5 Things On Thursday

With our new arrival on it's way I've been slowly gathering all the things we need to make him or her comfortable in our family. It's been over 5 years since I was last pregnant and I'm amazed at how many new baby products are out there! Since I pretty much sold or gave away EVERYTHING we had (except for the crib, diapers and clothes), I pretty much started from scratch. Over the past few months I have been slowly adding to our gear and supplies and today I thought I share with you my top 5 items that I think I NEED to have. Please feel free to add your own "must haves" in the comments section. I'd love to hear what else is out there!

1. Wubbanub

6 years ago when my first daughter was born you could only find these in the NICU. It was one of my go-to baby shower gifts. Now you find them pretty much everywhere and most babies have one or two. They are great because not only does it give the baby something to hold onto, but they are much harder to lose than regular pacifiers. 

2. Miracle Blanket

I'm a HUGE fan of swaddling your infant. Both my girls were great sleepers early on and they were both swaddled until they were about 6 months old and started rolling all over the crib. I know there are tons of different swaddling blankets out there, but in my opinion this is the best blanket out there. Before I tried it I thought it was pretty brazen of them to call it a "miracle" but it truly lives up to its name. I call it a baby straight jacket, it is almost impossible for infants to break out of this baby! It's definitely more expensive than the swaddlers you find in the store, but personally I don't think you can put a price on a good nights sleep!

3. Sling/Pouch/Carrier/Wrap

I L-O-V-E, love baby wearing! My oldest pretty much lived in her sling. She didn't like to be too far from her mommy and the sling allowed her to be near me and gave me the freedom to use my arms. There are so many more options today, there are wraps, pouches and back carriers. Some you can even nurse while wearing! When they get a little bit older I like the Beco Baby Carrier carrier (I've heard Ergo is good too). They are soft carriers that allow you to carry your child on your back. I used by Beco A LOT during meal preparation. You can make dinner and have your little one close by too. It really cut down on all the tears (mine and the baby's) during the "witching hour."

4. Cloth Diapers

We started cloth diapers with my youngest when she was about 4 months old because she was having a pretty bad skin reaction to disposable. At the time the hubby was not really excited about the move to cloth (and truthfully he's not too excited to use them again), but when I made a very pretty spread sheet showing him how much money they would save us (especially if you use them for more than one child) he couldn't really disagree that they were the way to go. There are so many different options out there, AIO (all in ones), prefolds, pocket, one-size...I could go on and on! I have a little of everything and definitely have my favorites. There are so many cute prints and designs you have to be careful or you end up spending all the money you are saving!

5. Medela Micro-Steam Bags

These bags are AW-SOME! They disinfect your breast bumps pieces, bottles and pacifiers in the microwave in less than 3 minutes. Each box has 5 bags and each bag can be used 20 times giving you 100 uses in each box! 

Those are my top 5. What are the baby items you can't live without? Shout 'em out I don't want to miss something!

Cheeseburger Casserole

Every Sunday I go to the market and do the grocery shopping for the week. I get up REALLY early and get all my shopping done before the store gets crowded. While I really don't like getting up early on the weekend, I have come to enjoy the peacefulness of shopping in a practically empty store. Each Saturday night I make my list and ask the hubby and the girls what their pick for dinner is. Last Saturday NoJo replied, "Casserole!" Ok, what kind of casserole? "Tuna casserole!!!" My first response was gross, there is no way I'm going to make tuna casserole (I apologize if you like tuna casserole...it's just not one of my favorites). We decided to compromise and make a casserole that the whole family would enjoy. I remembered a recipe I had made from the Pillsbury website, Cheeseburger Casserole, and we decided we'd try it.

To put it mildly it was a HUGE family hit!!! There was not one bite left. NoJo had 3 huge servings and probably would have had more if there was more to be had. It was really quick to make and went perfectly with french fries and fruit. There was an overwhelming agreement to add it to our regular meal rotation, although next time we need to add some veggies into the mix to make it a little bit healthier!

