house and made it more of our home. I'll definitely share the pics here on my bloggity-blog as soon as I get a moment...expect them before next week is over :)

Checking in

2011-09-04T12:13:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhhhhh! What a relief it is to be back here in blogland! I have missed the relaxation and creativity that blogland has to offer. It has been quite some time since I've been here and I've missed it greatly! I know that I let you all know that on Monday, August 1st I accepted a position as a 4th grade teacher here in Louisville. At the end of my first week, I took on a new challenge that has just about eaten me alive: I no longer teach 4th grade, I now teach a 4/5 split. Let me tell you, I'm currently living in my classroom and doing nothing but eating dinner and falling asleep on the couch when I come home. I'm looking forward to {hopefully} getting my mind wrapped around what I need to do and how to do it so that I have more time to do the things that I really want to do (for all you teachers out there laughing while I type that, I realize that this is a seemingly impossible task...). I have lots of projects just waiting to burst out of me and it's killing me that I can't do any of them at the moment...

Here's a list of the things that I can't wait to do (in fact I have just about everything I need to do them, except for the time):

-Finish up Charles the Chair and start on his twin brother (destination: living room)

-Refinish a chair that I got with Charles and his brother (destination: guest bedroom)

-Refinish my parents dining room suite that they are graciously giving us (destination: duh! dining room :))

-Make baby bedding; my sweet friend Traci is pregnant with twinsies (YAY!) and I have the honor of making her little boy and little girl bedding! My sister-in-law, Cali is pregnant with a little girl and I have just about all I need to start working on her bedding.

-Make baby items: with babies coming, lots of baby products are in order!

...and it's official! Stephen and I officially will be closing on our house this upcoming Friday! WOOOO!!! It's been a long time coming, especially since we made our first offer on the house on Thursday, June 9. We've been camped out at my parents house and we can't wait to finally be able to officially unpack and know where all our stuff is! Needless to say, this is a BIG project that I'm excited to be able to tackle!

That's all for now - I won't be waiting so long to come back and share my projects and life here so be sure you come back and check often :)!

Applique Nursery Pillow Tutorial

2011-08-17T08:15:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I guest posted over at Lemon Tree Creations. If you missed that post, you can read it below or you can go here to see the original listing...

For those of you who don't know, my sister had a baby a little over a month ago. I was so excited when my nephew came, as it gave me my first "biological" nephew and it gave me a reason to practice honing my skills at making baby bedding. I've been feverishly working hard to get his nursery ready for him.

Pictures of the baby bedding, which inspired my nursery project

After making the bedding, I decided that I wanted to add some decorative touches to the room. I decided that I was going to take the animals that were in some of the fabric and make an applique pillow. There were all of these cute safari animals on one of the patterns of the fabric (the fabric I used to make the bumpers) and so I chose the lion as the inspiration for my pillow.

Materials Needed:

-Inspiration for applique design (I used fabric from his bedding)

-Material for pillow (1/4 yard - I used basic brown fabric)

-Material for the background of the lion applique (1/8 yard - I used muslin)

-Fat quarter packs from Joanns in the colors you need (I got a yellow, orange, green and teal set because those were the colors in my lion inspiration)

-Floss and needle for appliqueing (I used brown floss)

-Ric-Rac for a decorative edge to the pillow (this is optional; I used leftover teal ric-rac from the blanket)

-Fusible interfacing

-Tissue Paper

-Pen

-Scanner

-Scissors

-12"x15" Pillow Form

What I did:

the logistics...

1. I took tissue paper and I traced the animal off of the fabric that I wanted to applique, in this case it was the lion.

2. I scanned the image into my computer and resized it to the size I wanted that would be big enough for the pillow.

3. I printed off the resized lion image and set it aside.

4. For my pillow cover I went on ahead and cut the three pieces of fabric I needed to make it (I made an envelope cover instead of one that zips on). My pieces were 13"x16" (for the front piece) and then two back pieces, 13"x8" and 13"x14". (for a step-by-step guide to making an envelope pillow cover, click here).

5. I took the 2 smaller back pieces of the pillow (13"x8 piece and the 13"x14" piece) and I ironed down a half inch down the 13" side of both pieces. I then sewed it down to make a finished edge.

6. I used my printed out lion to decide how big of a piece of muslin I wanted to put as the background to my applique, in this case it was 9"x12".

7 I took my rectangle piece of muslin and ironed down about a 1/4" seam all the way around.

8. I pinned my rectangular muslin piece to the center of the 13"x16" piece of fabric that would be the front of my pillow.

9. I sewed the muslin piece onto the front of the pillow, being sure that I sewed close to the edges to catch the folded part underneath.

getting to the applique....

10. I took my fabric and figured out what pieces of the lion would be what colors (i.e. the body and face were yellow, the tail and mane were orange, etc). I then ironed on the interfacing to the back of the colored fabric I would be using.

11. I took my computer print-out of the lion and began to cut each piece - going off of color - (i.e. I cut out the body and worked with it; then I cut out the circle around the mane, then I cut out the mane, etc) and then proceeded to trace and cut it out of the coordinating fabric (with interfacing already ironed on).

12. As i finished one part of the lion, I cut out another part and continued to use that as a pattern to cut out the pieces from the coordinating color fabric for the whole lion design.

13. I laid my cut out fabric out on the muslin and arranged it to look like the lion. I then ironed it to the center of the muslin rectangle.

14. Using floss and a needle, I hand-stitched a simple stitch all the way around the perimeter of each piece of fabric that made up the lion's body.

it all comes together...

15. After the applique was hand-stitched, I took my ric-rac and pinned it all the way around the perimeter of the piece of fabric that would make up the front of my pillow, on the right side of the fabric. I made sure that the ric-rac was "hanging off" the edge of the fabric.

16. I sewed on the ric-rac.

17. I then proceeded to take my two smaller back of the pillow pieces and pinned them, right sides facing in, to the front piece of the pillow.

18. After pinning, I sewed all the pieces together, following the sewn line that I had just made when sewing on my ric-rac.

19. I turned my pillow right side out and fell in love with it right away!

I couldn't be happier with the result and I can't wait to see this pillow in action as it livens up the baby's room! Pillows are a wonderful way to liven up any room, and an applique pillow is great for a beginning sewer. If you have any questions when following this tutorial, don't hesitate to ask; I'd LOVE to help you!

Whenever I get a chance and a break from life (hahahaha!) I'm going to do this exact same project, only with the giraffe instead. Come and check out my blog and see how it turns out!

Showering a Friend With Love

2011-08-16T08:54:00.004-04:00

Meet my dear friend, Amanda:

I met Amanda through Stephen when I moved to Chicago. Stephen and Amanda's husband, Mike are in the same small group and are close friends. Mike was a reader in our wedding and I have never heard Stephen say anything but great things about him. When I moved to Chicago, Amanda welcomed me with open arms and it wasn't long before we were close friends. She is energetic, determined, loving, caring and compassionate. Better yet, she's all these things in the name of the Lord. I absolutely, positively LOVE Amanda. When Amanda decided to join our small group a year ago, I was ELATED! I was now going to get to see Amanda on a regular basis ALL the time! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (the sound Amanda makes when she's excited)!!!

Meet Amanda and her dear husband, Mike:

At our household, we absolutely love these two. We love them so much that we let them help us move...hahahaha, yeah right. That's one of the reasons we love them so much: because they helped us move; because they are always looking for ways to bless other people. Did I mention that Stephen and I love these two???

Meet Mike and Amanda's future baby girl, Bugaboo:

Ever since Amanda and Mike spilled the beans about this little girls arrival into our world, we couldn't get enough! I knew right away that I wanted to help throw a shower for Amanda because I wanted a chance to shower her with love and blessings that she had shown me on a daily basis.

Insert good friends and ladies of my small group. These wonderful ladies joined forces with me and we successfully threw Amanda a shower that we were hoping would knock her socks off! It was absolutely SO much fun thinking of ways to surprise and love on Amanda, mainly because she is a girl with no expectations. She expects NOTHING for herself, meaning that we could have shown up with a bag of Doritos and Amanda would have been so thankful to us for providing food.

We threw Amanda her shower at church, as this was the only shower that she had and it was going to be a well attended one (40 peeps, holla'!). We wanted to take away the feeling that you were in a church room and make it feel very intimate and home-y. I think we did a good job (if I do say so myself!). Let me share with you some of the details from the shower:

With 40 people coming to this shower, we did all that we could to cut the costs wherever we could. One of the ways we tried to cut the costs was with the cake. Thankfully, my sister-in-law makes cakes on the side and she showed me how to do it when I threw a shower for my sister back in the spring. These were box cake mix cakes from Aldi. Here's what I did: I made a 3 layer cake using 9" cake pan. I then took store bought icing and layered the cakes as well as iced them on top. After icing the entire cake, I added a top layer. The top layer is a marshmallow fondant using a variation of this recipe. I followed the technique used in this video to put my fondant on top of my cakes. I saved some fondant to color (the pink and green) and then rolled it out and cut into different size circles using cutters I bought at Michaels. I used food coloring to dye leftover white icing (pink and green) to pipe around the bottom of the cakes. The pink cake is a white cake with white icing while the green cake is chocolate with chocolate icing. Seriously people, this wasn't hard - it was just time consuming!

Here's our wonderful spread of food. There was so much goodness on this table that just remembering it makes me hungry. That caprese-like salad that you see in the front was store bought from Costco and it was GOOD! If you shop at Costco, look for this salad, buy it and enjoy it for me!

