Picnic Table In Action

While I work on a new sewing tutorial, I thought I'd show some cute pictures of our picnic table in action on the 4th of July.  Don't worry, Dad was close by to catch baby if she decided to tumble, but she actually did very well staying put.  So glad we finished this project!

The Lemonade Incident

So. . . I had a crazy, crazy week.  Do you ever have things happen to you that aren't supposed to happen to someone your age?  Prepare yourself for a long, drawn-out, and maybe even slightly-exaggerated story.

Let us all travel back to Monday morning.  My daughter woke up extra early (dang you, Daylight Savings!) and I was barely at a functioning level.  I went to the fridge to satisfy her pleadings with a sippy cup of milk.  As I opened the door, a precariously-perched, nearly-full pitcher of lemonade tumbled from the top shelf to the floor.  The lemonade flooded my feet and the floor.  Of course, it was then that I realized that all of the kitchen lights were still off and the sun was not yet up.

I spent a few minutes mopping up the mess with the fridge door open, but once I had the inside of the fridge cleaned out, I closed the door (to save energy, of course).  I imagined myself gracefully leaping over the spill and effortlessly flipping on the kitchen lights.  As it happened, I gracefully leapt into a pool of lemonade.  Now, don't get ahead of me.  This isn't even the best part. 

I did not completely fall into the lemonade.  I did, however, pull a whole bunch of muscles that I didn't even know I had in the process of catching myself.  Granted, I did have a baby four months ago, but honestly, at age 24, I think I ought to have just a bit more resilience.  I mean, I have been an athlete my whole life, and I have been 30-Day-Shredding it for over two months.  I know this seems like the end of the story, but brace yourself, because it's about to get better.

About an hour later, I was sifting through some emails, having cleaned up all the lemonade and left that whole incident in the past.  I took a little break to stretch, reaching my arms up above my head and arching my back.  Mid-stretch, there was a huge pop and pain all in my upper back and neck.  As soon as I realized that I couldn't move, I called my wonderful husband and had him come home from work to take the babe to her doctor's appointment.  By the end of Monday, it began to dawn on me that things weren't just going to fix themselves.  Which, by the way, is that too much to ask?

On Tuesday, I was able to get an appointment with a chiropractor in my usual office, but not with my usual doctor, who was booked out for a week and a half.  The guy I saw was able to get me partially back together, so instead of not being able to turn my head to the right at all, I could turn it a little bit.  He told me that I had popped one of the cartilage out from between the vertebrae, and he hadn't been able to get it all the way back.  With a two-year-old and a baby, this was not ideal.

On the way out of the office, I saw my regular doctor (who has a very real gift with his trade) and he told me that he would give up part of his lunch break the next day to see me.  So, on Wednesday, I went in and he fixed everything in about ten minutes.  He believes that the lemonade slip weakened my back enough that it was able to overstretch enough for the injury.

I am still sore and letting my back rest as much as I can.  If you're still with me, thanks for joining me for a little life story time.  I hope to get back to creating next week.  I still have a lot of things in the works, as usual, but here's what I'm thinking about tonight: our bathroom mirror frame (it's all up, just needs the caulk!), a couple of wreaths that are kind of at a standstill, the crackle glaze tutorial (I know, I know) and a stenciled onesie for my little gal.

She's Here!

My daughter Amelia was born on Sunday!  We are adjusting well to having her home, and I think I will be wanting to start some holiday projects pretty soon.  I am also excited to start on the pennant banner of her name for above her crib in the nursery.

I am starting to get really excited for the Christmas season!  I saw this project on Studio 5 today about decorating with branches, and I'm starting to feel the spirit of the holidays.  I'll have to be on the lookout for some great branches to glitz up.

My husband surprised me with an early birthday present last week: a new laptop!

Wahoo!  Now I can blog while my husband does his homework.  I haven't put my project to-do list up lately, and I've finished some more things, so here's the current list:

•Make fabric boxes for the new changing table
•Finish fall wreath

•Paint birdcage cream or light yellow

•Find a buffet to paint for the dining area

•Get chairs for the front porch

•Get potted plants for the driveway

•Build shelves on either side of the washer and dryer

•Take door off coat closet, paint, and put cubbies inside

•New couch pillows

•Install wall shelf in main bathroom

•Refinish piano

•Make some green frames to match green stained table

•Fix leg on green table

•Get or build a picnic table for the backyard

•Sew kitchen curtain

•Sew changing pad covers

•Make flower hairclips

•Turn craft room into nursery

•Laundry room makeover

Hiatus

Hey everybody!  Sorry for the unannounced hiatus. . . I needed a few days to get myself reorganized.  I have decided that I am not the best housekeeper, but that doesn't mean I can't try to keep things nice.  The last week I spent doing some of the following:

• Cleaning bathrooms
• Cleaning bedrooms
• Doing yardwork (lawn is set to be planted at the end of the month)
• Sweeping and mopping the wood floors
• Organizing the desk
• Making white chocolate chip cookies
• Celebrating my little bro's birthday
• Doing a billion loads of laundry
• Working on the latest project and discovering it in the destructive hands of my 14 mo. girl (still working on repairs)
• Discovering that I really like days when I get a lot of things done
• Acquiring a new (to me) trampoline, lawn mower, and silk tree; all for free!
• Just picking stuff up and loving the warmer weather

It may not sound like a lot to you (supermoms), but I feel so refreshed and recharged!  The feeling is amazing.  I also found a link to this blog, where I was delighted to read part two of Obvious Tips for Not-Very-Good Homemakers.  Now, I am pretty crafty and all that, but the actual keeping of the home is one of my weaker points.  No, I don't have a cleaning schedule.  No, I don't make a great meal every night.  In fact, a lot of nights I make my husband cook something.  Sshhh.  Don't tell.  I am working on these things, but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Hoping to finish the project for you to view on Monday.

Sick Baby

So, let's just forget about how horrible I have been at updating the blog this week, okay?  

Add last weekend of having two tiny house guests (ages 1 and 3) along with my one-year-old, plus this week of my baby throwing up all over the couch and her crib (twice), and you get one crazy woman who wants to do nothing but sit on the couch and eat bonbons.

I promise to not have such a crazy life anymore. Promise.  I am hoping that with a few days of rest and some great Easter plans I will be back to my normal motivated blogging self.

I am coming up with something great for tomorrow.  And possibly Monday.  So stay tuned and don't give up on me!

Sorry for the Delay. . .

So. . . It's Tuesday.

No, I didn't post the pictures of my finished kitchen. Why? I didn't take them. My family took an unexpected, but totally needed, day trip and we didn't get back until dark.

The trip was awesome. I looked for a chandelier at some discount shops (no luck this time), ate some great barbeque, had some even greater ice cream for dessert, and visited old friends.

The good news: I had a great time. I really needed the break.

The bad news: No kitchen photos today.

The good news again: I will put them up this Thursday so you won't have to wait until next week!

Why not tomorrow? Well, my friends, tomorrow is my turn in the Great Blogger Mashup of 2010, hosted by SFGirlbyBay! So look for that, look for kitchen photos, and most of all, keep looking!

Lazy Monday

Hey. I had a lazy day today. Like, lay-on-the-bed-for-ten-minutes-at-a-time-doing-nothing lazy. I promise to have another project idea posted next Monday. Last Friday I was painting a wall a lovely, deep, chocolatey brown, hence no post then either. I love the wall, and I will let you get a peek of it this week.

Stay tuned for more posting this week. . .