Source

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (chicken or turkey would work too)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded American Cheese (6oz) - I just used sliced American Cheese from the deli) 
• 1 can (8oz) Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated seamless dough sheet
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees, in a 10-inch nonstick skillet cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pickles, water, ketchup, mustard and pepper.
• Spoon beef mixture into 11 x 7 inch (2 quart) glass baking dish, sprinkle with cheese.
• Unroll dough; press into 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares; place on top of cheese. Brush with egg; sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Enjoy!

Tooth Fairy Pillow

Despite a crazy jam-packed week I was able to get a little sewing done. We are eagerly awaiting the day when Lo's first wiggly tooth makes it's exit. It's been hanging on by a thread for over a month now and despite her constant wiggling it is still hanging on. We were a bit worried that putting her tooth under her pillow would cause trouble for the Tooth Fairy so we decided to help her out and make a cute little pillow that could hang on her bed post. 

She absolutely loves it and it was super easy and quick to make! 

I used {THIS} free tooth template from the Purl Bee. I used my scanner to enlarge it to the size I wanted. Before making the pillow I used embroidery floss to attach the tooth to the front of the pillow, forming a pocket. With right sides facing, I sewed around the pillow leaving a 1-inch opening. Once turned right-side-out I stuffed it a little to give it some shape and closed the opening with a straight stitch. I added the ribbon so she could hang it up. I love a project that can be done in 30 minutes or less!!!

It was a nice surprise waiting for her when she got home from school.

  ...and just incase the Tooth Fairy isn't sure where to go get her toothy treasure Lo made her this great welcome sign for her bedroom door (the hole in the middle is so it can hang on the doorknob).

We are more than ready for her visit...now all we need is for one wiggly tooth to cooperate!

Make Over Your Monday

Oh my, oh my...is it Monday already!?!?! This week flew by! I know that I got so much done, but I feel like there is so much more left to do. Do you ever feel like that? Like no matter how much you accomplish, there is so much more staring at you unfinished? That's been me ALL week, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm hopeful the end is near.

How did you do on last week's challenge? Did you find some time for fun, silliness and laughing? We're having a much better week this week (boy was it rough there for awhile!) and we're continuing with finding ways to be silly and fun to keep everyone's attitude bright and sunny! 

Did you know this week is Nurses Week? This week's challenge is to celebrate the nurses in your life. Let them know you appreciate all they do for you! Twelve years ago the hubby and I made the big cross-country move from Cali to Boston so I could attend nursing school. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made! I love the career I have chosen and I think I have one of the best jobs ever! I also made some wonderful friends in school and the places I have worked. There are some A-MAZ-ING nurses out there and I have had the pleasure of working with and learning from them some wonderful people. 

If you are fortunate to have a special nurse in your life, let them know how much you care. I guarantee that they'll appreciate it!

Have a wonderful week!

Mod Podge Trees Revisited

I know it feels like I've been a little MIA here, but don't worry, I didn't forget about you! The truth is I'm EXHAUSTED! By the end of the day I can barely keep my eyes open and sometimes I don't even turn on my computer! I've also been working on some pretty boring things too...I'm not sure anyone wants to see or hear about the piles of laundry accumulating in my bedroom or how swollen my feet are at the end of the day. As I mentioned before, I'm in countdown mode and I'm making a mad dash to get everything and everyone set for when our new addition arrives. I've been working on a few furniture pieces for Lo's room and hopefully by this weekend I'll be able to share their transformation. They look pretty amazing if I do say so myself!

I thought it would be fun to revisit one of my favorite projects. They are super cute and the kids get to help too so everyone is happy!

Have a wonderful Friday,

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mod Podge Hand Trees

When I saw this tutorial on At Second Street I KNEW I had to make it with my girls. I too am not a big fan of kid art projects...I love that my girls like to be crafty but let's be honest...most kids projects are the same recycled thing year after year (how many hand shaped turkeys can one have?!?!). I loved this one because it is totally unique and was perfect for my blank entryway wall.

Here is what you need:

• Canvas-You can find various sizes and shapes at your local craft store. I chose a 12x24 canvas.

