From Pinterest to Practical

The onset of nesting has brought a few more house projects and de-cluttering attempts in the last few weeks of pregnancy. Thank goodness for Saturday afternoons!

My most recent Pinterest interest has been gallery/collage walls. They are wonderful for displaying various pieces of art, pictures or other pieces of eye candy. I was delighted to find some inspiration and show off what the practical looks like in my home.

First, the inspiration:


 

Source: robesondesign.com via Erika on Pinterest

Source: younghouselove.com via Erika on Pinterest

Source: gardenberger.blogspot.com via Erika on Pinterest

Next, the actual wall in my home:

Alright, ignoring the spaces that don't have photos yet because I am waiting on photos of baby boy (next week some time we should finally get some!!), I think it turned out well!

Here are some of the elements and where I got them:

• I had the large floral fabric from another project. It is simply tacked to an old cork board. This works out perfectly as we don't have a mantle or other great shelving in this room. I can pin cards, decorations or what-not to the board and change the fabric when I feel like it
• I had some of the frames lying around. Others I bought at Wal-Mart for $2-$5 each.
• I had the floral wall stickers in the room before too. I am not sold on those and they might end up someplace else. I bought these particular ones at Hobby Lobby when we moved in.
• The mustache framed artwork is a free printable I also found on Pinterst. I was excited to have one frame dedicated to a different print when the mood strikes me. 
• I decided to go with black and white photos to keep a theme. I noticed that a few of the inspiration walls either had all color or all black and white photos. I think the consistency brings the wall together and makes it look intentional. 

It is not completely aligned or perfect, but I really like the collage look. I makes this once large empty wall really full looking. Since we are renting this townhouse, hooks in the wall are not allowed. I have used the velcro sticky back wall hanging devices, and never had any trouble hanging up to 5-8 lbs.  

I am sure the wall will evolve as time goes on, most of my home decorations do.

In all I spent about 3 hours working on the wall and about $20 in frames and sticky back hangers. Not too bad for a a do it yourself project!

Links from Around the Web

I was browsing the internet today and realized I haven't done a Friday week ending link post in a while.

How about a Saturday edition?

Sounds good! 

• I know, I wish yoga pants were acceptable in work too, but alas. This article by Susan Wagner (a runner and fashionista!) makes me  think "dressing up" isn't so hard!
• Some great running advice from local Erie blogger Heather Cass
• Just as I think I have "it" all together, this article over at Tiny Twig reminded me it is ok not to.
• I cannot get this song out of my head! I love the music video! Thank you The Lumineers!

Nothing like a good shared meal when the weather turns cold!

My 3 Minute Rule

A Beautiful Mismatched Table

Keeping things around the house clean can sometimes feel like a HUGE chore. Especially while pregnant (really, bending over is hard!).

I have found that giving myself a simple 3 minute task not only helps me feel like I am keeping things straightened up but also helps boost my mood. If things are put away I feel a sense of ease and enjoyment, two things I always want my home to feel like.  

Here are a few of the things I can accomplish in 3 minutes (or less!)

Sweep the kitchen/bathroom floor. (we don't have a huge kitchen and just a half bath downstairs so this is a quick one for me!)

Make our bed. (somehow a made bed is even more comfortable to snuggle into)

Put away random things all over the house.

Clean and cut fruit or veggies to eat later (I learned this from my mother-in-law, if you clean it, cut it and put it where they will see it, they (my husband) will eat it!)

Start the dishwasher.

Put away laundry. 

Wipe down the sink (any sink).

Do my hair (ok, not a house thing, but it does make me feel girly)




What do you do for a pick me up? What tricks work for you?

On Pregnancy: Nesting

This is serious. Nesting is real and virtually uncontrollable for me.

For the last few weeks I have been unstoppable. Ok, not really unstoppable because I get tired and then want to take a 2 hour nap and then I need to eat...but almost.

Every minute of every day could be filled with things around the house I need to do.

Here is just a sampling of all the house things I have done in the last few weeks:

clean the kitchen. everyday.
organized our baby's clothing. several times. i even bought more hangers.
packed and repacked my hospital bag.
vacuumed. several more times than usual.
refused to wash the pots and pans in the dishwasher so i do it by hand.
do laundry like no one's business.
clean out my closet. several times.
cleaned out the basement storage.
spent hours last night cleaning up my computer of old files.
redecorated our living room with a gallery wall. thank you pinterest.
and probably drove my husband nuts in the whole process.
oh and I currently want to clean the fridge. that will happen tonight i am sure.

I feel like everything must be emmaculate before the baby arrives. As if he will even know the space between the stove and the counter isn't clean?!

I think I am ready for this baby. I might drive everyone around me nuts if this continues for 3 whole weeks.

Oh baby.

at least my fridge is clean. 
 

(oh and thanks for dealing with my random background changes. the other background loaded so slowly! It needed "nesting" help too!)

