Let the holidays begin, Thanksgiving style

This past weekend was Thanksgiving and we all went down to southern Indiana to visit Brad's family and celebrate. We drove down Wednesday around noon, did some shopping, and then had an amazing dinner (and breakfast, I might add) at Brad's moms house.

 

 

Camden woke up bright eyed and bushy-tailed (little spit fire we've got on our hands). He slept really well in the pack-and-play considering he's maybe slept in it 3 times overnight. We did find out that he doesn't like the pitch black. He screamed until we put a night light in the room, then he went to sleep A-OK. He has one in his room, but I never thought it was that big of a deal. Apparently we need to invest in a small, cheap one to travel with.

 

 

Grandma ABSOLUTELY LOVED having Camden around. Brad was always following him, making sure he wasn't getting into stuff he wasn't supposed to. Me, on the other hand, I was relaxing. I feel like Brad and I have reversed roles since having Camden. I'm the more laid-back one and he's more of the I-have-to-watch-him-at-all-times one. 0:) Love you, babe!

 

 

After breakfast, Camden and Brad looked at some of the Black Friday ads and Cam was picking out and pointing to toys in the ToysRUs ad. It was stinkin' adorable.

 

 

Later Thanksgiving afternoon, we headed over to Brad's aunts house. Luckily there were a few little ones he could play with, but by the time we got here he was tired, had a 15-minute nap, and a banana in place of lunch (so he could eat some Thanksgiving food). Poor kiddo was not happy until he got to inhale, which he did, some turkey and potatoes.

 

 

Then it was picture time and I sorta went a little crazy. :) Someone mentioned a group picture and that their family hadn't had a group picture since before I was around. So while everyone was congregating, I decided to set up a chair stacked with our pack-and-play and some sheets (for stability) on the front lawn and somehow convinced everyone to stand on the porch for a group photo. (See above.)

 

Then I took some of Brad's family. His sister, as we now call her Aunt Rachael, and Camden were playing on the porch and I snapped a few of the one above. It's by far my favorite picture of him and her together. They're so stinkin' adorable!

 

 

I was so happy to also see Rachael's twin, Ryan, at the dinner. I haven't seen him in a long while and it meant so much to everyone to be able to see him there. He also was pretty smitten with Camden; it'd been a while since he's seen him.

 

 

Of course we also got a few family photos (although we are in studio next week so keep an eye out for those photos).

 

Happy Thanksgiving and Holidays to everyone!

DIY: Curtain Panels

Shopping for curtains always makes me turn into the crazy lady. Said crazy lady doesn't like just any curtain design or paying $80+ for some curtains she barely tolerates. So with my new sewing skills (not bragging, I finally figured out how to thread the bobbin so yeah..), I decided to make a few trips to JoAnn Fabrics to see what kinds of decor fabric they have. I'm really not sure what the different types of fabric are at this point nor do I really know what I'm talking about but I do know this is one of the easiest projects I've ever tackled with my sewing machine! I'm going to break this down step-by-step on how to make some beautiful curtains for your home.

First, supplies:

~ 3 yards of 54" preferred fabric (2)

~ sewing machine

~ all-purpose thread in preferred color choice

~ bobbin

~ a good pair of fabric scissors

~ pins

~ measuring tool (measuring tape works just fine)

~ and the tools listed below...

.. Okay, so you don't need the sweet tea (athough I highly recommend it) .. ;)

And the iPhone is purely for music .. and looking up sewing how-to's on youtube.

Okay, so let's get started sewing! In the picture above, I have displayed a picture of the settings that I used for these curtains. It will probably be different for each different machine and fabric, so please play around with the settings with a scrap piece of fabric (same material) to adjust as necessary.

STEP ONE: Lay the fabric out so that you have easy access to the sides (do this one side at a time). 

STEP TWO: Fold over the edges about 1/2-inch and press with hands (or use a warm iron and steam press it for better results).

STEP THREE: Fold over the same edge again about 1/2-inch and press with iron again.

STEP FOUR: Pin pin pin! I cannot stress this enough! Pin everywhere and often. There is no such thing as too many pins.

Do this all the way down each side of the panel(s). 

STEP FIVE: Place the fabric in the machine and sew straight down the inside edge of the folded side(s). Sew this with the folded edges on top (so that you can see where you're sewing in regards to the edge of that fold).

Sew all the way down the edge(s) and don't forget to back-stitch at the beginning and ends!

Now to sew the top hem.

