DIY ... The Bootleg Version

Confession: I am a bootleg DIY-er....

So as i mentioned in the last blog, I am excited to jump on the bandwagon of the DIY trend. I love that I can either make something "new" for myself out of someones old (which means it will be CHEAP) or make something new instead of buying the same thing new. Its very rewarding! My first attempt was to make a necklace.(Yeah i know, way to start with something small right?? lol) Anyways, i have been searching for a bright red multistrand necklace. The highneck kind, similar to this, but with larger beads and more of a coral feel to it:



And i hadn't found ANYTHING. I mean i have been searching for a year or so. (Not hardcore searches, just anytime at the mall, i would do a quick check) If i found something it would be way more than i would be willing to pay. Then a while ago, at Joanns, i noticed they had the exact shade of red beads that i liked. bummer, cause they came in these tiny 7inch strings and were like 4 bucks per strand. Umm no thanks, i could buy it for cheaper. WELL, i stumbled upon these wonderfully long 36in strands of the exact red i loved in hobby lobby for 3.99, not bad but wait they were 50% OFF!! HOLY COW!!



Thats 2 bucks a strand (1 stand was long enough to wear as a regular necklace) So i grabbed 2, thought about it and grabbed one more and strutted to the register with my amazingly cheap purchase. A custom made $6 necklace, yes please!! I snagged a roll of black satin ribbon too use as a tie and BOOM DIY jewelry take 1! I simply put all three beaded strands together and tied a black ribbon on each side, twisted the strands and put it on with a bow at the nape of my neck. And drum roll please..... the finished product:

(don't mind the ghetto cell phone picture)


I have to restrain myself from making about 1 in every single color! I have my eye on these gorgeous royal blue beads, coral beads and then orfourse the simple elegant pearls. I made my necklace before Christy sent me a link to make this necklace (and you soooo know i am going to try that one next!):

Lets Do this!

Confession: There is simply not enough time in the day.

All with me shout "here here"! Maybe shouting "oye" would be much more accurate! How do people do it? There just simply is not enough time in the day to work 8hrs (sometimes 9), make and eat dinner, do dishes, clean, do laundry, play with Colton, spend time with Alfie, do home upgrades and projects, shower, do my hair AND get to bed at a decent hour. Sooo I don't. My house is 90% a complete wreck during the week. Dishes pile up and laundry (clean and dirty) end up on the floor or in folded piles on the dresser. I trade showering for a slobbery and droolly kiss from Colton and snuggles and play time. I forgo a great blowout for a DVR'd show with Alfie. And the dishes remain dirty so that I can get some rest before that 5am alarm goes off. Really how do people fit in a work out?? LOL I would REALLY be intrigued to know how that happens. 60 mins on an elliptical would be magical! Ok, but enough debby downer confessions, on to something more cheerful, like COLTON IS 5 MONTHS!! AHHHH. crazy i know! about this time last year i was desperately clinging to my best friend Mr. Toilet and pouring my entire being into him (literally), as i was sicker than sick!! And now Mr. Colton, is the most happy and cheerful and flirty baby around! His smile and belly laugh endear everyone who meets him! On one of the rare spring days we had 2 weeks ago (it was like 60 out and then 2 days later it snowed!) Christy graciously brought her Bad @$$ camera out to play and we had a fun photo session with Colty on the deck. Here are some favorites of my sweet boy:







Any good stories i can wrack my brain for... hmm OHHH i made my first piece of jewelry!! Ok, well i guess "made" might be an exaggeration, BUT in my defense it was just 3 strands of beads that i fashioned into a crafty necklace! So i am calling it my first DIY jewelry attempt! I am hooked! i have a pearl necklace plan in the making AND a plan to make some unique earrings. I am really really digging the whole DIY trend these days and turning preowned/old items into chic decor with the help of a can of spray paint. trendy and Cheap! I love it! So i have about a bazillion projects on deck for the house and for myself, along with wanting to lose 40lbs ( I know right?!) and enjoy life in general!! Its gonna be a wild ride. I can already tell! So i will raise my travel coffee mug (since i do not have a nice tall glass of wine i could use one now though) and say "here is to acheiving my goals in 2011"!! (Maybe one of them will be blogging more often, eh?

I wanna be MADE: Day 1

Confession: I totally think I can do this!!

