Thrifting

Notice some changes? Okay, a change? I have been thinking about this blog and what it is about. I have gone through this thought process several times since my blogging beginning as it has always been rather aimless. I don't want it to be about my children, but that is what I do 99.9% of the time. I am not crafty enough to have a craft blog. So the thoughts continue and I continue to blab as the mood strikes which is rather aimless as well. I will let you know what I come up with. On to the real content of today's blog - thrifting. This is something I have not done in years due to four little hands that don't always respond to "No" as quickly as I would like. Now that I have some children-free time during the week I am trying to take advantage. So, yesterday I hit three little antique/ thrift stores & wouldn't you know I found something at all of them. The first does not have a defined purpose but I just liked the look of it. For now it is storing some art & craft supplies next to the sewing machine table.

It may end up a different color eventually, but for now I am liking the red. The other purchase was for E & A's kitchen. I had it set up on their stove and they noticed it right away once they came home from school. I have had a never ending supply of coffee & tea ever since.





Too cute & I love the color. An even better characteristic? It is not ceramic and won't shatter into a bazillion pieces on the tile flooring. The third is currently in my bedroom which is also where one of the girls is napping. It isn't old or used but it did come from an antique store, and it is the softest baby blanket I have ever felt. It completely matches the bedding for the baby too. This is the first non-utilitarian purchase I have made for the baby. It is hard to get excited about buying diapers & bottles, but this purchase made me very happy. I can't wait to wrap her up & see how she likes it. As an aside, I mentioned the "burrito wrap" to my husband the other day to see if he remembered how it was done. This worked so well with both girls that until they could wiggle out of the blanket they were swaddled in blankets to help them fall asleep. His response, which was verbalized while reading the newspaper, never making eye contact with me, and which I absolutely loved: "Yeah, I remember. That is how I wrap up the girls' baby dolls." Love him!

Bump in the night

Martin has been out of town for the past few nights. The first night he was gone I had taken a shower and was getting ready for bed when I heard the doorbell ring multiple times. The girls were sitting on my bed and looked at me with a "what are you going to do about this" look. I think they thought it was an odd time to have a visitor too. I gave them strict instructions not to move as I quickly got dressed and tried to figure out what was going on without having to answer the door. I was in the dark living room when I heard a thud-thud, patter-patter on the roof. Yes, ON THE ROOF. 8 PM, it is dark, I have two little girls in my room and I am 8 months pregnant. I was freaking out. I looked outside and there were two work trucks in the road in front of the house and I could see one man walking back to the truck with a ladder. Apparently the owners of this house are going to have some roof repairs made and that was what all the hub-bub was about. After I calmed down, got the girls comfy & tucked in I called the property manager and left a nice but firm message that this was not acceptable. She called back on Tuesday morning in total agreement. Good. Well, last night I am in bed, lights off, girls are sleeping and I keep hearing noises. I look to the cat to see if he responds, which he does, which freaks me out more. I finally fell asleep but I was a little edgy. Thankfully Martin is due home this afternoon so I can sleep peacefully tonight! Have I mentioned I am just NOT comfortable in this house?



On to prettier things: these are our shamrocks that have moved with us various times and which my husband has had longer than we have known each other. Actually, the ones he has had the longest are green and are in the other bathroom window. The purple ones started from a volunteer that Martin found by our pool pump in FL. I think they are pretty and the girls love the fact that the leaves "go to sleep" or close every evening.

And this is another bump that bumps in the night. As soon as I get in bed and get comfortable she starts her nightly flips. 34 weeks and counting.

This is me tooting my own horn

This is the door that separates the laundry room & garage. It is very ugly and has no winning attributes other than being clean. I decided a couple weeks ago that it was time to take action and do something to prevent me from having to look into the garage whenever I am in the laundry room, which is a lot.
This rug is one that I have had for a while and I really like. It too is in the laundry room, and it served as the "inspiration" for the window.

And this is the finish product! It consists of a tension rod and four cloth napkins that I cut & sewed together to make a curtain.

While not perfect and certainly not retail quality, for a mere $14 and change it is a huge improvement over the first photo.

Wind & Wet Stuff

This is the conversation my husband overheard at about 3 am this morning between Erika & Ainslee:

"It is windy outside."

"Ya, it is very windy."

Well, it was a hurricane! Totally caught me by surprise and apparently I was not the only one.

The water in the photos below is where the street is normally. We had a river running through the neighborhood for a few hours. The girls thought it was great. Not so great will be picking up the many small limbs that are littering the front and back yard. I am saving that for after nap time so I have some little hands to help out.

Surprise for Baby

Today as I drove up to the house I noticed a small white box. Mail! It was a surprise package from a fellow blogger. Stacy sent a present fit for a princess. Such cute little baby-girl goodies:

and

Thank you! Thank you! I am don't want to gush, but am very touched by such thoughtfulness. My first two lived in onsies the first six months - this little one will be all dolled up from the beginning!

Amusing ourselves

What is that in the photo? Yes, the picture is centered AND in focus. Poor Ainslee is just being squeezed out of the frame by my big belly. This was last week at 32 weeks. The photo makes me laugh. Last week passed like a whirlwind. It seemed like we were constantly on the go. To balance out the craziness of the week we made a point of taking it easy over the weekend and doing small things to amuse ourselves. We did some small art projects, a little napping, a little sewing (still working on that!), some cooking, and hanging out with friends. It was a great weekend. Today it was back to the never ending to-do list that keeps me on track. I am hoping this week is a little less crazy but just as much fun! Thanks to all of you who have left comments recently. It is so much fun to hear from you!