From Pinterest to Practical: Wine Toppers

Ok, I have officially jumped on the Pinterest DIY bandwagon. And I love it.

Obsessed might be the best word to describe my current interest in DIY crafts actually! Between thoughts of babies and delivery, I dream about the next project I can accomplish.

This week I tackled one of the easier projects, wine toppers made with old tops from trophies. It was the perfect project for getting rid of some trophies collecting dust in our basement and making Christmas presents. I am going to pair a few of these toppers with some local wine and ta da- instant Christmas gift.

Source: decoradventures.com via Erika on Pinterest

I didn't come up with the project idea (click here if you want the directions) so I won't explain how to do it, but I wanted to let you know how it went.

The only supplies you need are:

• drill with interchangeable bits
• old trophies
• wine corks

I had my husband drill the holes  (I don't do too well with power tools), then simply screwed on the toppers. It really was that simple! Easy-peasy! This was about a 10 minute project with almost fool-proof results. Highly recommended!!!

This is how mine turned out (no wine to cork with yet). We had some large toppers and then a few small ones. Some lucky friend or family members gets our old soccer toppers!

Wine Topper DYI

Weekend Links: Things to Let Us Relax

Happy Friday!

How about some things to help you relax this weekend?

Fabulous.

Here we are:

• The Zen of Work by ZenHabits Just the webpage wants me to spend more time meditating.
• MMmmhhh...Honey foot scrub. Sounds delicious for my poor swollen feet!
• How about this Good Morning Yoga Sequence from Thoughts by Natalie? Makes me want to do more yoga too!

Source: thoughtsbynatalie.blogspot.com via Erika on Pinterest
•  

Pregnancy: Weeks 27 & 28

Weeks Along: 28

Weight:  188 lbs. (by the end of week 26 I have gained 45 lbs.)

Weeks to Go: 12 weeks

What I feel: KICKS! So many kicks! My goodness that little guy wants to move around. Some nights when I lay down all he is does it jab my side. I think it makes me a little restless. But I need more sleep.

I think overall pregnancy + the weight gain = i am freakin' tired. all the time. nap from 6-8 pm? Bed at 10:30 pm? That sounds like a plan EVERY NIGHT! 

I am still working 40 hours a week, which might be getting to me. I am normally an efficient, lets see how much I can do in a day person, but lately I just don't have it in me. Yes, I get my work done, but nothing fast and furious over here.

What I look like:  A recent photo opp with a friend really showed me how very large I am. Phew. Thank goodness this is for a fantastic reason.

I think my area is expanding faster than my circumference. Hubby tried to explain the geometry of that phenomenon the other night. All I know is he is getting huge!

I am still amazed that a human body can do this. What a feat.

Oh Things I didn't know about pregnancy until now: A $17 body pillow will be the best investment you make while pregnant, I swear. I waited way too long to buy that. I sleep SOOOOO much better. Don't buy the one in the baby items isle, save money and go for the dorm style one that comes with multiple cover in the regular bedding isle. Same thing, better price.

Go slow. Standing up can be hard. Take your time and don't let your self get dizzy (you're doctor won't like that and will make you come into her office ASAP).

Rest more than you think you should.

Timeline happenings:

I magically broke three (1,2.3 yes!) needles while trying to sew curtains for the nursery. I wanted to cry. Thankfully I finished them and loved the end product. Perhaps I will take a sewing class now. 

Our guy's place!

Still lots of kicking (or hiccups or punching) going on. He is active, and getting stronger. Some mornings he wakes me up early so we can eat. I guess that begins now.

A good friend of mine just happened to be driving through Pennsylvania this week. She and her family were on their way to a wedding when we got a phone call that they were in town for a bit. She couldn't believe how big I was, and we had fun taking pictures. I have lovely friends.

I finally got a breast pump. I am not sure how well it will work. I did a lot of research and reviews were mixed. I made a decision after weeks of fretting. Guess we'll find out if it is worth the extra money to buy the top of the line one...it was just so much more! ah! I did however have a dream that this part of motherhood went swimmingly well. That might be good news!

Things for Baby: My grandmother made the CUTEST sweater, booties and hat set. I am not exaggerating. They are adorable. Oh I love them. They are blue. And perfect. I hope he can wear them at least once. They are kind of small but perhaps they will be a home from the hospital outfit (with pants and a onsie of course!)

Socks. Stocked up on those. I am going to guess my dryer monster will eat about half of them in the first week. Ha. I might have outsmarted him by buying all the same color (expect for the stripe ones, they were so cute!).

He now has a dinosaur night light. I know, he is a little young but again, IT WAS SO CUTE!

My husband and I decided not to go overboard with toys yet. We don't have tons of room or loads of money to spend on these items. We have many of our own childhood favorite books and stuffed animals to pass down. We have a few items received as gifts, which I am sure will get us by. I am really happy about this actually, less clutter for now until we find out what he likes. I would rather spend more money on toys to help him grow and learn that toys that do too much work for him (like pressing a button to make it interact with you).

