Jacob - 16 months

This monthly update came and went- and I didn't even realize it! Oops! Time is just flying by so quickly, I can hardly believe it! I can't believe we have a 16-month old, it just can't be true!

In other news, we've officially been members of our playgroup (Baby Buddies) for 1 year! What a blessing that group has been for us (especially me). All the kids are growing up, and I just love watching them actually play together. How fun!



Age: 16 months
Height: (don't go back until 18 months)
Weight: (don't go back until 18 months)
Milestones: I feel like Jacob learns something new every day...every hour! It's so amazing to watch him. He's just a little sponge! I really don't even know what to say here. He's saying 11 words- mama, dada, da (dog or airplane- ha!), duck, ha (hot), mo (lawnmower or more), book, hi, bye. He plays/sings along to "happy and you know it" and plays "peak a boo", "soooo BIG" and dances to EVERY song he hears. He's getting really good at waving hi and bye now- he used to be kinda delayed, but now he waves perfectly. He has such good ears- he can hear airplanes before I can! And he immediately points up and says "da." We're working on "airplane."
Sleep: Sleeping has regulated a bit this month. He's sleeping 12-13 hours a night still, so usually 8pm-8 or 9am. We hardly ever hear him fuss throughout the night. Occasionally he loses his blanket or Boo and will fuss for a second until he finds them, but otherwise we really don't hear a peep until the morning! He naps for anywhere between 1-3 hours, depending how he slept the night before and how much activity we've had that day. I usually try to get him down by 1:30 for his nap though.
Eating: Mealtime has become one of my least favorite times of the day. He never wants to sit still long enough to eat, so I either make his meals SUPER excited (by using muffin tins) or singing/dancing while offering him food, or I drag his highchair near the family room so he can watch TV while he eats (this only happens for breakfast when there's a new Doc McStuffins on). Of course, Jacob eats like a CHAMP for Josh.
Clothes size: 18-24mo in Old Navy and Gap, but otherwise he's in 24mo or 2T.
Diaper size: Size 5 Cruisers
Best Moment: it's been a really fun month. He's just such a bundle of joy! I really enjoyed watching Jacob play with all the kids at my sister's wedding reception- he was having so much fun!!! I loved it!
Worst Moment: He was suffering from some seasonal allergies and cutting his 1-yr molars last week, so we had a few rough days, but other than that...it's been great! We're giving him Zyrtec now daily.
Favorite toy: His new golfing set from his CoCo and his lawn mower still.
Teeth: he cut his 4th bottom tooth, so 8 total. I expect a molar soon, too.
Looking forward to: with the cooler weather, I'm excited about taking him for LOTS of runs, trips to the park, pumpkin patch (with and without dad), and Halloween of course!!! He's actually going trick or treating this year. Yay!

My sister is getting married!!

I can't believe this weekend is finally (actually) here. It's bittersweet for me. My baby sister is marrying her best friend and soulmate, and I'm so incredibly happy for her. But at the same time I'm so (selfishly) sad! How is my baby sister old enough to be getting MARRIED?! I remember when she was just a teeny tiny little child, bugging me and stealing my stuff!

My sister has blossomed into a lovely woman, and I'm so grateful God has blessed me with such an amazing sister and friendship. I can't wait to see how He shapes her future and I'll be there to celebrate along the way!

Love her and them! Cheers, y'all!

Master bedroom facelift

I have literally not touched anything in our bedroom, except for the sheets-obv, since we moved in. Everything is exactly the way it was after we first moved in. We painted the walls white, bought some nice furniture, hung some curtains, and that's it! Ugh! How boring!

I decided it was time for a little facelift, before baby #2 comes and life gets crazy again... I present to you, our new modern adult bedroom....

I am so pumped about how it turned out. I especially love how the room looks at night, all lit up. It almost has a little Kardashian-feel to it, which I promise wasn't intentional, but I'm digging it!

I found this beauuuuutiful fabric on FabricGuru.com and literally couldn't buy it fast enough. And to my surprise the entire bolt (18 yards) arrived TWO DAYS after I ordered it! Holy cow! I think I peed in my pants when it was delivered. I ended up decorating the entire room around this fabric. I'm usually pretty good at throwing in splashes of color, but I wanted to go very cool and calm in our room, so I'm sticking to blacks/greys/whites and a little beige/brown.

We have 4 windows in our bedroom, 1 bay window and 1 additional window, so I made all 8 curtains myself, and 2 matching throw pillows. My husband hates tons of pillows, he doesn't see the point in them when you're just going to throw them on the floor. He has a point, but I love the look of tons of different patterned pillows (when I actually make the bed).

Our furniture is oversized and dark (almost black) wood, so I like to keep the bedding light. I bought these cool ikat sheets in grey from Target. I generally like really soft sheets, not sateen, but just nice, soft, cool, cotton sheets. I think after a dozen washes, these sheets will be perfect! They are a little too crisp for me yet...even with lots of fabric softener and 3 washes. I'll keep y'all updated.

