nursery progress: paint, crib and changing table

I'm excited to report LOTS of nursery progress has taken place since just a few days ago. We got the whole room completely cleaned out, took down the nasty old window treatments/curtain rods, PAINTED, got the furniture moved back, laid down the new rug and built our crib and changing table. Woohoo!



Here's a before shot of the old green walls. I was NOT sad to see them go...



...and neither was Nathan. Haha. We actually had a really good time getting in there the other night and banging out two coats in one late night; we just cranked up some favorite tunes and made the best of it. And I have to say, for somone who really hates painting with a passion, Nathan was impressively gung-ho about the whole thing. He is just so excited about his baby girl, he can't hide it. He talks about her all the time!



The gray looked really nice in the morning light and I am glad with the color, although it wasn't the original gray I picked. I had picked something a tiny bit warmer and darker; but since we are doing this room on a shoestring budget and I went for the next-to-cheapest paint from the hardware store, I couldn't get the paint chip I picked out at first. Apparently it was a signature color from a line of more expensive paint and wasn't available in the cheaper brand I wanted to get; and I honestly only had a few choices of gray shades to choose from. I went with the closest one on a wing and a prayer and I'm happy with it; it actually picks up the shades in the rug I got really well.



Friday night, we spent a couple hours putting together the crib and changing table. We've never built Ikea furniture before, but the instructions were super simple for the pieces we got and they went together without a hitch. Obviously, Spike was a big help. (He is not so sure about what's going on in this new room, but he does like the rug.)



So this is basically where we are - many steps ahead of where we were, but definitely lots to go still. I am really happy with the pieces I picked from Ikea, though - I went with the simplest pieces that had the smallest footprint, and it's a good thing I did. The upholstered glider we ordered will go in the corner there to the left of the crib, so the crib will have to move down the wall to the right a little bit and unfortunately I don't think I'll have room for the old schooldesk I was planning to repaint. I also think I am going to forego the crib skirt I was planning on making; besides the fact that I think it would close in the small space even more, the only vent in the room is underneath - and shutting it off is probably not the best plan.

Next up is installing the chandelier, making the curtains (I got some cute inexpensive curtain rods yesterday at a discount store), finishing and hanging the baby mobile (I'm almost done), and framing/hanging wall art. But at least now we would have somewhere to actually *put* a baby should she arrive earlier than planned - that's a huge step forward. ; )

spike's little adventure

Recognize this little booger?



He decided to go on a little 3-day adventure in the freezing cold. Highly upsetting for us! What happened was that he had accidentally gotten locked in the garage the other day, so when Nathan came home and didn't have a house key, he opened the garage door with the keypad and out ran Spike. Nathan said he got several houses away on the street behind us before he lost sight of him. To make matters worse, we had recently taken off his collar because he has been having some skin allergies and the collar really irritates them. So he was gone, no clue where he went, without any ID on him at all. And remember, our baby is FIV positive, so he really doesn't need to be in the dangerous outdoors where he could easily get sick, or infect another cat!

He finally started hanging around the house, much to my relief, as I was worried he wouldn't know how to get home since he is not an outdoor cat here at all. But he made it to our neighbor Drew's house and decided to make himself at home in the crawl space underneath. He would come out and meow at us every now and then, and helped himself to the food we left out one night on the porch, but would flip out every time we started towards him. Nathan tried to get to him by getting under Drew's house a few times, but the one time he got close, Spike flipped out and attacked him after hearing a strange noise. So frustrating!

Finally, Monday afternoon, we decided to leave early, determined to catch him or lure him home. We wanted to avoid using animal traps if at all possible, because we knew it would traumatize him. He was already mad at Nathan, but started responding to me when I saw him outside by meowing back at me when I talked about food, so we decided I would be the best one to try and get him to come back. After we got home, we opened the door to the crawl space, and I called to him and shook his food bag. I went back to our porch and he immediately came out and sat in the doorway. It took probably 20 minutes of crawling towards him little by little on my hands and knees, talking about food and treats, but eventually he let me close enough to pet him and pick him up. It was obvious that he was super hungry and thirsty, because he couldn't stop licking his chops, and his little voice was hoarse.

Once we got him inside, he gulped down tons of water and devoured a Fancy Feast in 2 minutes flat. Then he was extremely needy and meow-y at us all night, wanting nothing but pets and attention. That has kept up ever since. I think it's obvious that even though he won't admit it, he is happy to be home, as evidenced by this shot of him from last night at bedtime:



Yes, he likes to lay perpendicular on the bed with us, the little prince he thinks he is.

I can't even tell you how relieved I am to have him back home. He has been so sweet and I was so worried about him being outside -- since he was a feral rescue, I didn't know if he would ever willingly come home, but he did, without us having to trap him or anything. Finally! We had a chat and I told him he can't EVER do that to me again.

a baby, holiday, crafting update

Time for a much needed update. Sorry I am such a terrible blogger these days. In baby news, I'm getting more and more pregnant-looking by the day! I'm about 19 weeks right now - the below picture was taken on Thanksgiving last week at 18 weeks 3 days.



