A Little Thanksgiving Decoration

Ok, I know my last post talked about finishing projects that I already started, and therefore implied that I had plenty on my plate without starting anything new, but here I am, about to tell you that I started a new project...my bad! (Does it help to know that I finished it?) How could I resist when it was only going to cost me $3 and take about 15 minutes to make?

So, as many of you know by now, Halloween is my favorite holiday. That means lots of decorations go up in our apartment in October (but never enough!). I also really like Christmas (who doesn't?) so our apartment gets even more decked out in December. November, though, sees little in the way of decorating. Up til now, all I've had for Thanksgiving decorations is a small basket filled with cranberries and cinnamon sticks in the middle of our dining table. Sad...I know. I wanted to change that this year, but I don't really have the resources or the time to go all out.

I saw this project on Pinterest (I'd post the link, but it's no longer working...), which I think is actually for Christmas, but with a little tweaking, I made it work for Thanksgiving.

First, go on a pinecone hunt! You can buy them at the store, but where's the fun in that? I took Levi for a walk around our neighborhood and picked up 5 handsome cones along the way. Be sure to shake them out pretty good when you pick them up. They tend to house bugs and dirt, neither of which you want coming into your house. Also, I recommend you stick to an odd number. Just like when you're decorating inside the home, clustering things in odd numbers just looks better - it creates asymmetrical balance.

Next, gather your supplies...

 

I used different ribbons that I already had in my ribbon stash (yes, I have a stash) that matched my idea of Thanksgiving colors. They should all be at least 2.5ft long to give it a good amount of hang while still leaving ribbon for the bow. The only thing I had to buy was a basic wreath hanger from Hobby Lobby for $3.

 

Next, wrap the end of each ribbon around the base of a pinecone. I folded the ribbon in half for this part to make it stay better (see picture below). Leave about and inch or two of ribbon exposed on one end.

 

 

Tie the loose end of ribbon in a knot to the long leftover ribbon (see below). Once you're happy with the knot and everything, trim the excess ribbon from the short end to hide the knot a little better.

 

Once you have all the pinecones attached to a ribbon, hold them up together and arrange the pinecone heights the way you want. After you have them hanging at the right height, tie them all together with a simple knot. Now slip the knot over the hook end of the wreath hanger. (I took pictures of this too, but they were blurry...bah! That's what I get for trying to take a one-handed picture with an iPhone 4. O well.)

Once the knot is secure on the hook, pick two of the longer ribbons and tie them in a bow on top of/above the knot on the wreath hanger. Let the tails hang long, but trim any that look overly so.

Now, all you have to do is hang it on the door!

 

Seriously, it only takes about 15 minutes. And it's so easy, instead of trying to find a way to store the pinecones without damaging them, you could just dismantle it and discard the pinecones when you're ready to replace it with something else.

 

And yes, in case you're wondering, that is our peephole, positioned way too low on the door. I don't know why it's like that, but its definitely at an awkward level for both the person looking out the peephole and for the person being looked at...

Anyway, happy crafting! If you want more ideas for Thanksgiving decorations and crafts that I've found, follow my Thankgiving Stuff board on Pinterest!

An Early New Year's Resolution

I know it's only November, but I don't want to wait until January to make my New Year's resolution. Staying at home with Levi this semester has made me very aware of my lack of motivation to finish most of the projects that I start. I see evidence of it everywhere in our apartment - the painting in our bedroom that has a blank corner, the lamp that's only halfway covered in twine (that sounds weird if you don't know what I'm talking about...haha!), my thesis (still living at a standstill). I've decided that I'm going to take the time I have left on maternity leave to change this pattern for good! So...this year's (super early) New Year's Resolution is "Finish What You Start." I'm applying it to any and everything: long-term goals like finishing graduate school and writing my thesis, and short-term goals like sewing together the laundry bags for our bedroom. When I finish a project, I'll write about it to let y'all know, so keep me accountable if you don't hear about anything for a while.

And now, a series of pictures to publicly humiliate myself into getting things finished:

This is that lamp project I mentioned earlier...

And the painting...

 

 

And the laundry bags...



And my thank you notes...which I didn't mention, but that definitely need to get done.

Believe it or not, there are actually more unfinished projects hiding in our apartment in boxes and baskets and drawers. Ugh! I'll report back soon (hopefully!).

