And on his farm, he had a cow …
There are few things more soothing than cutting out felt shapes. I think I’m going to put that mantra on a pillow!
Yes, after another difficult day at l’office, I began cutting out farm animals. I’m also painting some large photo frames with soft yellow paint, so I think I’m going to make a framed felt barnyard scene for the nursery …
NOTE TO SELF: Buy teeny googly eyes!
WANTED: Good home for pencils
Now that we’re back to reality, and determined to make our cozy newlyweds condo into a home suitable for a … gulp … family of three … I’ve got my work cut out for me!
No more dabbling posts about maybe-this-furniture or maybe-that-way-to-save-space. No! I’ve got to get serious and make actual plans, here. Otherwise I fear I will end up sleeping in the jacuzzi — our bed discarded for more floor space.
My mother is optimistic, as always, and says of course we will have room for a baby — and its gear — in our condo.
I have always been a realist, so I am not so certain, because the second bedroom — now the office, someday the nursery — contains:
- Hubby’s computer desk
- Desk chair
- My art/drafting table
- Chair from the dining room set
- Tall white bookcase
- Filing cabinet
… let’s not forget the closet, which looks like a Tupperware aisle exploded, and is crammed with:
- My sewing machine
- Six drawers of fabric
- A small storage cabinet full of art supplies
- 12 plastic containers with more art supplies
- Three drawers of office supplies
- Three drawers of paints
So basically, everything in that room has to find a new home — except the white bookcase, possibly, because I could fill it with childrens’ books and wicker baskets.
The best place for Darling Husband’s computer is probably the bedroom — living room would be too cluttered. And the filing cabinet can definitely be shoved in the storage room.
As for my art stuff, this is what I have come up with …
OPTION A: The mini-studio
- My art desk & chair move to the storage room off the kitchen — wait! Here me out!
- The heaps of art supplies moves to the storage room (has built-in shelves along the back wall)
- The crap in the storage room moves to the closet of the second bedroom, and my mom’s basement
- PRO: I will have my own space to work
- CON: I may develop claustrophobia
OPTION B: The mobile studio
- My art desk is stored in the storage room, and I do most of my crafting at the dining room table — but it is pulled out for especially large or messy projects
- My art supplies remain stowed in the second bedroom closet
- PRO: No need to move anything except the desk
- CON: I won’t have a place to work, so I may choose not to create simply because I don’t have the space
I’m really not sure which is the best solution. I like the idea of the mini-studio, simply because I could work and store everything in the same space. Yes, it is a small space — and I’m not totally sure about the ventillation? — but it would be the one space not infiltrated by Hubby or Baby.
Any thoughts?
Sweet dreams
After salivating over farmhouses online, we took a jaunt to the country over the weekend to check out the area in person.
It was a gorgeous sunny day, and every time we drove past a house sitting atop a grassy field — sometimes with horses! — I thought, Oooooh!
We spent an hour cruising around the town we’re considering, checking out the grocery stores — there were a few, which is promising — and the malls — kinda bleak, but at least there were two. There was an elementary school with a wicked playground, a great park, and a “downtown” area with cute little shops.
As we drove, we talked about what we dreamed about: a rambling house with an old-fashioned pantry, matching ATVs for tearing off through the woods, acres of land for Darling Husband to ride around on a lawn tractor and … till stuff? Oh! Is that a sign for log cabins??? Adorable!
The good thing about long drives? You drive long enough — and talk long enough — and you eventually come back to reality.
It’s not time for us to have a farmhouse.
Oh, it is sad to even type that, but it’s true. We shouldn’t — and won’t — make such a big decision, like selling one place and buying a new one, just yet.
Before we got carried away with visions of butcher-block islands and lawn tractors, we had accepted the fact that we would have our first baby while still living here in our condo. There isn’t a lot of room, but we will be able to make it work.
While I’m on mat-leave, we will make the decisions about if/when/how I go back to work — which will affect where we live. Until then, we are going to make the best of things, and enjoy the present.
Our dream house will come later …
Been there, done that, bought the Trojans
Can I just say … ugghhhh!
As I have mentioned before, Darling Husband and I were extremely careful — with a cap E — before we got married. We did not not not not not not NOT want to get pregnant before we were married, and I’m happy to say, our paranoia paid off.
Once the wedding bands were in place, we were free from our latex prison (hmm, weird mental image). When we returned from our honeymoon, I tossed all our condoms in the garbage — sure we would never again need them.
Two weeks ago, we bought ’em …
.,.. and we’re not liking ’em.
You see, we are in that holding zone where I am off the pill, but not able to start trying. I still have four months until Best Friend’s wedding, and that means four months of Operation: Gown-Must-Fit — it’s a joint mission with Project: Don’t-Puke-at-the-Altar.
The holding zone SUCKS! It means the super-cautiousness has returned to our bedroom, because this is the first time ever that we are relying only on condoms. It means we are back to using something that I always hated in the first place.
Darling Husband, who will fit into his groomsman tux no matter what, is trying to convince me to cave, and kiss the Trojans good-bye. Instead of me gushing over baby commercials and dragging him into the carseat department, he is the one giving me the baby pressure!
I heart apples!
Big night last night! I started — and finished — my first bib!
Inspired by my mom and the bibs she used to make for me, I knew I wanted to do something embroidered. It went much faster than expected, although I learned a few lessons the hard way (Spoiler alert: damn fraying!).
Step 1: I grabbed a marker, sketched out a rough bib shape, and cut it out. Only time will tell if it actually fits around Baby’s neck, but I figure it’s probably OK. I chose a cute, sunny yellow so that embroidery thread would show up well.
Step 2: I used a marker to draw on “I heart apples,” and — using an embroidery hoop — I embroidered it with purple, pink, and red threads.
Step 3: I looked through my fabric drawers and chose a vibrant turquoise for the back of the bib. Both fabrics were fraying pretty badly, so I sewed around the edges to try and keep it together.
Step 4: I opened my first-ever package of bias tape, and attempted to sew it around the edges and create the ties. It was much harder than I thought, because it was pretty skinny once it was folded over — and the frayed edges keep poking through.It’s far from perfect, but here’s how it turned out …
I heart apples!
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Heather's Handmade Life 