Tales of a Lady in Nesting

Anyone who knows me well or is a Facebook friend knows this already, but holy mother, I am nesting like a crazy-woman these days.  I am exactly 2 weeks out from my due date with this baby girl, and I am as impatient and irritable as I have ever been.  I know I should be relaxing and sleeping and soaking up these last bits of time that I have with my little family of 3, but it's just not in me right now.

I have over-scheduled our past few weekends, trying to fit in some fun things for Jones that might not happen for a while after the baby arrives: trips to the farmer's market, EdVenture Children's Museum, Columbia Museum of Art, haircut, festivals around town...we'll be at St Pat's for the parade tomorrow.  I just can't sit still for the life of me.  James told me a couple nights ago that pregnancy brings out the ADHD in me; I cannot be still, and I cannot focus on only one thing at a time.  I have been cleaning, cooking, and crafting like it's my job.  And I guess, biologically, right now, it is.

My default personality is a laid-back, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants, procrastinator.  The over-planning, anxious, antsy, irritable woman who has taken over lately is foreign and a bit disturbing to me; (and I can only assume to my loved ones as well).

Anyway, I know things will change as quickly as I post this, and our lives will be turned upside down by a new baby.  Just had to vent.

Photo evidence of my nesting of late:

Valentine's Day goodies for Jones' class (via Pinterest)

Easter Egg garland made w/ paint swatches/chips from Lowe's (via Pinterest)

Vidalia Onion Pie (for Pi Day!)

Here's hoping that this weekend brings an end to my craziness and a new beginning in the form of a healthy babe!

XO

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A Very Crafty Christmas

I love the adrenaline and pressure of staying up late to finish holiday projects. I am a holy-horrible-procrastinator by nature, and I get it honestly: I vividly remember my mother staying up into the wee hours to complete sewing projects when I was a kid.  Here are some of the crafts that I am working on (or planning on working on by December 24th!) for the holidays:

image via here

1) Popsicle Memory Game- this one is actually already complete!  The printable pattern and instructions can be found here at a favorite blog, Eat, Drink, Chic.  This is a gift for my 4 year old nephew, Ben.  He is obsessed with anything sweet, popsicles especially.  I got a glass jar with screw-on lid from Hobby Lobby and decorated it with popsicle stickers.  I also Contact-papered the popsicles so they'll last longer.  Really cute, and easy.

image via here

2) Ribbon Wreath- Finished this last night!  Instructions and material list were found in the December 2011 Woman's Day magazine.  Don't have a great picture of the one I did with Candy Cane-striped red and white ribbon, but the one above was created using the same instructions, borrowed from here.  I am gifting this to my sister today.

image via here

3) A-Frame Tent- This is what I am most excited to make (and give) this year...this is for my almost-11-month-old son, Jones.  The complete step-by-step instructions I found here, on one of my favorite blogs, Cakies.  I always loved making temporary pillow-and-blanket forts as a kid, and I hope that he will appreciate this fun handmade tent for years to come.  My husband is handling the wooden frame and I will be sewing the fabric piece.  I ordered the vintage Sesame Street sheet below to make into the tent cover. 

images via here

Pictures to come of the finished product, (but don't expect them before December 25th!)

What are you making this holiday season?

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Leafy Craft

The leaf mobile that I made and (James) hung in Jones' room:

I collected leaves from around the neighborhood--I tried to get different colors, types, sizes.  Then I "laminated" the leaves in Contact paper, punched a hole through each, and tied them to a large skinny stick with fishing line.

I got the inspiration from one of the Parenting magazines I've read recently (can't remember which one!)

It was super-simple, but gives Jones' room a cool, nature-y feel.  He loves to look at it, and someday I can tell him that we collected the leaves on our walks together during his first-ever Fall.