Saving Money with (semi) Homemade Carpet Cleaner

So, as many people have probably experienced, babies can be messy. Levi has a tendency to overeat (haha!) so when he does that, he just vomits everything back up that he doesn't need, which makes for a dirty carpet. On top of that, our cat spite-pukes when she feels like she's not getting enough attention, which has been a lot lately. Needless to say, we've been going through our Resolve a lot quicker than we normally do. Yesterday, Lu puked twice (of course) and what do you know, but we were out of Resolve (crap!). I hate going through the hassle of getting Levi out to go to the store for one thing, so Justin volunteered to pick some up after work today, but then I started thinking...you know, I bet I could make something out of stuff we already have. We could save some money and Justin wouldn't have to run to the store after working all day. Win win!

After a quick google search and some pinning on Pinterest, I came across a carpet cleaning solution that was super easy to make and that we already had all the ingredients for. YAY! And what do you know, it's courtesy of the great Martha Stewart (thanks Martha!). Click here for the article that has this recipe, and many more, depending on your carpet type and cleaner preference.

All you  need is some free and clear laundry detergent, some water, and a container for your solution. I used All detergent, which I already had for the two sensitive-skin men that I live with. Mix 1/4tsp detergent (that's all!!) with 1 cup of water and you're done! I poured the detergent and water into a mason jar, closed the lid, and shook it to mix everything together. Worked like a charm.

Martha stressed that you do not want to pour the solution directly onto the carpet, so I dipped part of a rag towel into my jar and started scrubbing. Not only did it clean up the stain, but it took less scrubbing than Resolve, I used less solution, I didn't have to wait for it to lift the stain before scrubbing, and it didn't smell like chemicals. I mean, you can't beat that!

I was concerned that after the carpet dried it would be a little crusty from the soap, but it wasn't at all! It's like it never happened! This recipe is definitely a winner folks!

For more homemade carpet cleaning recipes, and other ideas for saving money with homemade items, follow my Pinterest board, Homemade Living.

Searching for a Day Care

Today, Justin took a personal day so that we could go tour potential day cares for Levi. I've been mentally preparing myself for months for the day that we actually drop him off for the first time because I know it's going to suck. I was not, however, prepared for how difficult today turned out to be. We visited First Baptist Waco first, which had been pretty highly recommended to us by a few people. Despite this however, as soon as we walked into the infant rooms, I could feel myself getting upset. The room was dark (probably naptime), lined with cribs, with a small play mat in the middle. There were a couple babies playing on the mat, but there were others just sitting up in their cribs looking around in the dark. From what I could tell there weren't any windows in the room either, so I felt a little bit like I was in baby prison. By the time we were ready to leave, I was itching to get out. As soon as the door closed behind us, I burst into tears: "I don't think I can do this!" I knew it was going to be hard not being with him all day anymore, but I didn't realize it would hit me this early.

Thankfully, after I calmed myself down, we stopped by the Tower to introduce Levi to Justin's coworkers. We told a few people that we just visited our first potential day care and there was overwhelming sympathy and understanding from all the women. They know how traumatic it can be and they reassured me that it gets better. One woman told us something that I think will become my mantra during this experience - "It's better for both you and him." Not to say that being a stay-at-home mom is a bad choice, because I definitely don't think that, but I know it's not the best decision for me personally. It will be better for me because I will be able to work and be myself again, but it will also be good for him to be able to socialize with other babies in a safe and educationally-focused environment. (Thanks Sheila!) So while it will be hard, it will be good for both of us in the end.

After our stop at the Tower, I felt a lot better about everything (or at least as good as I can right now). We went to visit Central Faith on our way home and I felt much better about it! The rooms each had a wall of windows, and while there were still lots of cribs in the room surrounding a play area, the rooms were more open and the staff talked to us about the different developmental activities they do with them throughout the day. I was most impressed by the fact that they work to teach them both Spanish and sign language. So cool!

While we haven't decided on a place yet (we still have some more to visit), I feel a lot better about it knowing that most other women in my situation have gone through similar emotions. I hope that other new moms or moms-to-be can read this and know that, while the process is hard, you are not alone. If you start feeling isolated or alone in your feelings, talk to other moms that have put their kids in day care and I guarantee their sympathy will be immediate. Us working moms have to stick together!

And now, a gratuitous baby picture because he's just so darn cute!