Fix It Up Friday: Window Dressing

One of the new house activities that I had forgotten the joys of between our first house and this one is finding window coverings. Ugh. The whole process stresses me out. Everything in the decorating magazines is too overdone. And the prices! For some reason I just don't think that it should cost a mortgage payment to cover a window. So the fact that 6 months after our move we have anything on some of these windows is nothing short of miraculous.

Here is where we started with the kitchen window. A big gaping hole of a window.

Oh yeah, the other problem is that these are original windows to this house. Energy efficiency was not a top priority in the 1980s. Our solution for the time being? Packing Tape. I was a little horrified by the trailer park ambiance that it provided (next stop - aluminum foil), but I soon got over that when I saw the difference that they made in the electric bill.

After a quest that rivaled some of Indiana Jones' best work, I located a Roman shade that measured the illusive 43" of my window. The original plan was to sew the shade but then I realized that I was tremendously pregnant and employed full time. In other words, reality crushed my crafty dreams once again. It's nice but it just doesn't look "finished".

So we went back on the hunt and located the perfect mate for a chocolate Roman shade. Of course, since I managed to not read all the details of this purchase, I ended up with some kind of button top rather than a rod pocket. Never fear, the sewing machine rode to the rescue. Then the 43" problem came up yet again. This time some cosmetic surgery and an actual organ donation were required to resolve the situation. It was touch and go for a few hours, but I think in the end everything turned out ok.

Here is the organ donor. He may be a little lighter around the edges, but he's holding up well.

My other window dressing accomplishment for this house revolves around a love affair with the tension rod and the $5 Wal-Mart sheer panel (you can't get cut fabric by the yard for that price). Here they are covering up the front windows in the dining room.

And here they are as a door panel in our bedroom.

So this is all the progress I have been able to make on the windows in the new house. I think that things are going well, but certainly not at lightning speed. However, we can now say that everything is covered. And the neighborhood is grateful. I guess we will put away that industrial size box of aluminum foil for now.

Stuck on you

Jackson had been playing quietly and alone for a little while last night. Never a good sign. But eventually he emerged for more leaping and wrestling before bedtime. I didn't think much about the situation until I walked through the kitchen later and found this.





Clothespins . . . on every single drawer and cabinet.

Another strange and mildly OCD moment brought to you by the letters J and H and the number 3.

Baby Bonanza

It's hard to fully embrace the grumpiness of the last moments of the third trimester when you have 52+ thank you notes to write! We had a great time at my office baby shower last Friday. We are spoiled.

(You should ignore the non-dining situation going on on the dining room table back there.)

And this is on top of another awesome shower at church. This one was a triple play.

You know what one of the great things about being a second time mom is? You KNOW exactly what you like in a baby product.

Hello, Mylicon, I think I love you. And your illegitimate cousin Target brand gas relief drops? You are so my little secret best friend. Come on, a medicine that relieves tummy bubbles (and thus occasionally the unexplained newborn crying) and that you can't overdose a baby on, what is there not to love? Now if only it came in Mommy-size for those moments of unexplained crying.

Bottle liners for the Playtex Nurser bottles. The amazing thing here is how much these have improved in the last 20 years. When my brother was a baby, it was like you were putting milk in a Ziplock and then trying to screw the lid on over it. Not a task that should be performed by the faint of heart or the sleep deprived. And what about the fact that these don't have a gazillion valves and parts to clean! We might not get to see these for a few months (weeks), but I am ever so glad to have the stockpile ready.

Baby toiletries. I am so excited that these now come in fun smells that aren't girly. I can't wait to try Vanilla Oatmeal and Cucumber Melon. And we did have to throw in some bubbles just for the fun factor - because nothing convinces a three year old with a bath aversion to race for the tub better than bubbles . . . and the potential for splashing Mommy.

Here it is. The lifeblood of Newborn World. Diapers and wipes. Around here we are devotees of the Pampers for pretty much all of infancy. After that we don't have much use for brand loyalty. So, what are you thinking? The diapers pictured above will cover us for 3 days after coming home? Maybe less?

Disclaimer: Yup, those are brand names up there. I didn't get any benefit from that. Just so you know.

The Shred

Ever wondered what 9+ years of marriage looks like in paperwork form?

Here's maybe a third of it.

I HATE paper!

Oh, and if you were hoping for a post extolling the virtues of Jillian Michaels, no dice.

She has annoyed me for the week.

Time is flying . . . Easter 2010

We had a great Easter this year. We hopped all over the bunny trail . . . and haven't really stopped since.

We hunted eggs at the mall with Brady and Aunt Michelle.

Brady took up a little moonlighting work for the season as an Easter Bunny. He found being this cute totally exhausting. Regular adorable will have to do.

We dyed some Easter eggs. Shirts were optional for anyone who looked like they might get crazy with dye.

Jackson demonstrating his very careful egg hold.

We dressed in our Easter finest . . . and we were thrilled.

Then we hunted eggs again with Grandma and Pop.

But these eggs had coins in them . . . or as Jackson likes to call it "muntey".