And the Husband says: "I am tired. Pregnancy is tough" -this is by far my favorite thing my husband has said recently. I wanted to stay up and talk to him one night, but apparently pregnancy just tuckered him right out. Ha. I bet.

He also recently was asked by a friend how I was doing and he said "She sleeps a lot". See told ya pregnancy is tough.

Cleaning Closet Clutter Too!

Any attempt to clean out part of our apartment is a win-win situation for me. This challenge fits right in with my 2012 goals (win #1) and I get to de-stress after a Monday full of work (win #2). 

I agree, the bathroom cabinet is not exactly a closet, but sometimes getting a little space cleaned up is the best motivation.  I am going to start with our bathroom cabinet as well. I noticed the other day when I grabbed for some extra toothpaste that the wonderful air vent located underneath the cabinet heats up all our extra bathroom supplies. Let's just say the shampoo's were extra watery. Ick. No better time to clean out all the crap!

I first got out all the current supplies, extras and random bathroom items.

I noticed that I seem to keep semi-empty bottles with little to no substance left. I took a handful of these items straight to the dishwasher to get a good clean so I can reuse them when I travel.

A little messy to start...

I then took my travel/cosmetic bags that were not in use and put them all together to make storing easier. I kept one of the larger travel bags out and filled it with some essentials so I can have a travel pack ready to go whenever I need.

I ran into a few products that I don't think will ever get used so those got moved to a throw away pile. 

When it was all said and done, I got rid of a lot of useless things and found three tubes of toothpaste I didn't know we had! Guess I won't need to buy that for a while! I am glad to get a small project done, I always feel more accomplished. 

Much Better!

This cleaning project spurred some new year cleaning bug and I have started a small pile of things I don't need from around the house.  I informed my husband of the de-cluttering just in case things of his go missing. It might happen. Just saying

How about your clutter? What do you do when you find you have too much? Any good methods to keep clutter at bay?

Friday: Baking Day

In an effort to increase my readership from 3 loyal (and the best) followers I am going to do a Friday cooking segment each week. I have wanted to do this for a while so I am putting this task on the done list this week.

Short of it being past the holiday season, this post about baking seems fitting. I meant this to be a more timely post but the holidays slipped away. What better way to spend those dreary weekend afternoons than baking (knitting is a close second but I'll get to that later!)? 

One of the many wonderful parts about being married is the double amount of recipes and cooking advice you get. In fact, one of my bridal showers included a recipe card in the invitation so friends & family could pass the good eats along to me! I love having new recipes to try and keep both family's traditions alive. For the holidays I made two different types of cookies, one from my family's stash of recipes and one from my husband's.

From my husband's side I made Jello Cookies. I had never made this kind of cookie before, I even had to make a trip to the local cooking store to buy supplies I didn't own. Below is the recipe I used along with the equipment needed (Note: I used the cookie press written in the instructions. Unfortunately I have yet to experiment without the press so I can't vouch for those cookies!) 

Grandma Norma's Jello Cookies

4 cups sifted flour (ah, for the non-baker normal all purpose flour is fine!)
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3 oz. package of jello
1 1/2 cup Butter, room temperature
1 egg

Sift flour with baking soda. Set aside.
Cream Butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar & jello to butter. Mix well. Add egg & vanilla. Gradually add flour/baking soda mix to all ingredients are mixed well.
Push dough through cookie press with desired shaped at the end.
Press cookies directly onto a ungreased baking sheet.
Decorate as desired (even a little jello on top is good when baked!)
Bake at 400 degree Ferienheit for 7-8 minutes or until gold brown on the edges.

From my side of the family I whipped up some sugar Christmas cookies that my grandmother makes. Her cookies are always delicious and no matter the season a beautifully frosted cut out cookie reminds me of childhood. These cookies are easy to make and the dough refrigerates easily. I use the same recipe throughout the year so this is one of my essential cookie recipes.

Grandma Nancy's Sugar Cookies

Cookies: 1 cup butter, softened but not melted
1 1/2 powder sugar 
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking sode
1/4 teaspoon salt


Mix all ingredients together until soft dough forms. Refrigerate the dough for 3 hours or until ready to make cookies. The dough should be a tough ball that is not sticky (I recommend letting the dough sit over night to ensure ease of cut outs!)
Roll out dough with floured rolling pin on a floured surface. 
Makes about 2 dozen cookies depending on cut out size.
This dough is great for cut outs!


Frosting: 1 stick margarine, softened
2 lbs. confectioners sugar (you can add as much or as little as you want. This is the base for the frosting so it really depends on how much frosting you need. I start with about 1/2 of the 2 lb. bag to start with.)
1 teaspoon vanilla
milk to texture & taste
food coloring if desired

Mix all ingredients except milk. Add milk to create texture of frosting you desire. Add food coloring if desired. This frosting makes enough for about 24 cookies. The frosting can be frozen for future baking as well!