• about 7 or 8 different fabrics-I used home decor weight. You want to make sure you have various colors and you want to mix dark and light colors so the fabric stands out and doesn't run all together. You really don't need much. I bought 1/4 of a yard of each and had quite a bit left over.
• Burlap-It comes in quite a few different colors...who knew?!?!? A yard was enough to cover both boards.

•  Mod Podge-It takes quite a bit so don't get the small bottle or you'll be calling all your crafty friends at 6pm on a Monday hoping they have some so you avoid a trip to the craft store with your two hungry children in tow.

First you want to cut out the leaves and tree trunk. I cut out 3 different sizes of leaves in each color and then traced each girls' hand to make the trunk.

I wrapped each canvas in the burlap. You can either staple it to the wooden frame or just hot-glue it like I did.

Then let the gluing begin!

I started each of the girls out by gluing a few leaves down. I told them that each leaf they glued down needed to touch one of the ones that was already glued. It helped cut down on the amount of random, floating leaves.

The best part about the mod podge is that it dries clear so it doesn't matter how "globby" the leaves get.

They really did a great job. My little monkey needed a little help and guidance but once she got the hang of it she finished on her own.

After the leaves are all on, glue the trunk on top.

Instead of "signing" our artwork I made these cute little monogrammed leaves for the corner of each board.

Once everything is in place you "paint" the whole board with a coat of mod podge. Don't worry if a few of the leaves are not completely glued down, it gives the piece dimension.

 

Let dry overnight and then your new masterpiece is ready to be displayed proudly for all to see!!! 

DIY Chalk Paint

You might remember that a few weeks ago our "Make Over Your Monday" challenge was to try something new. Well....yesterday I finally was able to complete my challenge. 

I turned this ugly, FREE chair...

Into this beauty...

I used homemade chalk paint (not to be confused with chalkboard paint) and it may just be my new favorite thing! It's super easy to make and takes very little in way of supplies. You know how much I love my Annie Sloan wax, but did you know she makes paint too? I've never used it before, but it's almost impossible to read any refurbishing blog with out her name coming up. From what I've been told it goes on smooth and the finish is amazing. The only problem is the price. With this fab-u-lous recipe, courtesy of Classy Clutter, you can make your own chalk paint, in any color you'd like, for around $10 a quart. Most sample sizes are flat paint so you can save even more money for your smaller projects.

You only need three things:

1. flat latex paint
2. water
3. un-sanded/non-sanded tile grout

I found my grout at Home Depot. It was only $5 for this box and it will last me for forever! If you have a crafty, refurbishing friend you could even share a box. You only need a tablespoon for every cup of paint.

The "Recipe"

Mix 1 tablespoon of non-sanded grout with 1 cup of flat paint. As recommended by Classy Clutter, I mixed my grout with a little water before adding to the paint. A little paint goes a LONG way so I'd recommend only mixing 1 cup of paint at a time. With one cup of paint I was able to cover 2 coats on the chair, two coats on two separate shelves, and one coat on 6 dresser drawers. The paint is pretty thick and dries quickly so you want to make sure you smooth out any drips as soon as you notice them. 

The Review

I totally love this paint! It goes on so easily and fast. You don't need to prime which is a HUGE time saver and it goes on smoothly with a brush, no roller needed. It also distresses beautifully! The distressed edges are smooth rather than rough. I sealed my piece with my beloved Annie Sloan wax and ended up with a perfect piece. 

Mommy and kid approved!

Make Over Your Monday

I'll I have to say is, "THANK GOODNESS IT'S MONDAY!!!" I have never been so happy for the weekend to be over! I had a particularly rough time with the girls...apparently listening was no on their to-do list and I have never missed my beloved red wine so much! But it's a new week and I'm trying to be positive and hoping my better attitude will help turn things around here.  

So how did you do on last week's challenge? Hopefully you received as many compliments as you gave! I really tried hard making sure I gave out sincere compliments and (aside from this weekend) really tried to praise the girls for their positive behavior. 

Since I need a little sunshine in my life this week's challenge is to do something that makes you laugh. Watch a funny movie, read a good joke book, be silly with your kids...what ever helps you get your sillies on. You know what they say, laughter is the best medicine!

Have a wonderful week and I hope it's full of fun, laughter and children who listen!