My belly has really popped out over the last couple of weeks and I'm thankful I've got a wardrobe full of new maternity clothes that I got a few weeks ago at the Motherhood Maternity outlet in Foley. We went down to Daphne for my oldest nephew Bridger's 5th birthday party, and my mom absolutely spoiled me when we went to try and find me a few new things to fit my new body. I don't know what I would have done without her! One pair of jeans and 3 shirts would not a maternity wardrobe have made...

Thanksgiving night, we carried on our tradition of putting up the Christmas tree and watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with eggnog. Nathan gave me my 4th Swarovski snowflake ornament -- which he gives me every year on Thanksgiving. Sweetest tradition ever! :)



I was glad I made us a new tree skirt - the old one was just sooo big for our little pencil tree, and didn't really fit our decor. Now we have one with vintage-y fabrics and red/mint green to match our house.

'

Spike helped me make it, of course. He truly thinks that anything on the floor is automatically for him. It is an honest-to-goodness PAIN, but he is pretty cute, so it's okay.



I haven't gotten too far on other Christmas crafting yet, but I did stitch up a little embroidered tea towel as a thank-you gift for someone I work with. It's kind of wrinkly in this picture, but here it is anyway:



I've also gotten a LOT done on the baby quilt I'm making. All the rows are done and now I just need to sew the rows together, slap on some borders, buy some backing and finish it up. In retrospect I do still have a lot to do, but to me, I've gotten the hardest/least fun part done (cutting and making headway on rows). Of course, Spike was helpful in this project too...





He always likes to make himself at home ON my projects and ON my craft desk. It's fine as long as he doesn't start playing with all my tools, which has been a problem lately.

Anyway, we will find out boy or girl at our big anatomy ultrasound on December 15th. The wait is AGONY for me, but it's going by quickly with all the holiday preparations to keep me occupied. Nathan and I are both really excited for Christmas this year and we're already all decorated and have lights on the house. Woohoo! Now to finish up our shopping and get on with the parties. :)

back from my world tour

So sorry for the lapse in posting, but I've been so busy driving up and down Alabama the last few weeks, getting a magazine to print deadline at work, and doing lots of laundry. :) First was our Memorial Day weekend trip to my sister's house in Daphne, AL (Mobile area) where I got to see my sweet nephews, Bridger (3) and Taplin (1):





We had a great visit just hanging out and bumming around town. Nathan and I were saying on the way home how it was one of our favorite visits down there, and we can't put our finger on why exactly - probably just because it was so relaxed and we just had fun together. Sunday was especially nice, since after church we went over to my sister's in-laws' house and laid around at the pool all day...ahhh, summertime!

After our trip back from Daphne, we spent three short days at home working and doing laundry before turning back south again to Eufaula, Alabama. Our friends Blair and Laura got married Saturday afternoon and Nathan was a groomsman, so we had lots of festivities to attend - a rehearsal, wedding day brunch, and of course the wedding.



It was super swanky, gorgeous, and tons of fun. The wedding was very small and intimate at an old Catholic church. Afterward, the reception was at the Shorter Mansion with a cocktail hour inside beforehand with a magician and a jazz pianist (their "signature drink" was a Tom Collins, and they had servers with trays and trays of hors d'œuvres - our favorite was the bacon-wrapped scallions) followed by a late evening out back under the stars. There was a huge main tent with a dance floor, live band, chandeliers, and tables and tables of food - as well as smaller surrounding tents that housed champagne, wedding cake, and cocktails. Definitely a major event, and so beautiful!





We had a really nice time, but of course it's always good to come back home. Spike missed us immensely and is sick of us leaving him at home. His meowing and crazy antics are at a high right now while he fights for our attention, but I'm sure he'll get better over the next week. I've personally got to get back to my to-do list, which is huge! Hopefully I'll have more projects to post about soon.

a successful saturday

Nathan and I had a great day today. After sleeping in and heading out to Mexican food for lunch, we got a lot done. We managed to get our huge stash of "stuff to donate" out of the garage and to the thrift store...then Nathan mowed the lawn, and I grocery shopped for tonight's supper. Which, I might add, was pretty delicious. I made a Martha Stewart recipe for shrimp stir-fry - her title was "Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry", but when I made it, it was definitely not a spicy dish. However, it was lovely and gorgeous anyway:



We also had cheese grits, biscuits, and broccoli slaw. Yum.



Today I also managed to prep my (yummy Amy Butler!) fabric to sew new covers for our sad, dingy couch pillows...



Continued to play around with my art journal (disclaimer -- I did not do all of this today, but just left it open over the last few days to doodle on as I felt like it):



And finished painting my craft room chair a crisp white. Spike approves, as you can see. You can't hear him, but he's meowing at you right now, telling you how awesome my chair is.