STEP SIX: Lay fabric on the floor flat with the folded edges facing up.

STEP SEVEN: Fold the top edge over by about 1/2-inch and press with a hot iron.

STEP EIGHT: Fold the top edge over again and make a 4-inch top panel. Steam this edge with the hot iron as well.

Be sure to measure because you don't want it to be uneven and look awkward.

STEP NINE: Take your measuring tool and slide it across the top of the panel and pin the top in place as you go. I preferred to pin the top and the bottom (just in case) but you'll only be sewing on the bottom.

STEP TEN: Sew a straight line across the bottom part of the 4-inch top panel. See red line in picture below.

You now have made a straight curtain panel for a rod!

 

STEP ELEVEN:

 

Cut the fabric to length. Add approximately 5-6 inches extra.

 

STEP TWELVE:

 

Repeat steps 7-10 for the bottom hem.

If you're like me, and want to take it just a step further to make it look "fancy", then I would invest in some grommets. They're very easy to do, only take a few extra minutes to put on, and give your curtains a little something extra.

 

Just a little tip from doing the grommets: I would suggest placing the two end (outside) grommets in place first and keeping them within about 2 inches of the edge because if it's too long, it will dramatically hang over and not look right. You'll thank me later for this little tip. :)

 

... and your final product ...

 

 

Easy, simple curtains.

The State Fair recap (a month late)

We went to the state fair this year (back in August) and it was SO much more fun than last year because the heat index wasn't 5000. Camden was walking this year, which made it even more fun because he got to participate in more stuff. Brad said maybe a pony ride next year. I'm holding him to that!

 

 

We first went to the DNR building and saw lots of fish!

 

Camden is going to love fishing, I just know it. I'm sure Brad has already purchased (in his head anyways) a little fishing rod for him.

 

We brought snacks, but there were enough halfway-decent options for him to eat lunch. We ended up with the all-beef hot dog (or bract, can't remember) for Cam as well as some fruit we brought ourselves.

 

That's one of the great things about the Indiana State Fair; you can bring your own food or drinks. For the little one, this is very handy although I'd prefer to endulge in some of the fair food myself. 0:)

 

Next, we headed over to the kids area where Camden got to walk along a pathway and pick up (fake, plastic) food and things to put in a bucket. He got to pick up eggs.

 

He also got a free soybean hat (which Brad likes quite a bit).

 

And he got to wear that SUPER-CUTE apron!! Now I'm determined to make him one for helping me bake later on.

 

He got to ride a tractor, which he really enjoyed!!

 

We also got a coupon for a free milkshake from the dairy bar. It was actually big enough for all of us to share as a pre-lunch snack/dessert. It was a REALLY amazing milkshake. As you can see, Camden agrees.

 

He loved the fair and we had so much fun this year~!

 

The above picture is our first trip to the state fair as a family. The bottom picture is from this year. I'm hoping we can keep the tradition each year and get our picture taken every year in front of this same area. It would be really cute to see how we all grow. (Obviously Brad hasn't purchased any new sunglasses since then. Or in like 10 years. Ugh.)

 

One other note is that the first year I really was so grateful for the IMMB's Lactation Station's around the fairgrounds to be able to have a quiet, cooler place to sit down and nurse Cam. They had one this year and informed me that they will no longer be doing it because of the high cost to do it. I really wish they didn't feel that it wasn't a beneficial outreach because it is SO needed!

 

On that note, I probably won't be needing a lactation station any time soon because I'm taking a couple of classes for nursing school prerequisites, working 45+ hours/week and taking care of the home/hubby/toddler. I have a lot on my plate and I appreciate the patience. I also miss my mommy-group friends DEARLY! I can't wait until I get a small break in classes; you know, in like 2 years. More on all of this later. :)

Checking In

I'm having a bit of bloggers-block so I am linking up to kjpugs' blog and doing a "check in" to let you all know what's going on in my life here lately.

Obsessing Over: I need this owl fabric. Like ASAP. I have a serious Etsy problem. I'm surprised my husband hasn't figured out a way to block the app on my iPhone by now. This fabric is SO cute and I want to sew a bunch of cute stuff. I usually have a problem with buying/swooning over fabric and not really knowing exactly what to make with it. If I bought this, what should I make with it?

Etsy Fabric

Working On: Currently my goal (around the house anyways) is to get organized and figure out some storage solutions for us. The guest closet is the most embarrassing thing I've ever seen and our garage looks worse than the storage units on Storage Wars. You couldn't even fit a Smart car into it. (Not that a Smart car is a REAL car anyways.)