Here are our decorations adorning the middle of the food table. I made a banner using my beloved Silhouette and then my friend and fellow hostess, Amy made tissue paper pom-poms to cover up the sticky tack used to hold it up. The print in the middle was our gift to Amanda. This owl design is from fabric that Amanda used to create Bugaboo's baby bedding. My sweet friend and fellow hostess, Debbie (who is a graphic designer) took the fabric and made this print that was then used for the invitations. Amanda loved the print so much that we sent it off to the printers and had it blown up. We then went to Hobby Lobby and got a mat custom cut for this poster (have you ever done this? Hobby Lobby is the bomb-dot-com and a custom cut mat is NOT expensive). The picture frame came from Michaels during one of their huge sales that included frames (lucky for us!). Now, that picture is hanging in Bugaboo's room and goes splendidly with her bedding.

We went a simple, yet colorful route with the table centerpieces. Amy took ball jars and used scrapbook paper and yarn to add a splash of color to them. She then went out in the wee-hours of the morning and ~~stole~~ cut beautiful hydrangeas and other flowers from the yard of her apartment building. The white table cloths were from the dollar store (score!) and the balloons came from the grocery store. In an effort to save time the day of the shower, I stopped by the party store the day before and bought balloons for the big day. It was an incredibly hot July day and as a result, as I tried to stuff these balloons into the car, I lost 3 of them as they touched the hot exterior of the car. I then awoke on Saturday morning to the remaining balloons hovering low, right above the floor as I glared at them and their failure to last even 24 hours. Thankfully, Amy was willing and able to pick up new ones at the grocery store right before the shower.

To the left is a picture of the favors that were put at every seat on the tables. The little sign on the left is a votive candle that I hot-glued "Pray for Mama and Baby Shih" to the bottom (you guessed it! I used my Silhouette). Amanda really wanted her guests to have a candle that they could light when they found out she had gone into labor. The idea is that they will see the candle and use it as a reminder to pray for her while she is bringing this sweet baby into the world. The brown bag is filled with color coordinated Sixlets that were picked up from the party store. I cut out onesies and then glued plastic to serve as a window into the bag.

The picture on the right shows the table that people saw when they came into the shower. It was decorated with more of Amy's beautiful pom-poms and a huge calendar of September (the month the baby is due) to make a guess of when they think the baby will come. Whoever guesses the time closest to Bugaboos actual arrival will receive a prize for being so good at fortune telling baby deliveries!

A picture of one of our games - 1 minute to fill in the blanks regarding popular Nursery Rhymes. The one who had the most correct in 1 minute won! If you'd like me to send you a pdf of this, shoot me an email - it's a great, quick game to play at any baby shower.

Needless to say, we had a fabulous time celebrating Amanda's soon to be entrance into Mommy-hood and the soon to be arrival of Bugaboo. Stephen and I can't wait until she makes her debut - we're headed back to Chicago to meet this amazing little girl!

(all pictures are compliments of my sweet friend, Amy. Kudos to her and her awesome photography skills!)

I've linked up to THESE parties this week (As well as Today's Creative Blog, The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Sew Much Ado )

2 Weeks Already?!?!

2011-08-15T07:32:00.002-04:00

{I originally started writing this post last Thursday and I'm just now getting around to finishing it...}
Time sure has flown! A mere 2 weeks ago, Stephen and I were still in our wonderful apartment in Chicago preparing for our both dreaded and anticipated moving day. Not only did we have to make sure that we had everything packed up and ready to be moved the following morning, but we also had to make sure that we painted back some parts of our apartment that the following tenants didn't want. When Stephen and I first moved into our apartment, we decided to paint to make it feel homey-er. We made this decision, even though we knew there would be a good chance we'd have to paint back.

If you click here, you can see pictures of our apartment from before we moved in. If you click here you can see some pictures from after we painted. And, if you click here you can go to the actual rental listing that is still active, even though our apartment has successfully been rented out.

So Stephen and I were faced with the big challenge of painting back our family room, bedroom and kitchen...we were so not looking forward to it! Thankfully, God blessed us with some ah-mazing Chicago friends (you can read more about them here) and they so sweetly came over and helped us totally repaint in a matter of hours. What had taken us days to do, only took us hours to undo.

Sweet Debbie painting our family room...what was once burnt orange is now oatmeal...

Stephen captured this great photo of me painting the family room.

A serious crowd getting that kitchen transformed from chocolate to oatmeal!

4/5ths of my amazing small group came - did you know I love these gals???

Check out this progress:

What was once our brown kitchen turned into an oatmeal oasis...

Chocolate turned to oatmeal. The chocolate definitely made those dingy cabinets appear whiter!

Our green bedroom, a now a unique shade of oatmeal.

Our warm, orange family room, now...you guessed it! Oatmeal!

The new tenants wanted the golden color but not the orange...I kept on asking them if they wanted my can of golden paint to paint the whole room the same color, although they didn't. I'm wondering if they wished they would've taken it after they saw the final results?

It was really sad to leave this home that we loved...however, the new paint color made it easier because it we just didn't think it looked good and it didn't seem like home anymore. While Stephen and I are still living with my parents, waiting for our new home to officially be ours, we're looking forward to all the new memories that will be made and looking back on our already made memories with a warm heart.

Goodbye 421 W St James Place, thanks for being so great to us!

"Exciting" News!

2011-08-10T08:43:00.001-04:00

I sure did wait a long time to come back and share my "exciting" news with you! You might notice that I put quotation marks around the word exciting; I did this because a lot of people were guessing that the news contained some sort of information regarding a bun being in the oven. That's when I realized that this exciting news was probably not going to be as big of news to everyone else as it was to me :).

Part of my exciting news is that I got a teaching position here in Louisville! Woo-Hoo! It's now been two full years since I have been in the classroom, and I must admit that with each passing month I have missed it more and more. It was a huge blessing to be able to go to grad school without the pressures of teaching at the same time, however, throughout all my classes, I was itching to get back in the classroom and put into practice my newly learned methods/techniques.

I'm also really excited about my teaching position because I firmly believe that it is exactly where God wants me to be. Let me tell you about my experience trying to get a job in Louisville. I finished my online application in April (yes, I was really eager), and began emailing HR in May. I never received a response, and then heard of a hiring freeze they were having in the county due to a newly appointed Superintendent. The summer came and went, as did the hiring freeze, and still, regardless of all my calls and emails, I was still hearing crickets. The way that the school system operates here is that new applicants must be screened by the board BEFORE they are put on a list given to principals. This list is what principals use to choose who they want to interview. Due to my lack of response from the board, I was sweating bullets! I knew I wasn't on "the list" because I hadn't been screened, and I also knew that school started soon (mid-August - this upcoming Monday to be exact).

Soooooo, Stephen and I moved back to Louisville on Thursday (July 28) and then on Sunday, I received a phone call from my new principal asking me to come in and interview on Monday (August 1). She said she had received my information from HR and wanted to interview me. Needless to say I was in shock...I hadn't been screened by HR before, how did she get my information from them?! She told me that she thought that with experienced teachers, they probably relied heavily on references as opposed to being screened. I was cool, calm and collective the entire time I was on the phone with her, and then as soon as I got off I was like a small child at Christmastime.

I went in for my interview on Monday at 10:15 and by 2pm I accepted the position! PAR-TAY! I'm the new 4th grade teacher at Klondike Elementary here in Louisville and I couldn't be more excited! We had Open House last night and the first day of school is this upcoming Monday. I've been busy, busy, busy, but I couldn't be happier about getting back into the classroom!

The other part of my exciting news is that Stephen and I are in the final stages of buying a house! We're currently going back and forth negotiating repairs with the sellers and are looking forward to (hopefully) being in our new house by the end of the month/beginning of September. I would LOVE prayers regarding a clean close to this, and for my classroom and sanity...it's going to be a crazy month!

New Day, New Goal

2011-08-04T09:11:00.000-04:00

So my goal yesterday morning was to come and show my blog some loving. I failed miserably at that goal. But, I'm here to redeem myself and do this morning what I wanted to do yesterday afternoon! Also, just to keep people from being in the suspense for too long, no, I'm not pregnant :). I guess exciting news is a relative term, and while it may be exciting to me, it's probably not that exciting to everyone :).

So last week was the last week Stephen and I could officially call Chicago "home", although I think a little piece of us will live there forever. It was where Stephen and I lived right after being married, figuring out the other person and what married life for us looked like. It is the home of our rock-solid church, The Moody Church, where on any given Sunday, you can walk into the breathtaking sanctuary and hear the truth of God being spoken. It's also the home of a lot of our friends, friends that I didn't necessarily have 2 years ago, but in a short time became dear family to me. I kicked and screamed (figuratively, not literally) when Stephen first told me that he didn't think Lexington was where we were supposed to live right after we were married. I wanted nothing to do with the conversation. Didn't he know how amazing Lexington was?!? Didn't he understand that God had blessed my life over and over again in Lexington and that we had such amazing friends in Lexington?!? Didn't he know that I was serving in a ministry I loved, had a job I loved and had zero complaints about my city?! The real question is, didn't I know that God had an amazing journey planned for me? Silly, Kari, always forgetting how big God is!

Now I'm going on and on and on and on and on about how much I love Chicago and how much I miss it, but don't get me wrong - while there are MANY things that I miss desperately about Chicago, there are just some things that I won't miss about that city. I will share my misses and my easily forgets list :) below:

Things that I will most definitely miss.....