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Update on My 31 Things in My 31st Year List

Last year, with my 31st birthday looming, I wrote a "31 Things in My 31st Year List" on this blog.  Here's the follow-up to that list--let's see how I did: (updates on accomplishments are in green next to the original goals)

31 Things…

1. Become more aware of what I eat, where it comes from, and how it affects my health. (Read Eating Animals).   I did read Eating Animals, along with The Omnivores Dilemma, and I saw a couple movies too-they all made me want to stop eating meat, (at least factory-farm produced meat), which I did for a few months...until I got pregnant and was craving meat... 

2. Run at least 5 races (5K or 8K). (The next one will be the Race for the Place 5K to benefit St. Lawrence Place, February 6th).  I ran the Race for the Place 5K, the St. Patty's Day 5K, the Get in the Pink 5K, and the Crawdaddy Dash 5K...then I got pregnant, so that was the end of racing season for me...I almost made it to 5 races!

3. Video tape my grandmother cooking some of her best dishes, (the ones she can’t write down the recipe for since she ‘just throws some things together’).  I am actually scheduled to do this on Saturday--we are making biscuits from scratch and Bierocks-- a German meal that my family LOVES, and only she knows how to make!

4. Video tape my sister giving birth to her second baby…(no NatGeo shots, just document the event).  Didn't get to do this because her 2nd baby, Taylor, came way to quickly--I wasn't even at the hospital yet!

5. Create something new at least once a month—(sew something, write something, cook something, make something).  Don't know for sure that I fulfilled this goal every month, but here are some examples of things I did "create" this year: my first-ever knitted scarf, currently working on a knitted baby blanket, a baby!, new cookie recipes, took some pictures with my new Holga camera, made a Gingerbread house with my nephew...

6. Take a road trip to Washington, DC. (Been wanting to go back for a couple years and just haven’t gotten around to it; Aunt LeAnn, here we come!)  This did not happen, and I'm sorry it didn't before I got pregnant, but we will still make it to DC soon, I hope!

7. Call friends who live out of town; at least one a month.  Again, probably did not happen...I am really bad at calling friends (hence the goal)...

8. Get a pedicure at least every 6 weeks; the money saved by not doing so is not worth the embarrassing-looking toes.  I think this one was accomplished.  I have nicely pedicured toes right now :)

9. Volunteer somewhere new. I am thinking of getting a Meals on Wheels delivery route.  I did get a Meals on Wheels Delivery route, and I love it--I see the same people each month, and it is so rewarding!

10. Train my dogs to walk civilly on leashes. And then take them on regular walks.  James and I started working on this last week--a work in progress, for sure!

11. Wear sunscreen more vigilantly. (Can’t promise I will not sunbathe, but I’ll at least wear SPF 15 when I do).  I have been very vigilant about sunscreen, especially since I got pregnant.

12. Start a new book club—yay!  Well, it started, and then fizzled...made some great new friends through the book club though!  Maybe we'll start it back again!?

13. Entertain people at our house at least once a month; whether it be a small dinner party or a party party…it just makes me happy.  Not sure if we accomplished once a month, (being pregnant makes entertaining not seem so appealing, especially in the first few months for me)...but, we did have at least 3 parties at our house and a few smaller dinner parties as well.

14. Frequent the Columbia farmer’s markets more often—the State farmer’s market and the All Local one.  I went to the Local Farmer's Market almost religiously until I got prego...love it!

15. Read East of Eden; a classic, and one highly recommended recently by a friend.  Still haven't finished, but it's still on my bedside table; about halfway finished...

16. Forgive myself and move on for not being able to finish Atlas Shrugged.  Done.

17. Figure out how to re-design the look of my blog and do it.  Done.

18. Learn to bake bread.  Done--definitely not perfected, but another work-in-progress.
    

Image via here

19. Make something using the immersion blender that we registered for and received for a wedding present.  I made a cauliflower/almond soup--it was pretty good :)

20. Organize my recipes.  Halfway done.

21. Take more pictures.  Done--with Holga and digital camera.  And now we have a new Zumi video camera which I love!

22. Save up for our next big vacation…which will hopefully be somewhere in Central America, Europe, or back to the West Coast…  Not done--instead, our current savings will go into a 529-College Savings Plan for baby Jones.  We did get to go to my friend Annie's wedding in Frisco, CO this summer though--that was a fun vacation!