Thinking About: Fall. I can't wait until fall weather and food comes into season. It's my favorite season! The only down side is that winter is right around the corner usually.

Anticipating: Working out again. I've hired a trainer at work to kick my butt into shape and I've scheduled two-days-a-week for a month to start and I'm definitely wanting to improve my eating habits to lose this baby weight and get back under 200lbs. I've NEVER been this big before and I'm not exactly happy about it. I really just want to feel good about myself and comfortable in my clothes again.

Listening to: The quietness of my home. The A/C is off (luckily, it's freezing in here), kiddo is upstairs dreaming his little heart away, and the hubby is pecking away at his laptop. I did hear a great Regina Spektor song while having dinner tonight at McAlister's and thought that was kinda cool. I don't think I've ever heard her on the radio before. She's one of my absolute favorite singers!

Regina Spektor - Fidelity

Drinking: McAlister's (super duper ridiculous) sweet tea. What else would I be drinking? :)

Wishing: That I didn't have to work, I could see my friends more, and be a stay-at-home momma. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd want to be a mom, much less stay at home and not have an actual corporate-type of career. I've always been career driven.

Anyways, before I open a whole can of worms, that's about it for me here. Working (which I need to also update everyone on) has taken up about 80% of my time so very little is left for the blog. I am going to hopefully be posting some weight-loss progress pictures though because I fully intend to make noticeable progress.

a mix "tape" of sorts

I'm feeling crafty lately, especially with all of the Pins that I've pinned on, well, you know the site. :) I definitely have been getting to some of them and my goal is to get one big one (that requires quite a bit of construction on our part) done in the next year; hoping by Christmas, but that might be pushing it.

Even with all the great ideas out there, I came up with one for a friend of mine's baby shower. Her and I have a "special" relationship and clsoeness that you want in a best friend. You fight, you make up. You have kids, you go 3 years without seeing each other. When you do see each other again, you scream, cry and talk like it's only been a week. (And that's why I love you, my dear!)

I thought I should make a funny CD of some songs that would make her laugh and just help her to feel better in these last few weeks of pregnancy. So, I made her a mix "tape" of some oldies.

I think when she first saw it, she thought it was a serious, relaxing CD of labor music. I laughed and told her she might want to read the enclosed letter before taking it to the hospital. ;)

The letter reads:

Dear Colleen, 

I know that labor can’t be an EASY thing, but I wanted to give you a CD of some songs to keep you from getting too HOT BLOODED at the hospital.

Please be sure to check your car and make sure you have more than just ONE HEADLIGHT working, because you never know when you’ll go into labor. (Although I WISH we could get a schedule or something. Just one of those THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM.)

When you check into the hospital, with JACK AND DIANE, make sure you tell them that you’re here to have a baby. (You know, since you’ll look smokin’ hot so they won’t know.)

Just keep your eye on the prize: e.p.i.d.u.r.al. It’ll feel like you’re on a MAGIC CARPET RIDE. At that point, the nurse will probably tell you that TIME IS ON MY SIDE. Just stay calm and listen to EVERY LITTLE STEP the labor & delivery staff tells you to follow. At that point, there’s no turning back. Just keep telling yourself that this is 2 LEGIT 2 QUIT.

I just know that you’re going to be thinking you wish you had a girl to call YOUR WOMAN, but count your blessings because GIRLS AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT TROUBLE. Here’s a suggestion for Adam in the delivery room: once the baby comes, it’s completely appropriate to run around the room fist-pumping while screaming, “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.” (Trust me…)

Now even when you see that adorable baby boy’s face, there’s NO DIGITY (NO DOUBT) that you will get HUNGRY EYES. My advice would be to tell Adam, “KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF” and concentrate on what a wonderful, complete family you have. And for goodness sake, pour yourself a glass of RED RED WINE!

Always my love,
Kelly

If you hadn't noticed, some of the words/phrases are bolded and in all capital letters. Yes, those would be the songs (in order) that are on the CD that was enclosed. She loved it! I even made a copy for myself because the songs are too funny. :)

The easiest way I did this, was to start with a couple of songs and try to write the letter. With each new song that I found on my Brad's iTunes play list, I tried to make a sentence with it and then put it in order on the CD where it appeared in the letter. That way, the letter made more sense when reading it.

I'm not the craftiest person in the world, but I hope this inspires you all to do something nice for somebody else or just to be creative on your own.