My Small (or teeny) group

great friends

Sad doesn't even describe the way I felt when I moved away from all of my dear friends in Lexington in the fall of 2009. I had many teary moments following that move, some even happened a year to a year and a half later. I missed my friends, I wanted to be with my friends and I wanted to continue to serve in ministry with them. As soon as I was able to let go of my sadness of missing my friends, and understand that just because I lived in Chicago didn't mean that they were no longer my friends, something strange happened. I was able to finally see what God had been trying to show me since I moved to Chicago: I could make friends there (very elementary-ish revelation, but unfortunately, I still have them)! God blessed me with amazing Chicago friends that I hold very dear to my heart. These friends love the Lord with all their heart and I know my relationship with God is stronger because of them. I know that is why God blessed me with them! Stephen and I both loved to spend time in fellowship with our friends, our small groups and church family and we will most definitely miss that!

Our 1st Home

I absolutely loved almost everything about our apartment. It was a great first home for us to share, and it served a great purpose of hosting many-a fellowship gatherings, small groups, small group parties, sewing dates, intimate dinners, game nights, etc. with our friends. Stephen and I made memories in that apartment that we will never forget and those memories, and the people in them are memories that I thank our amazing Father for and will hold close to my heart forever.

Our Church home

(picture was ~~stolen~~ borrowed from Wickepedia)

From Sunday services, to our Covenant Sunday school class, to Christmas festivals and Fall festivals, to just about anything, Moody Church was definitely beginning to feel like home to me, and I know that it was home to Stephen. We will miss hearing Pastor Lutzer teaching on how to live a Biblical life from the pulpit every Sunday morning. We will miss going to our Covenant Sunday school class and sitting with friends and learning how to be more like Christ to our spouse and to others. We will miss everything about Moody church and look forward to visiting it soon!

While I won't miss my night grad-classes, I will definitely miss the great friends I made at UIC and all of our fun times together. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of these great friends, but I'm confident that we will keep in touch!

Now, onto a short list of the things I won't miss (no pictures for these, sorry):

-Traffic; it seriously takes a long time to get anywhere. period.

-Parking; I'm over driving around our apartment for 20-30 minutes looking for a spot because it's the wrong time of day. WA-HOO for driveways! Double WA-HOOS for garages!

-Honking; seriously people, chill out.

-A long winter; where I grew up winter was from late December to mid March...not in Chicago! Winter is from early November to late April. Ugh! But I will miss Chicago summers! (I got confused, this is the "not-missing" section, why am I talking about what I'll miss?!?)

-No laundry room; my parents water bill will most definitely lower now that we won't be bringing our laundry home from Chicago all the time!

-Free nights!; okay, so technically this wasn't Chicago's fault, but I was in grad-school 95% of the time we lived in Chicago and was taking night classes. Now that I have my nights back, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself!

When I first moved to Chicago and was so sad about not being in Lexington with all my sweet friends, my amazing Bible Study leader, Frankie said some hard truth to me. In her words exactly:

Kari, regardless of what happens or doesn't happen, is Jesus enough for you; if Chicago is to be your home for the rest of your earthly life, could you live with that, is Jesus enough for you?" Once we've settled on that issue what else do we need? What else could we possibly need?

Jesus was enough and IS enough. As soon as I got that through my thick skull, I was freed up to see the blessings that He had planned from the beginning. I learned a lot of lessons while living in Chicago, and I have stories upon stories where God's mighty hand prepared our ways and placed us where we were. Because of that I have a renewed since of hope, joy, faith and gratitude.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

-John 10:10

When God calls your life to begin taking a different path, fight the urges to kick and scream. Cling to Him and trust that His blessings are abundant and that only He can give you life to the full. Even though Frankie doesn't live in Chicago, I'm so thankful for her in my life. Find someone who can love you enough to speak truth that you don't want to hear, but need to! They will definitely be part of God's blessing.

Whelp. This is a long post and I still have so much to say. What about the exciting news?! I'm going to be ANNOYING and hold off. I feel as though I've typed all I can for now. Don't get too annoyed with me that you don't come back! I want someone to share in the exciting (no, I'm not pregnant) news with!!!

Wait for it...

2011-08-03T08:56:00.000-04:00

Hello dear blog! I did NOT forget about you! How could I?!? I have essentially lost my mind and have been looking for it. That explains why I wasn't able to attend to you. How could I attend to you mindless? But that's beside the point. The point is that I have such exciting news to share with you, along with some closing feelings about my recent move. Unfortunately, I'm still a little batty (and probably will be for awhile) but I am making it my personal goal to come back on here later in the day and purge all my thoughts, feelings and news.

Hopefully you can find the strength you need to make it through the day despite all the eager anxiety you feel to hear about my news. I know that my life makes your life complete (do you sense the heavily laid sarcasm here. If you don't, shame on you. It's dripping, and oozing off every word)!

See you back here later on in the day...maybe then I'll feel like I have more wits about me :)

Happy Tuesday!!!! <---you see that? I genuinely thought it was Tuesday. And then I had to stop and think about it. I thought for a few seconds - a few long seconds. It's not Tuesday, it's Wednesday.
That should explain why I'm not writing my post at this very second.

Top of the morning to 'ya!

Guest Posting Today at Lemon Tree Creations

2011-07-21T08:21:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys! I'm guest posting today at Lemon Tree Creations. You can see my guest post right here. Thanks so much to the girls at LTC for having me today!

The project I'm sharing has to do with this little guy...

I'm still here...

2011-07-20T11:31:00.000-04:00

Hello to my wonderful bloggity friends! I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I am still here - just busy, busy, busy! We've begun packing up our apartment and saying farewell to our wonderful Chicago friends. I promise I'll be back soon with lots of stories, thoughts, feelings, prayer requests, projects...the whole she-bang. Thanks for sticking it out with me!

It's real and it's creepin' up on me....

2011-07-13T09:06:00.001-04:00

It's so real that I can actually blog about it now. We're moving to Louisville in about 3 weeks. Not only are we moving to Louisville in 3 weeks, but I haven't even started packing. Like, I'm not joking. This move has been a long time coming and it's also been a huge testament to God's timing and sovereignty. If you're looking for a good story to divert your attention from whatever you need to get done, have I got the story for you!

Some of you may recall that I moved to Chicago from Lexington, KY a little less than 2 years ago when Stephen and I got married. We felt strongly that Chicago was where we were supposed to be at that time. In doing that, my life completely changed and I would be lying if I told you it wasn't hard. But, I clung to the fact that I had, indeed felt as though Chicago was where I was supposed to be and that it wasn't going to be forever (I didn't know how long it would be, I just knew Stephen wasn't diggity-down with forever).

I started grad school in January, 2010 and by March I was started to get more connected in my new world around me. In May of 2010 I had the privilege of accompanying my old school and my sweet friend, Anessa to Washington, D.C. for their class trip. While I was gone, Stephen got the news that his current job was moving to Salt Lake City, Utah. They didn't know when the actual move would take place, but they were estimating that it would be in 6-9 months. His alternatives to moving to Salt Lake were: move to Jersey City, wait out the move knowing that if the job ends severance will be awarded or simply to find a new job. Talk about heavy stuff that Stephen had to tell me, his wife who had just left her old life to move a mere 6 months prior and had just finished her first semester (out of 5) of grad school. Ay yi yi.

I returned home from Washington, D.C. and Stephen broke the news to me. "Say what?" I believe was my response. After a lot of prayer and a long time of being unsure of what we were going to do, we decided to stake it out. We would stay in Chicago until Stephen's job ended OR until I finished grad school and then we'd do what we knew we'd do all along (we just didn't think it'd be so soon) and move back to Kentucky. If Stephen's job ended before I finished grad school then we would figure out how I could finish - we were creative, let me tell you. So, for the past year and 2 months, Stephen and I have been praying that his job would hold out until late spring. We had figured it out that if we could make it to late spring, severance would cover our booties to the end. As soon as we made this decision, we immediately gave it to God and because He is so mighty, He literally took our fears and uncertainties away. I can honestly tell you that I have not lost sleep over this and if I've thought about it, it was never more than for a couple of minutes. I tell you that, not to act as though I'm so full of faith and whoa is me, but because I firmly believe that God took that anxiety out of our life - it was all Him and to Him be the glory.

January, 2011 came and we prayed feverishly that the job would last a couple more months (at the very least). April came and went with no sign of the job moving. Heck, it's the middle of July and the job is still going strong. However, we know that it's time to go. Stephen broke the news to them this past Thursday, making it official.

Things that make us feel at peace with moving to Kentucky:
1. Even though Stephen's job hasn't ended, it is going to end, it's just a matter of when. Stephen could get another job in Chicago, but ultimately we know KY is where we want to be. He doesn't want to get another job and have it for 1-3 years and jump ship - Stephen's one dedicated little cookie.

2. In 1.5 weeks I will be completely finished with my grad school program - PRAISE THE LORD!

3. I am SOOOOO ready to be back in the classroom and I just don't feel called to try and find a job in Chicago Public Schools. The politics and craziness that is CPS is something that I don't want to mess around with - just the idea makes me tired. I highly respect teachers here for what they go through for a job that they love, but I don't feel as though I've been called to do the same.