Because the nightstands are dark, I wanted lighter lamps. My goodness- lamps are the hardest thing to shop for! They are either adorable and super expensive, or cheap and look it. I am a mama on a budget here, so I'm looking for cute, expensive-looking and cheap. Haha! (good luck, right??) Well, I stumbled upon these gems at Target and fell in love with them! Actually, to be honest, I thought $45 was too expensive, so I kept looking... And soon realized that the exact same mercury glass lamps were going for $125-$250 at Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. Sooo I quickly went back to Target and scooped up two of those bad boys before they were sold out! I also grabbed two of these shades while I was there. The website doesn't really do the shades justice- they have a linen-look to them, with a very subtle sparkle. Very pretty!

I currently have a plain white blanket on the bed, because its too dang hot for anything else,but once the weather cools down, I plan on buying this duvet and a lightweight down insert from Ikea.

I have also talked my sweet husband into installing DIY crown molding. Home Depot has an "easy no-cut" system, that looks pretty painless. Hopefully we can tackle that in November, when the weather cools down and our crazy life slows down for a sec (and we have a free weekend).

I hope you like it as much as I do!! Cheers!

 

DIY tutorial - no sew pillow covers

I'm back again with another amazing DIY tutorial for you- no sew pillow covers. Boom!

Similar to my no sew curtains, I used Stitch Witchery and I highly recommend this brand (and the super weight option). I tried Heat n' Bond one day when I was desperate, and it seriously SUCKS! Do not buy that crap!

Unlike my no sew curtains (can you tell I'm promoting that tutorial? you should probably go check it out), this tutorial is a little more confusing, so bare with me...

First things first- you need to figure out how much fabric you need.

You need 2 pieces of fabric per pillow. Your first piece will be 2" wider on each side to allow for your hem (mine was 24"x24" for a 22" pillow). Your second piece will be 2" wider and 7" longer to allow for your envelope and hem (mine was 24"x29"). In this case, I only needed 1 yard of fabric per pillow (54" wide and 36" long).

I started by making one large piece- 54" wide (the entire width of the fabric) by 29" long. Then I cut it in half width-wise, so each piece was now 29" long by 27" wide. Starting with the first piece of fabric I discussed earlier, I trimmed one of the pieces down to 24"x24" (cutting a bit off each side). Then I simply trimmed the second piece down to 24"x29". You don't have to be super careful about how straight your edges are, as they will be folded under the hem, so you won't see it.

Then, you want to cut your second piece in half length-wise. This second piece will be the back of your pillow, or the "envelope".

 

Next, take 1 of those pieces from the second piece and make a hem in the middle. This will be the back of your pillow (or the envelope) and the only hem you see. To make the hem, you first want to fold the fabric over about 1/2 and inch and iron it all the way across to get a nice crease. Like so..

 

Then cut your hem tape the length of the fabric and insert it deep into your crease...

 

Then, if you're using Stitch Witchery, you'll fold the fabric back over the hem tape, lay a wet cloth over the fabric and lay your HOT iron on top of that. You want to create serious steam. Keep the iron in the same spot for 10 seconds, or about as long as it takes for the steam sound to stop, then pick it up and move it down the edge. You want to cover the entire edge with your wet cloth and iron (and hem tape- obv). 

 

Next you want to overlay the back 2 pieces (the piece you just hemmed and the other non-hemmed piece) so they match the size of the front piece. But inside out. So the pattern-side of the fabric is facing each other. Does that make sense? Eventually you'll turn it right-side out.

You're now going to start hemming all your edges. This is super easy. You literally just cut your hem tape however long your edge is, insert it between both pieces of fabric, iron and repeat until all your edges are hemmed. Take your time and remember to do both sides of the fabric.

Once you're done with all your edges, turn the fabric right-side out verrrry carefully! If you're anything like me, you can't wait to see your finished product and your hem tape will probably still be a little warm.


And VOILA! You have a pillow cover. Insert your pillow throw the opening in the back and tuck the un-hemmed piece of fabric into the hemmed piece. Since I have a crazy 16-month old, I used a safety pin to keep the 2 pieces together, but you could easily just leave it without or even sew a button (if you're really crafty!).



I hope this made sense, and if so- I can't wait to see all your fabulous new pillows!!! The options are seriously endless, and I plan to update my pillows every season now. I'm sure my husband will be thrilled!!

Good luck!

DIY tutorial - no sew curtains

Okay friends, I am so excited to share this DIY tutorial with you! This is so simple and it will save you bu-koos of money. Promise!

I've been eyeing $70 curtains at West Elm, and just couldn't let myself buy them. But I couldn't find any others that I liked as much. Then I decided to make them myself. Without a sewing machine. Boom and double boom.

Okay, so let's get started...

First, you need to figure out how much fabric you need...
Most fabric is 54" wide and 1 yard is 36" long. You want an extra inch on each side and bottom for the hem, and an extra 7" at the top for the pocket and hem. I trust that you can do the math, but if you have questions just message me!