Day 1 of my MADE project in which I attempt to become a runner, was a success!! The plan I used starts you off for the first week of running 1 min and walking 2 mins and repeating this 10x’s. Not bad. I found I had a bit more energy and “drive” then I anticipated and some life events were fueling the push to run, so all in all it wasn’t terrible! I am not even sore today! Although I am sure a lot of people will attribute that to the fact that I didn’t push myself BUT I think I should start out slower than usually and work up to really pushing myself when I have gotten into the habit and successfully held down the running fort for a few weeks. Anywho, amidst the playful jeers and joking about my MADE goals I forced myself to stick to my guns! Day 1 TAKE THAT! Day 2: Here I come!! Now if I could just tackle my eating…num num num! I will admit I have gotten better since the garbage bag I had become when pregnant. I would literally eat ANYTHING (exception was the first trimester but let’s not go back there) and as proof gained 50, yes that’s FIVE ZERO pounds. Gross. I attribute 30lbs to water weight and Colton and the other 20 is pure “I just couldn’t say no” consequence. Lesson Learned! Baby number 2 will NEVER be allowed to have that affect on me ( but that’s light years away, so…) Day 2’s running plan, is actually to walk for 30 mins, most definitely an attempt to ease you into it. That I can do!

Side note: Poor little Coltons adorably blue nursery (yes, the one we didn’t have to paint and even had blue carpet) is FREEZING! For some reason the heat is not flowing as powerful through the vent and to make things even worse, his windows are old, so there are some crazy drafts! On top of the fact that it is the farthest room from the furnace AND has two outside walls and only one heat vent. Poor baby has woken up each morning with chilled fingers. I think a move to another room is in store for his nursery this weekend. Boo hiss. It woulda just worked out perfectly to keep as his nursery! Oh well.

Bathtime gone wrong....

Confession: Colton loves bathtime, until yesterday!

Bathtime for babies is one of those events where the end just barely justifies the means. It takes a good 10 mins to gather everything you need: diapers, desitin, jammies, towel, check the water temp, fill the baby tub, check the temp again, grab the soap, grab the lotion, have the cell phone on hand or near and finally grab the baby. All that work for maybe 10 mins in the water to wash his body and hair and let him sit before the water gets cold. We give Colton a bath every 2 days and last night, after abuelita complained he smelled like spitup (which I don’t mind because it smells like baby) I decided I needed to give him a bath. He was all happy and had eaten before we left ‘Litas (short for abuelita) so would have fallen right asleep shortly after a bath! Perfect, just what mama needed: an easy night! Anyways, I grabbed our gear and started filling up his little whale tub. Checked the temp and all was good! Next step get Colton in! Now C, LOVES to be nakey. Any time you go to change his diaper he instantly gets happy when you take him out of his jammies and then another big happy when his diapy comes off! 2 big frown faces when it comes time to wrangle him back into a diaper and pjs. So I laid Colts down on the bath mat and he was smiling up and me as I took off his diaper and lifted him up and into the tub. AHHH he looked nice and content. He was starting to relax as I soaped him up and chatted about washing his underarms, his neck and arms, his lil belly, legs and leg folds (aka leg rolls), lil boy parts and finally his toesies. With a nice and soapy baby all ready to be rinsed off, I turned on the water and checked the temp. Then I grabbed the hand held shower head and pulled the knob to turn it on. WRONG! It turned on the shower head at the top, NOT the one in my hand (it had never done that before!) So poor C, is getting rained on. His face, and head and lil body. He was NOT expecting it and FREAKED OUT! It scared him and him screaming as he was, scared me!! I felt awful! I scooped him up, soaking, and held him trying to get him to calm down, and grabbed his towel and took him out of the bathroom. Still screaming. Finally he calmed down and I laid him on the bed and dried him off and YACK, he spits up his bottle, all over his nice and clean body :) I guess the excitement was too much for him! Needless to say, it didn’t take long once he was in jammies to fall asleep! Mama was able to relax for the nite!

I wanna be MADE

Confession: I want to be a runner.

I feel like the teens on MADE. LOL I wanna be MADE: a Runner

Im now 28. I am married. I have an awesome little baby. I own a home. I have a wonderful job. God is good. Now I need to do a bit of house cleaning. As in body = house and cleaning = taking care of. I desperately envy those people who can say “man I could go for a run right now” as if their body needs that time, that release. I want to be that person running, lost in thought letting my legs and body take over. Too ambitious? I don’t think so! I found online an 8 week beginners guide to training yourself to run 2 miles, easily . mmmhmm right. Well here goes nothing…. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! So for the next 8 weeks, I will blog about my adventures in running. Day 1 will be Monday – Valentines Day! Which means I have the weekend to mentally prepare. Oye! Here we go, I can do this, I can do this. World of running here I come!!