4. Both of our families live in Louisville. I have 2 older sisters who are both married and they both reside in Louisville. Stephen has a brother and a sister that are married and they, too live in Louisville. My oldest sister just had a sweet little baby (you know!), Stephen's sister is expecting their first baby, and then Stephen's brother and his wife have 2 cute kids - not to mention both of our parents. We want to live by our family!

5. Stephen has a job lined up for him in Louisville where he will be working in personal finance - he couldn't be more excited to work with and help individuals with their money.

6. Just to get it out there - Salt Lake City wasn't for us. It's a beautiful city that I love to visit, although it's just too far from home. We both feel as though if you can't drive the distance to home in a day, we're probably not going to want to live there. Also, Jersey City is an entirely different lifestyle that neither one of us really wanted to change to. Great people do great things in Salt Lake and Jersey, we just knew it wasn't for us.

Okay, this is super long so I'm going to wrap it up. I gave you the facts: In 3 weeks I need to finish up grad school, pack up our apartment and head to Louisville. Tomorrow (yes, I will need to blog about this repeatedly) I'll be back to blog a bit on how I'm feeling about the whole thing. Until then, I have to keep on doing what I'm doing even if I am leaving :) Finish strong!

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 66

2011-07-12T00:57:00.000-04:00

Have you guys ever had the privilege of finding yourself over at Taylor Made? Talk about great projects, great tutorials and a great blog over all! You'll definitely need to head on over to Taylor's place and see what she can have you muster up!

For instance, check out this beyond adorable patchwork clock! Talk about a great addition to your craft room!

Before I got married, my BFF, Doni gave me a lingerie bag as a gift. I use it all the time to separate my clean and dirty unmentionables whenever we're on trips. This tutorial looks simple to follow and would make for a great gift!

Speaking of Donielle, this clutch looks just like something she would love!

And last but not least, I am loving this peacock painting...talk about beautiful!

Now it's your turn. Head on over to Taylor Made and see for yourself what a great blog it is!

Happy Blogging!

Praise the Lord!

2011-07-07T23:22:00.001-04:00

Do you remember the 4th of July weekend, 2010? If you were reading my blog back then, you might remember me asking you to pray for Stephen's 93 year old Nana (if you don't remember or weren't following at the time, you can read that post here).

Last year, on the 4th of July, Stephen and I had plans to stick around Chicago and enjoy a weekend laying low (kinda like we did this year). Our weekend plans quickly changed as we got phone calls from Stephen's parents telling us that his Nana was not doing well and things did not seem promising. Without hesitating or waiting a moment, we left Chicago on Friday afternoon and began our trek to Pittsburgh. We spent the weekend with Nana, unsure of what the future may hold, but prayerfully hopeful and expectant to see the mighty hand of God at work.

A year later, I want to thank you for praying for Nana. Not only did she recover from her most serious ailments that caused her to be hospitalized, but she was able to return to her home with the help of family. I was reading through my blog and realized that I had asked for prayers and then casually went on with life and didn't fill you in on the blessings that God had provided.

How often do I do that in my personal life? You know the deal, prayerfully asking God for something, receiving the blessing and then *forgetting* to have a thankful heart. I'm definitely guilty of that. I would love to be more reflective of God's blessings in my life, as I know they are numerous and overflowing.

So, here's a delayed, "thank you". Thank you for praying for Nana, even though you do not know her. Thank you for caring enough about me to care enough about Stephen, to care enough about Nana.

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

-Doxology

A Fun Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-06T09:43:00.000-04:00

Stephen and I were stoked to be spending the 4th of July Chicago. With all the back and forth traveling we've been doing to Louisville, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, we were excited to just hang low and spend time in this city that we love!

We started the weekend by sleeping in and then heading off to the Farmers Market in Lincoln Park (Green City Market). There's Stephen showing his excitement at waking up to go to the market and to purchase some potted basil and oregano :-D. The rest of the day was spent running errands and just enjoying a lack of schedule (that never happens to us!). On Saturday night we headed over to our good friend's apartment to enjoy a scrumptious dinner and to enjoy The Kings Speech. Stephen rarely stays awake while watching movies, and thankfully to a bet that our friend made, Stephen was able to stay awake for the whole movie - he scored himself a big pasta dinner as a result :).

We had our usual day on Sunday: going to church, spending the afternoon getting some stuff done and then small group on Sunday night. This past week I was in charge of making the main dish for my small group. I decided that in honor of the 4th, I was going to make us some ribs! Let me tell you, these were super duper easy and super duper gooooooood! I'll share the recipe with you when I get my friend Amanda to resend it to me because I lost my card behind our cabinets...darn it!

On Monday, Stephen and I got out and enjoyed the beautiful weather! It was an absolutely PERFECT Chicago summer day! We started our time together by going for a walk to the lake...

Sooo pretty!

Trying to avoid the dreaded farmers tan...

A great map to help you get out there and explore!

Look at all those people on the beach!

After our walk, we geared up to head to a picnic with our good friends and some of their friends. I was in charge of dessert so I made mini fruit pizzas (aka: sugar cookies with all the toppings for patriotic fruit pizza)

I love me some fruit pizza!

And then off we went to Northerly Island - a little peninsula at the southern tip of Chicago's lake front. It's a beautiful area (close to all the museums) and so as a result, I got a million pictures...

Downtown in Grant Park

Looking on the city from the south

Field Museum Soldier Field

Drew and Stephen - friends fo'life!

Don't mess with us.

Just kidding! (liking that Team Libby shirt, aren't you???)

Shea and Drew make cute babies....

OMI!

Stephen and Omi: friends fo'life part dos

All the ladies :)

Northerly Island

So pretty and perfect!

Great friends with a great city in the background

Stephen and I decided that on our way back to our apartment, we would be touristy and walk around downtown and snap some pictures. Unfortunately for you, you've fallen victim to those pictures right here....

Planetarium Oceanarium/Aquarium

Did you know that the source to the Buckingham fountain was me???

Stephen swimming in the fountain (or right outside of it) :)

We ended our wonderful day with a wonderful dinner...the only all-American dinner we could think of: burgers and fries and a brand-spankin' new coke machine that is amazing...

Have you seen these machines before??? They're like computers and you can add different flavors to whatever choice drink you choose...like I had a Strawberry Sprite Zero...incredible!

Our last stop was to a friend's apartment to enjoy their rooftop deck in honor of what every American was doing on the same night...watching fireworks. The cool thing about being in the city was that when we got up to the deck, everywhere we looked we could see fireworks being set off. I think we saw maybe 20-30 different displays of fireworks. What a site! What about you? What did you do to celebrate our Nation's independence?

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Elliott!

2011-07-05T08:53:00.004-04:00

I knew right when I found out that my sister was pregnant that I wanted to make a sign for the baby's room. Because they waited to find out whether or not the baby was a boy or girl, they also waited to name *it (we now know it's a he). So, I had to wait until the baby came and a name was decided upon in order to get my crazy hands working! Using the same method that I used to make this and this, I set out to make Elliott's sign.

My supplies:

- 8x8 wooden sign from Michaels

- 1.5 inch wired turquoise ribbon from Michaels

- fabric from Elliott's baby bedding (for color direction)

- coordinating acrylic craft paint

- personalized print-outs of Elliott's initials, full name, birth date & time, weight and length

- paintbrush (not pictured)

- pencil (not pictured)

- tape (not pictured)

- clear spray paint (not pictured)

- staple gun (not pictured)

The Gist:

- Figured out what I wanted my sign to say and then picked the font & size, printed & cut it out.

- Shaded the back of the cut-outs and then arranged them where I wanted them on my board.

- Going cut-out by cut-out I taped the paper on and then, using a pencil, traced the words onto the board:

Can you see here where I started with Elliott's monogram?

- After tracing on each individual set of wording, I painted it:

Here's what it looks like with the inspiration fabric in the background

- Once I was finished painting the front, I painted the sides brown:

- Sprayed a coat of the clear spray paint over the sign

- Cut out 2 pieces of turquoise ribbon (long)

- Measured 2 inches from either side and marked it on the back of the sign

- Using the markings as a guide, I stapled my ribbon to the back

- Tied a bow with the 2 pieces

- Hung it on the wall

- Smiled while looking at it as it reminds me of my want-to-squeeze-forever nephew:

Happy Birthday, Baby Elliott!

I love you more than you'll ever know!

I'm partying here this week :)

(and with Domestically Speaking, Savvy Southern Style, Thrifty Home)

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 65

2011-07-04T08:27:00.000-04:00

Holy moly! Have you guys checked out Homemade by Jill? If you have never found yourself hanging out at Jill's blog, you should high-tail your little beeeeee-hind over there!

This girl has got it going on! She has tons of ideas and tutorials on things to make for gifts, for kids, for showers, for the home...I could keep going!

Let's just cut to the chase...

Do you have a Kitchenaid stand mixer? If so, then you'd probably be interested in Jill's tutorial on how to make a cover for the said mixer:

If you're anything like me, you're always looking for inspirations to decorate your home that is friendly to your purse strings....look no further! Jill will show you a tissue-paper art tutorial that turned out absolutely splendid:

Not only is Jill crafty, but she's also a crafty mom ;). I love this bird mobile she made to hang above her baby's bed:

I love hand making gifts, especially Christmas gifts. I'm definitely going to be trying my hand at these gourmet looking hot cocoa tins as gifts for this upcoming Christmas:

And because I couldn't stop at featuring 4 great projects, I love this vinyl art that Jill created using her Silhouette:

I could keep showcasing projects, but then I would just be recreating her blog. To save you and me time, just head on over to Homemade by Jill and check out the greatness that is her blog and then let me know what you love about it!