23. Buy more fresh flowers.  I bought some from the All Local Market back when I was going regularly...need to start doing this again!
    
    Image via here

24. Write more.  I have been writing in a journal to the baby--my thoughts and feelings since I've been pregnant, that I'll someday share with him.

25. Do something spiritual at least once a week.  Working on it--sobriety and pregnancy have increased my time for prayer.

26. Eat more fresh fruit and veggies.  Done--except the 3 months at the beginning of the pregnancy when I couldn't even look at a veggie.

27. Plant (and keep up) an amazing spring/summer garden.  Done.  Mostly due to my husband's diligent work.

28. Call my grandmother at least once a week to hang out.  Done.  We had lots of fun dinners and chats--this weekend we'll cook :)

29. Learn to knit.  Done--thanks to Lara Winburn!

30. Patronize local art, theater, restaurants, music, etc as much as possible.(The Nickelodeon, Columbia Museum of Art, Trustus Theater, etc...)  Done.  I went to LOTS of movies at The Nick, and we saw Rent and Reasons to Be Pretty at Trustus.  We also got a 8-ticket package at Trustus for the upcoming season for Christmas :)

31. Forgive myself if I don’t accomplish all of these things this year :)  Done. 

So, as you can see, most of my goals were accomplished.  Obviously, getting knocked up put a crimp in some plans, and changed some things, but all-in-all I feel it was a very accomplished year for me.  Bring on 32!

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Vintage Finds and My Craftiness Makes a Come-Back

I have gotten back in touch with my crafty side the past few weeks, maybe it's part of my "nesting" phase....

Simple white kimono-style infant shirt embellished with some vintage buttons

Flour sack burp cloth embroidered with a guitar and the baby's initials, JMH

embroidery patterns from Sublime Stitching

I also got my first knitting lesson today.  I have since forgotten all I learned, as I have officially mucked-up the scarf I started this afternoon, but I will not give up!  I went to In the Loop, a knitting store on Devine Street, beside KD's Treehouse.

Lara Winburn, the owner, was so helpful and really fun.  She is pregnant too, due in December, so we had lots to talk about as she coaxed my clumsy hands to knit.  It was fun, and I will be back next Tuesday for my second lesson with a group.  As soon as I have something that halfway resembles a hand-knitted item, I'll share.

Last weekend I went to PackRats for the first time with a couple girlfriends--I am officially in love.  My two amazing vintage finds:

working vintage lamp, painted an amazing red color- only $16!

framed black & white photograph of a couch in the woods- $10

I was on a serious budget last weekend and couldn't spend any more money, even though I wanted to, but I just couldn't leave these two items in the store.  PackRats has amazing vintage clothes, shoes, purses, and household items, as well as unique handmade items--at waaay affordable prices.

PackRats is located at 2009 Greene St, beside 5 Points Tattoo.  (Walk up the stairs from Greene St, right beside Andy's Deli).

Have you any new discoveries or creations?  I'd love to hear about them.

XO

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The Big Shebang at City Roots This Weekend

image via here

If you are in Columbia this weekend, you should definitely check out City Roots' "The Big Shebang!" The folks at City Roots, (Columbia's new urban farm), describe the event as "a celebration of the nationwide resurgence of local and handmade goods."

There will be local craft vendors, a potluck of local food, (anyone can bring something--just make sure at least one ingredient in your dish is local!), and local music by way of a drum circle. The potluck is sponsored by Slow Food Columbia. There will also be a farm tour of City Roots at 1 pm.

Click here to see the event Facebook invitation, which lists some of the craft vendors who will be there.

The event will be from 11 am- 2pm at City Roots, located at 1005 Airport Blvd.

Have a great weekend! I will be attending USC baseball games tonight and tomorrow night--we're playing #1 Florida for the SEC Championship--we lost last night in a heartbreaker, 3-2. Then, I will be cooking and decorating for my sister's baby shower that is going to be at my house Sunday afternoon. (I hope to make it to the City Roots event too!)

How are you spending your weekend?

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