Next, cut your fabric...
You do not need to be super careful about this, as you will fold and hem all the sides. Just make sure that the pattern in your fabric will line up once its hung. Somehow mine worked out perfectly and I didn't have to trim up the fabric to do this. And make sure your cuts are relatively straight.

Next, buy about 3546513 packages of this hem tape. I used 2 different types of hem tape (Heat n' Bond and Stitch Witchery) and I far prefer the SW. It's a little more expensive, but it bonds better. And for the love of everything holy, buy the super weight stuff. You will thank me later. I found this at Walmart for like $2.50 or something.

 

 

Now the fun starts...

You want to iron a hem first, before you start with the tape, so fold it over about a half inch and iron it to make a good crease.

Just like so...

 

Then measure the hem tape for however long you need and insert it into your hem crease. You want it to be deep into the crease. Just like this... (please ignore my disgusting ironing board, but please notice my awesome "party nails"- ha!)

 

The Stitch Witchery works with steam, so you need to use a wet cloth between your fabric and iron. I used an old cloth napkin. Make sure its pretty damp, you want to make some good steam here. And set your iron to the hottest setting.

 

So after you get the hem tape just where you need it, lay the wet cloth over the fabric and lay the hot iron on top. Keep it there for like 10 seconds, or about how long it takes for the steam sound to stop.

 

And you'll just move down your edge until the entire thing is "hemmed." Be sure to re-wet your cloth often. That's the biggest pain in the butt throughout this whole process. (the Heat n' Bond doesn't require that you use the wet cloth, but it doesn't hold nearly as well)

 

Once you've gone down the entire edge, flip the fabric over and do it again on the other side. You want to make sure this is nice and secure.

 

You'll do this for the 2 sides and bottom. And like I said- about a 1" hem is good.

 

Next up is the pocket at the top where you're curtain will slide onto the rod.

Measure 3.5", fold over and iron it all the way across. Again, you want a good solid crease there.

 

Similar to how you did the sides, insert the hem tape in that crease. But this time put it at the very end of the hem- so you create a pocket. Make sense?

Lay the wet cloth over your fabric and start ironing. Make sure you flip it over and do both sides.

And VOILA! You have curtains!

 

There are two fabric websites that I really like- Fabric.com and FabricGuru.com. I've ordered from both and they both deliver super quick, have great prices and lots of choices.

 

Good luck!!!

 

UPDATED: I now have a no sew pillow cover tutorial on the blog, too. Go check it out here.

Recipe - french toast casserole

 

I made this this morning because I wanted to use the rest of our bread and I wanted something easy that I could just pop in the oven. It was so yummy and delicious, I will definitely be making it again! The original recipe was found here, but I did change it up a bit. Per usual.

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
12 slices of bread
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon, to taste

Directions
1) Melt butter in microwave, stir in brown sugar.
2) Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9x13 pan and spread around evenly.
3) Beat eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.
4) Lay single layer of toast in pan (6 slices).
5) Spoon half of egg mixture on bread layer.
6) Add second layer of toast.
7) Spoon on remaining egg mixture.

8) Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes (uncover for last 15 minutes)

9) Sprinkle with powdered sugar and ENJOY!

 

You could easily add some pumpkin pie spice or pumpkin puree to "fall" it up, too. We'll definitely do that soon!

 

Yum Yum!

Five on Friday - Love List

I have been working on a Love List post for a week now, and I decided to go ahead and incorporate it into a Five on Friday Link-up...because...why not?!

So let's get started...FIVE things I'm LOVING right now!!

ONE.
my new washing machine - We got our old washing machine from a sweet friend FOR FREE a few months before we got married, and they worked great all this time! Almost 6 years! But a week or two ago, the washing machine started leaking. Turns out it started rusting on the bottom and sprung a leak. We decided to go ahead and buy a new one, seeing as we've never actually paid for one ourselves. To say we've been living in a cave for the past 10 years is clearly an understatement. We got a top loader, because we're just too damn tall for front loaders. And this thing is aweeeeesome (in the words of Tommy Boy- bahahahah!!!).

TWO.
these aztec palazzo pants - oh, sweet jeebus. These pants are so comfortable, it almost feels like you're naked. And they're LONG! The website says 35" inseam, but I think they're longer.


 

THREE.
my new bedroom curtains that I made all by myself without a sewing machine. Yes yes and YES! Be on the lookout for a DIY tutorial, y'all.


 

FOUR.
these floral skinny jeans - how perfectly dainty while still comfortable and easy? I need these right now. (and they come in long!) GAP is having their fall sale right now, so I just scored them for 35% off! Perfect!

FIVE.
this new sign - after returning from vacation, the only thing I could think was "There is no place like home." So when I stumbled on this cute sign, I just had to snag it. And it looks great on our B&W wall in our family room!

 

 

So what are YOU loving right now?? Link up with us and tell me!!