Happy Blogging!

Holy Barracuda, Batman!

2011-07-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

It's already JULY?!?! When did this happen??? What happened to May? Heck, what happened to April? Time is flying around here and I can't seem to stop it or at least slow it down. The good thing about time flying is that I officially have only 11 more nights of grad school and then I'm done. Finished. Done-zo. I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing it has been for me to go to school full-time and not have anything else major requiring my attention. I also can't even begin to tell you how much I miss being in the classroom and sharing my life with 25+ kids. If there's one thing that God has made clear to me over the past 2 years, it's that He made me to work with kids. I cannot wait to {hopefully} be in the classroom again this upcoming school year - prayers for that are appreciated!!!

Something else I can't wait to have back are my nights. Night class is such a bummer, especially when you're in it for 4 nights a week, 4 hours each class. I know, I know, suck it up! This girl needs to just sulk and whine for a second. I can honestly tell you that this past year and a half of grad school has been totally worth it. I have learned so many things about how to work with struggling readers, how to set up reading and writing in my classroom, even just how to be a better teacher all around. I'm just itching to start reading groups and work on word sorts. Exciting, isn't it??? ;)

Wanna know something absurd? I'm contemplating continuing some grad classes to get another certification. Yup, it's official: I'm a glutton for punishment!

Anyhoo...there's a lot of excitement and craziness coming up in the lives of this crazy lady and her loving husband. I'll fill 'ya in on all of it sometime next week when I have the time and stamina to keep up with the craziness. Until then, if I don't talk to you, have a great 4th of July. We're laying low this weekend; recovering from the past four weekends of fun-filled hectic-ness. Ride a boat, shoot off some fireworks, grill out and layout this weekend for us!

Here's to the Red, White and Blue!

2011-06-28T16:18:00.001-04:00

I love summertime. I love holidays. I love desserts. That is what inspired this 4th of July dessert post! I look forward to the day when Stephen and I have a nice backyard where we can celebrate this great holiday by being outside and hosting friends and family at our place. When that day comes, maybe I'll make one of these scrumptious desserts!

Red, White and Blue Pie

Red Velvet Trifle

Brownie Trifle

Flag Cake

Super simple! I remember being a little girl and seeing this on the front cover of my mom's Women's Day and instantly thinking it was amazing!

Brownies'n'Berries Dessert Pizza

You could also do this with the regular old dessert pizza on sugar cookie crust

Mini 4th of July Cheesecakes

Summer Berry Trifle

Evidently I love trifles! :)

Flag Mini Tarts

4th of July Fruit Skewers

Easy Peasy!

Fruit Tart with Vanilla Custard

Which one do you think looks the best to try? I can only make one and I obviously need your help deciding!

Happy 50th Anniversary, Aunt Shirley and Uncle Gene!

2011-06-27T22:46:00.001-04:00

Stephen and I split town on Wednesday night and headed to Louisville in anticipation of a great family-filled weekend! Our agenda: spend time with our family, meet little baby Elliott and celebrate my Aunt and Uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary. We succeeded in all of the above :-). We spent time in Louisville on Thursday with Stephen's side of the family and then headed off to Johnson City, TN to spend the weekend with my immediate and extended family.

Meet my amazing Aunt and Uncle. My Aunt Shirley is my mom's eldest sister and with my Grandma passing away when I was in kindergarten, my Aunt became like a Grandma to me. In fact, so much so that Stephen and I asked her to walk in in honor of my Grandma at our wedding. Things you should know about my Aunt Shirley and Uncle Gene: they love the Lord with all their heart and they love and serve each other in ways that I hope Stephen and I do when we've been married for 50 years. With that being said, we didn't bat an eye at the idea of driving 11 hours to celebrate such a wondrous occasion with them!

Their anniversary celebration was Friday night with a day filled with family reunion festivities on Saturday. For all you Nascar fans out there, my Uncle Gene arranged a private tour of the Bristol Motor Speedway for us on Saturday morning. I begrudgingly went, thinking it wouldn't be that fun and I couldn't have been more wrong! We got to drive around the track and had a blast doing it!

This was us on the top of the embankment - it was super steep!

Stephen was driving - going 60 felt like we were going 160!

Unfortunately, I've gotten REEEEAAAALLLLY bad at taking pictures and so I have no other pictures from this weekend...except for all of these:

Needless to say, I love him, A LOT!

What you do this weekend???

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 64

2011-06-27T22:02:00.000-04:00

It's been a whole week and I've been MIA...SORRY! I have been busy with grad-school and I split town on Wednesday (I'll share my adventures with you in a bit); the good news is that it's actually Monday and I'm getting the Magnificent Blog to you on the right day (who cares if it's towards the end of the day).

Onward...

If you've found yourself eyeing that Goodwill dresser or the yardsale coffee table, then A Few Good Pieces is a blog that's right up your alley! My mom and dad are playing around with the idea of getting new dining room furniture and potentially handing their current set to me. I'm super giddy at the idea of saving money by not having to purchase a set for myself and also at the potential that this furniture has! With that on my brain, I found myself "oooooooo-ing" and "ahhhhhh-ing" over at A Few Good Pieces.

Like, for real, check out this dresser! I'm loving it!

I've played around with this idea of painting the bottom of the table white (as well as the chairs) and staining the top of it dark. Thoughts?

I'm loving the pop of color that this dresser brings and the ornate detail of it...so fun!

I love the wood detail on the top of this first coffee table!

Get your booty on over to A Few Good Pieces and be inspired...your husband might not appreciate the spurring of new thrift store trips that this blog will cause :)

Happy Blogging!

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 63

2011-06-21T10:03:00.000-04:00

For the sake of this post, let's all pretend that it's Monday....ready?

I've been following a bowl full of Lemons for quite sometime now and I absolutely love it! It's full of great projects, inspirational decorations and practical tips on organization. A little jack-of-all-trades kind of blog :).

I really like this version of the PB inspired moss letters for the kitchen!

Looking for a good mantle decoration on the cheap? What about these beautiful DIY topiaries?

These PB inspired numbered pillows turned out fabulous!

I love her redecorated vintage kitchen - so pretty!

Okay, your turn! Go check out a bowl full of Lemons and get going on your next crafty kick!

Happy Blogging!

{p.s. it's really Tuesday - isn't it fun to blink away a Monday?!?!}

I really hope this isn't real...

2011-06-16T00:05:00.001-04:00

Have you seen this???

This can't be real. This poor girl has so many issues if she's crying over thinking about rainbows and cats. I hope it's not real....what do you think???

A Fun Weekend!

2011-06-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

On Friday night Stephen and I hung out and played the low-key card because I had to wake up at the booty crack of dawn on Saturday to take a test. It was a lot of fun just being able to relax and be without much craziness or a hectic timeframe. We both enjoy Friday nights like that.

On Saturday, I took a certification test and lost 3 hours of my life that I will never be able to gain back. I guess I shouldn't be so Debbie Downer about it considering it could very well be the last test I ever have to take! After my test, Stephen and I ran a few errands in preparation for one of my best friends Katie and her husband Kyle's arrival. They rolled into town at around 1:30ish and we immediately started having a good time! We headed to Wilde for lunch where I enjoyed a scrumptious buffalo chicken sandwich on pretzel bread with sweet potato fries. Stephen and Kyle both feasted on bison burgers while Katie enjoyed their marvelous macaroni and cheese - seriously, ah-mazing.
We rolled ourselves out of Wilde and walked around Lincoln Park for a bit, headed back to the apartment where Kyle and Stephen both took on the roles of old men and fell in and out of snoozers on the couches. We talked and caught up on life and just really enjoyed each other's company.
After we felt like we had a little bit of hunger return to our bellies, we headed to our favorite restaurant: The Basil Leaf. Katie and I enjoyed a cup of their awesome tomato basil soup and a salad while Kyle went for the whole mamma-jamma and got a bowl of the tomato basil and Stephen altogether lost his mind and ordered a full on entree...he obviously had his hunger return in full force! We walked out of Basil Leaf happy and stuffed and so we took a stroll down to Lake Michigan and then called it a night.

On Sunday we woke up and headed off to church to get an awesome teaching on forgiveness from Pastor Lutzer. If you're ever in the Chicago area and are looking for a good church to attend on Sunday morning, may I suggest The Moody Church? You'll hear a solid scriptural message and be surrounded by people seeking their Lord with their lives. Okay, enough of that :) after lunch we headed back to the apartment and packed up a wonderful picnic. We hauled everything to the lake and enjoyed a wonderful lunch with an awesome view and great conversation. Throw in a little walking (okay, a lot of walking) and some beach volleyball and you'll get a good idea of what our Sunday afternoon looked like.

That night, Stephen and I both had small group so Katie and Kyle ventured out into Lincoln Park solo. My small group went to RibFest and enjoyed 2 slabs of ah-mazing ribs! Stephen enjoyed poking fun of the fact that my girl's small group went to and was excited about RibFest - he said that his guy's small group was going to have a tea party. If they did, I wouldn't make fun of them....that's a lie.

I sent Katie and Kyle on their way on Monday morning, only after I stuffed them once again with a wonderful breakfast at Yolk. I was sad to see them go, but so happy and refreshed at the time we got to spend together! This upcoming weekend will be another full and fun one as Stephen has some college buddies coming to town. We'll have a second round of company and lots of food to keep us full and thankful for the blessing God has given us of great friends!