I still want to make or cover a cushion for it. Painting the chair was fun and brought back a lot of memories - it is part of our set of dining room chairs, which has been split up so that four stay at the table, one is at the desk in the kitchen (which I want to paint red), and this now-white one is in my craft room. Nathan and I inherited the dining room table and chairs from my parents, who had it for something like 30 years...my sister and I grew up having holiday and special occasion meals at that table, in these chairs.

Anyway, we watched Australia tonight and then I managed to force myself to finish the dishes so I don't have to deal with them in the morning. We've got plans for Mother's Day with each of our moms, which I'm definitely looking forward to. Now, it's getting close to bedtime. I've got a cold or something coming on that has me feeling so worn out. Until next time...

overwhelmed

I apologize for the lack of blogging lately. As you can see by my to-do list below, I've got a lot of things I wish I were getting done; but in reality, I'm not getting it all done as quickly as I'd like. You know, life getting in the way and all that. Ah well - I really do intend to give my blog a facelift and get back to regular posting soon. I've got some projects churning in my head...as soon as I get them out and made into something concrete, I'll let you know. I discovered that the little spark I've been missing in my days is the result of me spending zero time on frivolous crafty projects for myself. Anytime I've got a few minutes or a few hours, I immediately force myself to work on house projects, because I felt like they should come first. But it's become obvious that I need to do that in trade with using my spare time for fun stuff, silly craft stuff, making stuff, because it feels good. I got really inspired after looking through some art journal blogs online and decided I would try it out for myself - so if that goes well, I'm hoping I can start posting pages from my art journal. I envision it being something creative I can turn to anytime, not for any specific purpose, but rather just to get the craft therapy and motivation flowing.



An update on Spike: he's doing fabulously. He has completely settled into living with us, and he sincerely believes that we exist to pet him, look at him, play with him, and pay attention to him at all times. And yes, I did say "play"! He's finally figured his toys out, and we have so much fun with him. He's so silly and active - playtime really brings out his personality. And although he is still sometimes a little wild during the night, he sleeps with us most of the time, waking us up with sweet meows in the morning, asking us to pet him. He spends a lot of time with us when we are home, follows us around, and is more often than not a super sweet kitty.

The only issues we're having is a tiny bit of a biting problem - you can tell he knows he's not supposed to, but he does it anyway sometimes, seemingly out of the blue. We're also having problems with his front claws. He keeps them out at all times, and uses them constantly (and hardly ever in a mean way). I know it is only natural for him, but Nathan and I are both constantly getting scratched, and he's scratching up the leather couch pretty badly. Ah well...I guess we will see what the vet says when we take him in. But he sure is a handsome boy, no?

spike

Announcing the newest member of our family...Spike Miller! (Also lovingly referred to by Nathan and me as Magic and Spike Lee.)



Spike is a chubby, sweet tabby cat has been with us for a little over a week now, and he's slowly finding his place in our home. We adopted him from the parents of Nathan's coworker Sarah, who rescued him last summer at their home in Knoxville, TN. He has been neutered and is up-to-date on all his shots...and he has FIV. (We are also planning to get him declawed on the front paws before too long.) He is having to adjust to a lot of new things - not only to a new place and new owners, but he has never been an indoor-only cat, which he will be with us.

Right now he spends most of his time sleeping or hiding under our bed on his blankie. During his first few days with us, I spent a lot of time laying on the floor next to the bed and reaching under to pet him, so now he usually comes out for me if I start petting him and telling him it's time for "some lovin'". Other times, like when we force him out of our bedroom at night (more on that below) he resists being pulled out a little bit, but immediately starts purring - loudly - the second he's in my arms. He's started jumping up on the bed when I go in to see him after work or in the afternoon, because I think he knows it's time to get some attention.

So -- although he's still a big scaredy cat, he's getting more comfortable. He even came out and walked around the living room last night when we had some friends over to watch a movie - that was a huge step! The biggest issue we're having with Spike right now is that he goes absolutely wild at night. I think he has his days and nights switched, so when we're ready for bed, he's ready to prowl the house, meow (wail) incessantly, beat on our door, open all the shutters on the living room windows, flip the front rug, get into things he shouldn't, etcetera. We are trying to ignore his antics overnight, but it is getting tough! Fortunately we can shut the doors to the hallway so that there is another barrier between our door and him at night, but I hate that we have to do that. I also read that you should try playing with your cats before bed to get them to rest better - ha! Spike has no idea how to "play" like a normal cat yet. He's a little scared of the toy we bought him, and any sudden movements send him running. Oh well - with time, I hope. My coworker Vicki told me that one of her dogs had no idea how to play when she got him, but he learned over time. Maybe Spike will get there.

Anyway, other than that, he is just a big baby who loves to be loved by his momma and pops. I know he's getting super comfortable with the love sessions when he starts rolling on his back...



...and his absolute favorite is a good chin rub:



Welcome to the family, little guy.