Out with the Old, in with the New...

Confession: Did i tell you I am moving??

Not far, only two roads over but more space, better space, and 100% ours :) Our current house is a packed state of unpacked chaios! 80% completely packed and 20% a hodge podge of things that can't be packed until last minute and things that are unique in size that packing would be tough! In short, its CRAZY at our house! The organizer in me has lists, a clipboard (yes a clipboard) full of different checklists... what to pack, what to clean, where things will go, who is helping etc etc etc! With that much organization, one would think this would be a cinch! Now lets add in Alfie. Hmmm, love him, but he is a tad bit "fly in the ointment" Example: 2 weeks ago, i packed up the entire bathroom and left the labled boxes in the hallway. Alf needed the toenail clippers, so frusteratedly (is that a word?) he asked where they were (i totally get that it sucks not being able to find things). I showed him the box and he gets them out, clips his toes and puts them back in the box. BUZZZZZ incorrect answer! he put them back in the DRAWER! THE DRAWER!! yes, that same drawer that I have had empty and its contents packed for two weeks. small example but you catch my drift? So it seems, that I will get one room packed, only to find that another room which had previously been packed is sliiiightly coming unpacked. Pretty frusterating. Thankfully i only have 2 more days and then its time to mooooove! As i planned for this move, I decided i need to figure out the style of the house. I think 290 was my learning house. I did different colors and had lots going on in terms of style. With Shanlee, id like to mature in my style and go a lot more classic, more simplistic. I love the pottery barn look and williams sonoma style, but i have no where near the income to actually purchase items from there, so I will have to bootleg it. Which is fine for me, if i can do it with clothes (buy cheap, but look expensive) I can do it with home decor. Easy peazy...or atleast in my head it is. I have a ton of blogs that have such great home DIY ideas and my list of things to try and furniture to refinish is nice and long. It makes the arrival of spring and its warm paint friendly weather something to look forward to.

There is something to be said about a house that you feel is your own and that you want to make into your own. 290 didnt feel like ours. We didnt want it to be ours, but for the time being it is where we stayed, knowing that when we found the right home we would leave. Maybe its new home owner optimism, but i love Shanlee. I could see us there for a good long time, forever maybe, if thats what the Lord has for us.

I am one to enjoy dancing and (its never too early to start) Colton and i will slow dance (yes, cheek to cheek) in his nursery or at Litas house if there is music on. I can tell on his face he is thinking "mom, your CRAZY" but whats a good mother if not willing to act a tad bit crazy for her babies, right?? The other day i had DVR'd some workouts on fittv and was trying them out, so i sat Colty in the Bumbo facing me so he could watch. And everytime I would do a move he would smile. SO there i am working out and home boy is smiling bigggg smiles. It then occurred to me that mayyybe he was laughing at me, not with me.LOL nothing like being taunted by your 3 month old, right? Although it did make me do the moves a litttttle bit bigger and a little big more flamboiant in hopes that Id be rewarded with a big droolly smile! Gotta love some baby motivation!

Wow its been 3 months...

Confession: When they say "aww they grow up quickly" they arent joking!

Saturday Colton turned 3 months and MAN where has the time gone. I think back to my last post, and its weird to think that although my due date was weeks away, in 7 short days I ended up giving birth! Crazy! And thank the Lord he is perfect! Sure he has his naughty times when he cries and is fussy, but I don't mind because I love him so much. SOOOO much has happened since then! I have figured out how to quickly change a diaper (anyone with lil boys understands why... a shot of pee in the face is not pleasant!), hold a bottle in one hand and a remote in the other, get dressed in 10 mins, shower in 5, i have learned what a luxury a 15 min shower is and that its ghetto to take a perfume shower (aka just spraying yourself with perfume because you didnt have a chance to shower). I have mastered the art of the momma sway, and my arms are GUNS from holding Colton and carrying his carseat. But i love every minute of it. I dont know if i can pin a favorite part, but i LOVE now that he recognizes momma. I love that when i hold him and he cuddles up to my neck. I love when he looks at me and smiles this HUGE drooly smile. Its the best. It really really is. I know everyone said when i was sick, that it would be so worth it, well they were right. They were beyond right. I would do it all over again for my little Colton. It is amazing the intense love you feel for your baby. One year ago there was no Colton, but boy is life so much better with him. Yes its hard and tiring and super duper busy, but there is certainly something wonderful about being a mommy that only mommys get! So here is a picture of my pumkin!