What about you - did you do anything fun or refreshing this weekend? I sure hope you didn't have to wake up early on Saturday morning to take a test!

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 62

2011-06-14T00:06:00.001-04:00

Melissa over at The Polkadot Chair is a crafter after my own heart! Not only does she offer great ideas, tutorials and inspirations, but she also resides in my Old Kentucky Home - that's enough to make her blog visit-able! ;)

I'm loving this quilted table runner. For those of you out there like myself who are trying to pump themselves up to quilt, this looks like a good place to try your hand at it!

I'm loving this photo wall - especially with all those promotions that the canvas people have!

This subway tile job is to die for! I'm loving the timeless shape of the tiles, the glassy finish and the olive color. I'm sold!

If I thought I liked her subway tile, I was really smitten when I saw her fireplace tile work! This looks so good!

Don't waste a second - go check out The Polkadot Chair and see why I love it so much!

Happy Blogging!

Baby Elliott's Blanket

2011-06-10T16:11:00.000-04:00

I finally finished Baby Elliott's blanket! Now all that's left is the fitted crib sheet. This kid's nursery is going to be styyyylin'!

I used this tutorial at Sew4Home except made my blanket 36x50 instead of 36x36.

Here's a recap of his nursery bedding all together so you can see how cute it is:

The crib skirt

The bumpers

I'll be sure to show you the fitted sheet whenever I get a chance to make that! When the whole nursery is up and running, I'll be sure to share pictures with you!

And the Baby Has a Name!

2011-06-09T13:39:00.002-04:00

Introducing Elliott Owen H.

Born: Monday, June 6, 2011

7 lbs. 14 oz. and 22 inches long

There's little Eliott with Aunt Laurel :)

So Melissa and David finally found a name that they thought sounded good with Elliott: Owen. I agree. I think Elliott Owen sounds like my nephew is going to be a smart little whipper snapper. Wanna know something that's cool? Remember how we called this little guy "Ho" throughout the entire pregnancy? His initials are E.O.H. You know that that is backwards? Yup. H.O.E. That was purely coincidental - not planned at. all.

Super cool! Makes me love his name even more!

Don't go getting all big on me little Elliott, I wanna experience teeny-weeny baby when I meet you for the first time!

I'm an Aunt...again!

2011-06-07T09:31:00.001-04:00

So, many of you who have been following my blogs and posts know that my oldest sister, Melissa and her husband, David were preggers. Her due date is June 13 and they opted to not find out the sex of the baby. Aside from really wanting a healthy baby, Melissa wanted a little girl - again, the health of the baby was the upmost priority. It was fun all nine months long not knowing the sex and just thinking about what it would be like if it were a boy or if it were a girl...it's a really LONG story and it's nothing inappropriate at all, just too long to type out, but we starting affectionately referring to the little babe as "Ho".
I really wanted Ho to come this past weekend so that I could get down to Louisville to meet "it". Unfortunately, little Ho did not come, but I decided to spur on "its" arrival by working on "its" bedding. If you remember, I made Ho's crib skirt and this past Friday I made "its" bumpers:

Let me tell you, working on little Ho's bedding worked like a charm...my sister's water broke on Sunday morning and she headed to the hospital on Sunday night. By yesterday morning she was on the roller coaster that is known as labor - dilating, then stopping, dilating, then stopping. After a loooong day yesterday she finally had little Ho. And I'm pleased to announce that "its" a beautiful, healthy baby BOY! :)

(sorry for the blurriness - these were taken on my sister's phone)

Here's little Ho looking like my dad (or Pop)

And there he is again - all 7 pounds, 14 ounces of him!

For now, Little Ho is still Little Ho because no name has been decided upon. Needless to say my mom (Grandmama) and dad (Pop) are tickled pink. My mom always wanted a son and God blessed her with 3 girls...you never second guess the plan of our Maker, He knows what's best, and I know that this little guy is going to be a huge blessing to our family! Little Baby Boy Ho, Uncle Stephen and Aunt Kari love you and we can't wait to get our hands on you! Mama Melissa, you better watch out! Aunt Kari is going to spoil the socks off this little guy!

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 61

2011-06-06T00:25:00.000-04:00

Kim over at Savvy Southern Style has just that - some savvy southern style! What I really love about her blog is how she has decorated her home in this style without breaking the bank. Kim offers wonderful inspiration to decorate beautifully on a budget. Go Kim, go!

I fell in love with Kim's blog as soon as I stumbled upon her Sun Room. I love all the yellows, reds and different elements that she has going on in this wonderful room. If I knew where she lived, I'd come over and just hang out in her sun room...okay, that's creepy, I probably wouldn't (but I would) :)

I'm also loving all the different fabrics Kim chose when she was "styling" her sister's porch.

The repurposed frames look absolutely stunning with the new life that was given to them. Makes me want to go to the thrift store right now and snag me some...too bad they're not opened at the moment!

Oh, and check out this awesome sideboard that now looks amazing thanks to some blue paint and Kim's touch!

Waste no time and head on over to Savvy Southern Style to grab some southern inspiration for your home!

Happy Blogging!

Spring?

2011-06-02T08:56:00.000-04:00

So last week before Stephen and I split town to go to Pittsburgh the weather here in Chicago was anything but nice. In fact, on Thursday I had to bust out my winter coat because it got down into the 30s. Yep. You just read that correctly. Stephen had checked the weather for Pittsburgh during that week and told me that it was warmer there - in the 70s. Cool, exactly what I wanted. So, while I was packing I was thinking 70s. I'm the fool that didn't check the weather right before we left to make sure that it was still what I had originally thought.
Fast forward.
We arrive in Pittsburgh. It wasn't in the 70s. In fact, it was in the 80s, humid and reached 91 on Monday when we left. I was sweltering in my jeans. Stephen, trying to help, suggested that I wear the dress I wore to the wedding in the car for our ride home. "You'll be more comfortable..." hmmmm...I don't know about that.
Our whole drive back to Chicago, I didn't know what to expect when we arrived. Would it be cold? Doubtful, considering it had felt as though we were hanging out in a giant's mouth the whole weekend. My curiosity was satisfied when we arrived back on Monday night and it was hot. Stuffy. Ugh. Stephen and I don't have a/c - we have window units that are a pain in my tush to put in. Needless to say, with 30 degree temps, those units hadn't been installed yet. So we opened windows and took it like a man (who really says that?). Tuesday was hot also. Like, walk outside and never receive an ounce of coolness - just H.O.T.
Yesterday was beautiful. I was LOVING every minute of yesterday's weather. It was in the high 70s, close to 80s and just sunny and breezy. Yes, please! This morning I woke up feeling the chill in the air...checked the temperature and it was 55. I am so confused. My body doesn't know whether or not to sweat or goose bump up. It's really gonna be thrown off its kilter when the temperatures hit the 90 degree neighborhood like they're calling for. I'm not quite sure what season it is - is it fall? is it winter? is it summer? Nope. It's spring - unpredictable and crazy spring. With that I'll leave you with some spring-ish pictures I took a couple of weeks ago in the city...it'll make me feel as though it's a steady spring out there (does one of those even exist???).

Some tulips doing their tulip thang outside of Stephen's office

Every year, sometime in April, the Macys on State Street (otherwise known as the old Marshall Fields) has a flower show inside the store. There are hundreds of gorgeous flowers all over the place!

How's spring springin' in your neck of the woods???

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T09:54:00.007-04:00

Stephen and I headed off to Pittsburgh, PA which happens to be the American home of his people :). His dad's cousin's daughter (did you get that?) got married this weekend in the 'burgh and we never miss a good opportunity to hang with family! Thankfully, Stephen got a half-day off of work on Friday (and yet he still worked 7 hours - half day? go figure) and we split town at noon. Getting to Pittsburgh from Chicago is kinda tricky. At first glance of a map, you can see that Pitt sits just east of Chi-town...however, at closer examination you will notice a huge body of water (a.k.a. Lake Michigan) that must be navigated around in order to get from point A. to point B. The first time Stephen and I scooted to his homeland from our apt we took off on the National Turnpike. We laughed carelessly in the wind until we arrived at our destination and added up all the money we had spent on tolls...$39 and some change...that's ONE WAY people! Because we aren't heading to Pittsburgh and staying, we'd be paying somewhere in the ballpark of $80 (not to mention gas) just to get there on this pike. So, we wised up (some may not see it that way) and we added a measly 30-45 min onto our trip each way to change our grand total spent to (wait for it...) $0 (of course gas is not included in that). With that *new* navigation comes back roads, less traveled routes and great scenery - needless to say that that's our kind of travel!

Unfortunately I did what I do best and succeeded at taking very minimal pictures to document the fun that we had. The only pictures I did take were of Stephen's parents tearing up the dance floor in the DJ provided hats to wear in accompaniment to the Village People's "YMCA". I don't think they would appreciate me sharing those on my blog :). My favorite part of the night was when Stephen and I were outside talking with some of his cousins when his mom throws open the door (hat still on, blow-up microphone in hand <--that was another prop given out) and says, "KARI! Your song is on! We need you on the dance floor - NOBODY knows what they're doing!!!" For all my friends who have fallen victim to watching me "dance" to FloRida's Low, you will know exactly what she was referring to....

Leading up to the wedding, I was itching for a good project and I couldn't shake the fact that I had a perfectly good piece of wood from Hobby Lobby in our closet that I had picked up about 2 years ago in hopes to make a Fall sign for our apartment. I snagged this sucker for 1/2 off $2.99 and my good intentions got left to the wayside...the sign was never made. I decided I was going to use it to make a personalized wedding gift for Stephen's cousin and her new husband.

I used the same technique that I had used to make our Count Your Blessings sign by printing off what I was wanting to put on my sign and then shading the back of it with pencil to trace it onto the piece of wood...I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Here's the wooden sign already spray painted with the same paint that I had bought and used for our Count Your Blessings sign...

I printed off my S and shaded the back

I then traced the S onto the piece of wood...

Here's the painted S

I then did the same thing with their last name and painted in my tracings (sorry the picture is crooked - silly blogger!)

Here's the finished painted sign...

I then sanded the pants off of it for a vintage-y look....

2 steps that I do not have pictures for (you're not missing much) is when I took the sign and sprayed it with a clear, glossy spray paint to seal it off.

I then measured the back of it to find the middle of the wood and hammered in a hanging metal strip to the back of it so that they can hang it on their walls.

Total cost of this project:

Wood Sign: $1.50

Metal Hanging Strip: $1.99 for 2 (I only used 1 so that's $1)

I had all the paint...

that's right - I paid a whopping $2.50 for this personalized wedding gift :)

Have you finished any cool projects lately? I'm always looking for inspiration!

I'm linking up to these parties this week (also: Between Naps on the Porch, Today's Creative Blog, Savvy Southern Style, The Thrifty Home).

Bon Appetit: Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

2011-05-25T07:27:00.004-04:00

The other day, I was using my cornstarch (to make this yummy strawberry pie) when I snagged this great recipe from the container. I was so intrigued by the simplicity of this and the possibility of having fall in my mouth, that I decided to give it a try for my small group. Verdict? These mini pumpkin cheesecakes are so incredibly good and so incredibly easy, that I know this won't be the last time I make them!

Here's what you need:

*18 paper baking cups (2 1/2 inch)

*18 gingersnap cookies

*12 ounces cream cheese, softened

*3/4 cup sugar

*1 Tablespoon corn starch

*1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

*2 eggs

*1 cup canned pumpkin

*1/3 cup corn syrup (light or dark)

Here's what you do:

*Line muffin pans with 18 paper baking cups. Place 1 gingersnap in each.

*Beat cream cheese, sugar, corn starch and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer. Add eggs and mix well. Add pumpkin and syrup; beat 1 minute.

*Pour filling into paper baking cups, dividing evenly. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, until just set.

*Chill for 1 hour. Garnish as desired (I used slivered almonds and chocolate chunks)

*Makes 18 mini cheesecakes

Thanks Argo Cornstarch for changing my life! :)

Here's a handy dandy little recipe card I made for you! Just click, save and print! (Thanks to Mel over at The Larson Lingo for this great idea!)

Copycat: Quartrefoil Tray

2011-05-24T07:52:00.019-04:00

A couple of months ago, Stephen and I were walking back to our apartment when we stumbled upon this perfectly good wooden tray that someone had tossed out with their trash (don't worry - it wasn't IN their trash can, just hanging out next to it). Stephen looked at me with a silly little grin, knowing exactly what was going through my mind. That's right - I wanted it. Who wouldn't? It was in good shape and was FREE - score and SCORE! We picked it up, carried it home and tucked it away in a closet until inspiration came to do something with it.

Fast forward.

Last week I thought about the tray and I remembered that we were heading to Kentucky for the weekend. Because Chicago doesn't sell spray paint, I knew I was going to have to snag some outside of the city. I picked up the spray paint and returned to Chicago knowing that I was going to tackle that tray once and for all....

...and then I stumbled upon this Quatrefoil Trey at Red Heads Craft More Fun. As soon as I saw Courtney's tray, I KNEW I wanted to be a copycat. That's one of my most favorite things about reading blogs! I'm constantly being inspired by all the creativity surrounding me. Thanks for the inspiration, Courtney!

What I used:
*A wooden tray
*Americana Acrylic Craft Paint in "Butter"
*Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Spray Paint in "Ivy Leaf"
*spray paint sprayer nozzler (yes, that is the technical name of it :-P)
*sandpaper
*the quatrefoil stencil
*pencil
*pair of scissors.

What I did:
*I gave my wooden tray a good rub down with sandpaper - keep with me people, it's not good for your minds to wander there!
*I then went to town on it with my spray paint. That sucker ended up soaking up the entire can of spray paint - geeze-oh-pete!

*After about 100 layers of spray paint (okay, not really, more like 5-6) I went into the apartment and printed off the quatrefoil stencil and got to work cutting it out.
*Once I had cut it out, and the spray paint had time to dry, I laid the stencil down on my tray and began tracing the design on there. I continued to trace the design, lining it up with what I had already traced, until the entire tray was covered.
*I took my Americana Butter and patiently painted and filled in the quatrefoil design on my tray. I let that dry and then came back to it to add a second coat.

*Once all paint had dried, I came back to the tray and sanded the pants off it to give it a good, aged look.

Let me tell you - I LOVE IT! I didn't realize how much I was going to like it until I finished and saw it hanging out on my coffee table. I love the color that it brings up onto the table and I absolutely LOVE the contrast between the green and the butter (thanks to my friend Jenn who pointed me in that direction!)! Better yet, I really love the price tag of this project! In all, I spent about $5. The tray was free (sorry, I'm not trying to rub it in...), the spray paint was like $3.87 and the Americana paint was like $1.20.

All thanks to Courtney, the redhead who has more fun crafting than myself ;) - without her post, my tray would've just been green...I'm soooo glad I saw her tray first!

I'm linking up to these parties:

(T) Today's Creative Blog; Sugar Bee Crafts; New Nostalgia; Coastal Charm; Hope Studios; (W) Trendy Treehouse; Blue Cricket Design; Domestically Speaking; The Thrifty Home; Someday Crafts; Women Who Do It All; Sew Woodsy; Night Owl Crafting; (Th) Gluesticks; Somewhat Simple; The Shabby Chic Cottage; House of Hepworths; Tales from Bloggeritaville; Fireflies and Jellybeans; It's Sew Stinkin Cute; Delightful Order; bouffe e bambini; Organize and Decorate Everything; (F)Chic on a Shoestring Decorating; It's a Hodgepodge Life; It's FUN to Craft!; Fingerprints on the Fridge; The Shabby Nest; Remodelaholic; Simply Designing; Home is Where My Story Begins; (S)Tatertots and Jello; The Creative Crate; A Vision to Remember; Young and Crafty; Along for the Ride; Funky Junk Interiors; Lolly Jane Boutique; (Sun)I Heart Naptime; Under the Table and Dreaming

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 60

2011-05-23T23:06:00.000-04:00

My friend, Amanda, is a quilter. She has made so many beautiful quilts, and in doing so, has inspired me to (think about) make one of my own! When I stumbled upon this blog/website, I knew I had to share it because it really reinforced that desire. I know there are a lot of you out there who share the desire to create a quilt that could be passed on in your family. Maybe you're like me and the thought of making a quilt overwhelms you. I think Moda Bakeshop is just for us - it breaks down the process and really makes the idea of quilting seem like it could happen! Amanda, I hope you find some great inspiration on here for your next quilt!

Ever get confused when reading quilting terms like "layer cake" or "dessert rolls"? Don't be fooled - these aren't sugary sweets - this page will give you different tutorials on how to create your own quilt using one of these different types of bundles.

Did you know I love pillows? I reeeaaaallly like these pillows!

I'm loving this quilt! I love all the colors and the design of it!

I really, really, really like the geometric design of this quilt...is this the one???

All you quilters (and quilting wanna-bes) unite! Head on over to Moda Bakeshop and get lost in all the quilting possibilities! Amanda, I'm super interested in hearing what you think!

Happy Blogging!

Oh. Em. Gee.

2011-05-20T17:46:00.001-04:00

I've been having trouble with my computer charging lately. I couldn't figure it out, except that I knew it was my charger (I have the exact same MacBook for work and also my own personal one and they were both having the same troubles), but I was thinking it was maybe the outlet it was plugged into. If any of you out there have a Mac laptop, you know that when you have your charger plugged in, your computer screen gets a bit brighter; when you unplug it, your screen dims a bit. On Thursday morning, I was getting so frustrated because while my computer was plugged into the charger, my screen was having it's own light show - flash brighter, go dimmer, flash brighter, go dimmer...you get the drift. Son of a gun! I tried everything. Powered my computer down; powered it back up. Unplugged the charger from the computer; plugged it back it. Nothing was working. That's when I was convinced it was the outlet that my charger was plugged into. I swiftly unplugged it, thinking of another outlet I could try it out in when my attention was caught by this:

Do you see it? Let me zoom in a bit closer....

Yup.

The inside of my cord had burned right through to the outside...ay yi yi! I'm so fortunate that whenever this happened, that nothing caught on fire! I know from the picture it just looks like it was split open, but there are dark burn marks there, my friend, dark burn marks. YIKES! Thankfully, like I said earlier, I have the same computer for work and I have a charger for that computer so I'll be able to use that charger for both my work and personal computers. Thank goodness! Has this happened to any of you guys???

In other news... last year I gave up Diet Coke for Lent. Before I gave it up, I was drinking waaaay too much of this stuff. When I gave it up, I got used to drinking a lot of water and would sometimes supplement with powerade or other drinks with a little flavor. When Lent ended, I decided that it was much easier to keep myself from drinking Diet Coke than it was for me to try and limit my intake. It's been over a year, and I haven't touched DC since. Sometimes I'll let myself enjoy a good Diet Sierra Mist or Sprite and while those are good, I don't love them as much as I loved DC so I don't drink them that often.

One day a couple of weeks ago, Stephen and I were perusing Wal-Mart (sorry, Melissa) when we saw this interesting, no calorie sparkling lemonade. We grabbed a few 2 liters and as soon as we cracked into one, we knew we were in love!

They have a couple of flavors (Cherry Limeade, Strawberry Lemonade, Peach Lemonade, Lemonade and Pink Lemonade)

Has anyone else tried these bad boys out? They're only available at Wal-Mart, because I believe they're made by them. Both Stephen and my small groups love this stuff, and we agree - it's good! Our personal favorite is the Strawberry Lemonade, with the Peach Lemonade coming in as 2nd best. If you haven't tried this stuff, we definitely recommend it!

Okay, enough random rambling for the day! I hope you guys have a fabulous weekend! I'm working on a project that I can't wait to share with you sometime next week!

The Oil Change

2011-05-18T17:40:00.000-04:00

Stephen and I spent the weekend in Kentucky with our friends and family. We had a wonderful time seeing our family and then I really enjoyed seeing all my dear friends on Saturday for my friends Lauren and Brad's wedding.

Here's a picture of the lovely bride and groom (borrowed from my friend Carly's FB)

Me and my besties enjoying ~~acting utterly ridiculous~~ dancing at the reception - Katie on the left and Doni in the middle

My other bestie, Laura is on the left - Stephen's the lucky man standing in back of me ;)

So anyways, we knew we were going to good 'ol Kentucky and we also knew we needed an oil change. Despite the fact that I absolutely hate doing anything car related, I told Stephen that I would go on Thursday after my Bible Study (BSF - holla'!) and get the oil changed in the car. I went into Jiffy Lube ready and rearing to go with my Martha Stewart Living and my Rachel Ray's Everyday to keep me occupied. You know the routine - they take your car, ask you what you want and then work on your car. When your car is finished, you go to the counter and pay. I was so surprised and relieved when my visit took less time than I had originally planned. The cashier and I had a good, somewhat forced chuckle at the fact that she called me Stephen (because that's the name on file with the license plate) and then I got to work digging out my wallet to make the payment. After I had dug my way around and through my purse, I immediately started to panic when I realized that my wallet was NOT IN THERE. My face started to catch fire, I could feel the heat in each cheek running rampant. All of a sudden I started to feel all sweaty and just enflamed as I realized that I had no way to pay for the service that was performed on my car.

That's me at that moment.

I told the nice lady the situation and she suggested I go check the car to see if my wallet was there. I go out to my car and dig around, knowing the whole time that my wallet was not there. I have 2 thoughts plaguing my mind at this point: 1) how in good gravy am I going to pay for this?! and 2) where the hot tamale is my wallet??? I whipped out my cell phone and immediately dialed Stephen. No answer. Called again. No answer. My frustration immediately was transitioned to him - doesn't he know he should be at my beck and call at every waking moment?! (please not the heavily laid sarcasm). After I had no luck with Stephen, I began to think about who I could call that could help me. I wasn't that far from our apartment (far enough to be out of walking distance and a public commute could take at least an hour), and I knew my friend Jenn lived down the street from us. Her work is really flexible and I knew she would come and help me...only she didn't answer her phone. Lucky for Jenn she isn't my husband, so she only received one call from me. The next friend that came to mind was someone that I really didn't want to call. Don't get me wrong, Amanda would drive out to anywhere to help me - she's an amazing friend - but her and her husband live about a half hour from our apartment (Chicago traffic will make you wish you lived elsewhere) and I hated to ask her to drive out to help me (and selfishly, I knew that would take longer). But, I swallowed my pride and dialed her up. Here's how the conversation went:

Amanda: "Hi friend! How are you?"

Me: "Well, I've been better {insert story here}. I hate to ask you this, and please feel free to tell me 'No' if you cannot, but what are the odds that you could come out to this Jiffy Lube and pay for my oil change?????"

Amanda: "Well....where are you? I'm at a thrift store on Clybourne right now..."

Me: "I'm at Fullerton and Clybourne....are you at the Salvation Army?"

Amanda: "Yes..."

I'll stop there - Chicago's a big city. Amanda doesn't live near the Salvation Army, nor does she frequent that one and it just so happened that the day I was stuck at Fullerton and Clybourne because I had stupidly lost my wallet, Amanda was only a 5 MINUTE walk from my location. FIVE MINUTES?! She was right down the street. Hello God, thanks for loving me and showing me that you're there to take care of me!

As Amanda was telling me her location, a light came streaming down from Heaven and a Heavenly host of angels began to sing in sweet harmony...not really, but it felt that way!

Thank God for being God and for giving me wonderful friends!

p.s. my wallet was in the pocket of my jacket from when I had walked to Trader Joes (holy toledo I love Trader Joes!) earlier that week. I left it in there thinking, "I'll remember it's there..." famous. last. words.

Custom Baby Bedding

2011-05-16T14:41:00.002-04:00

Okay blogging friends, I've had a lot of encouraging responses from my baby bedding photos that I shared with you last week. As a result, I'm going to offer up my services to any of you preggo readers or readers who have friends/family members who are expecting. I am willing and able to make the following pieces out of fabric of your choice:
-Crib skirt (ruffled or straight edged <--as shown in the photos)
-Fitted crib sheet
-Bumpers
-Quilt/Blanket
-Window Valance
-Decorative pillow
-Changing pad cover

If you're interested in finding out about pricing, timing, etc, please shoot me an email at KariG29@gmail.com and make the subject "Baby Bedding". I looooooooove fabric and I love to sew - I'd love to work with you!

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 59

2011-05-16T07:08:00.001-04:00

Jess is quite the sewer and she makes me want to sew everything in the world! She is super inspiring with her great clothes for little girls. I hope to try my hand at some of her sweet little dresses! Not only does the blog have wonderful tutorials on sewing clothes, but Craftiness is Not Optional has great tutorials on a bunch of other things as well!

If my sister has a sweet little baby girl, I definitely want to make this dress for her!

Check out this super sweet little dress! For the love!

Looking for a gift for a sister, mom or best girl friend? How about this adorable half apron?

I definitely need to follow this tutorial for making a new ironing board cover - mine is the pits!

I LOVE this poinsettia Christmas tree skirt - SO pretty!

Head on over to Craftiness is Not Optional and be inspired to sew!!!

Happy Blogging!

Finally! Some pictures of baby bedding!

2011-05-13T17:37:00.032-04:00

Do you remember when I told you that I was going to make my friend, Shea's baby bedding (if not, you can read about it here)? Well, after I had told you about this adventure, I quickly got to work ordering fabrics from Fabric.com. After getting them in the mail and seeing that the colors looked completely different in real life than on my computer screen (go figure) I sent them back (they have an AMAZING return policy) and ordered new Amy Butler patterns. I loved the advice that my friend Cory gave me regarding doing Minky Dot on the inside of the bumpers, so that's exactly what we did!

Here's sweet Shea and beautiful Naomi, or Omi as they call her...this was a few short days after she arrived!

And now, she's anxiously awaiting (or napping through her anxiety) the call from IU that she's been accepted as an early applicant (Moms and Pops are both IU grads) :)

Anyways...I got busy working on the crib skirt, the bumpers and the blanket and I finally have pictures to show you! Unfortunately, the blanket didn't make its debut in any of these pictures, but you can enjoy the rest :) (With the extra fabric I made a pillow with an "N" on it for Naomi).

And there it is! The blanket was the floral fabric on one side and then a deeper pink on the back with the green as the binding....maybe Shea will remember to take a picture and send it so I can share it with you - although she is a bit busy now that Omi is around :). I was super pleased with the outcome, so much that I decided to ~~torture~~ get myself into it once again for my sister!

***If you're interested in custom baby bedding for you or someone you love, click here***

I've linked this project up to these parties:

(M)The DIY Showoff; The Girl Creative; Making the World Cuter; Skip to My Lou; Sumo's Sweet Stuff; Between Naps on the Porch; Keeping it Simple; Support Blogs for Moms with Boys; Mad in Crafts; Sew Can Do; CRAFT; (T)Tip Junkie; Today's Creative Blog; Sugar Bee Crafts; New Nostalgia; Creative Itch; (W)The Thrifty Home; Someday Crafts; Blue Cricket Design; My Backyard Eden; Organize and Decorate Everything; Sew Much Ado; Women Who Do It All; Trendy Treehouse; Sew Woodsy; Night Owl Crafting; (Th)Monivore's Dilemma; The Shabby Chic Cottage; Somewhat Simple; Tales from Bloggeritaville; Seven Thirty Three; House of Hepworths; Fireflies and Jellybeans; It's Sew Stinkin' Cute; (F)Fun to Craft; Tidy Mom; It's a Hodgepodge Life; Fingerprints on the Fridge; Chic on a Shoestring Decorating; The Shabby Nest; Finding Fabulous; Remodelaholic; Simply Designing; Punkin Seed Productions; Home is Where My Story Begins; Delicate Construction; (S)Tatertots and Jello; The Creative Crate; A Vision to Remember; Young and Crafty; Along for the Ride; Funky Junk Interiors; Lolly Jane Boutique