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!

A Halloween Tree

Growing up, my family had a Christmas tradition where we would turn on a Christmas movie and decorate the tree together. We each had our own stash of ornaments, making the whole tradition extra special and personal. The tree itself is consequently one of my favorite parts of the holiday. I guess this tradition made me long for a similar feel during my favorite holiday - Halloween - and this year I decided to make that happen in a small way. Our Halloween tree sits on our dining table.

To make the tree, I found some spooky stems in the floral section of Hobby Lobby, placed them in a tall vase, and wrapped it with some mummy wrap, also from HL.

For the ornaments, I drew designs for 6 different Halloween shapes on tracing paper and then cut them out and used them as patterns on felt. I actually made them a couple years ago with the intention of making a Halloween garland for our fireplace, but that didn't pan out. Consequently however, I don't have pictures of the process...sorry! Each little guy is made solely of felt, with the details embroidered on and stuffed with a little cotton stuffing.

Decorating for the holidays is always fun, but it takes on new meaning and significance when you have a kid. There's something extra special about creating a unique and fun atmosphere that they can faithfully look forward to each year. I hope this tree helps create some of that special holiday tradition and anticipation for my kiddo.

Refocusing

Lately I've been living an unbalanced life. I know I should cut myself some slack since I just had a kid, but now that a month has passed it feels like things should start to come back together. While Levi is clearly my top priority, as he should be, my other priorities seem overwhelmed and out of whack. When he's sleeping, I can decide what I should do, but my decisions during this time are usually poor (aka I binge-watch reality TV on Netflix). Because of this, I spend my time stressing over the fact that I should be finding a feasible way to exercise (because I'm still limited physically as to what I can do), working on my thesis (whoops...), finding time for prayer and spiritual focus, getting as many chores done as possible (so I can spend time with Justin when he gets home), and taking care of myself (grown-ups need naps too!).

Justin and I have talked about this several times, but I still can't find the motivation or direction to distress and just do what I need to do. Thankfully, this evening I had one of those moments where you read something that directly pertains to what you're going through right then. I was reading How Deep A Mother's Love...A Devotional Journey (thanks Shelli!) and the devotional was about finding proper perspective. It talks about feeling lost or overwhelmed with the demands of motherhood and life and how the best way to re-center yourself is through God. I know, some of you are probably like, "Duh Annelise! I could have told you that...," but regardless of the simplicity, I needed to read that today.

All of these things that make me feel stressed and unbalanced are really just worries, but, as the devotional says, if I spend less time worrying and more time focusing on God and the blessings he has given me, I will be able to relax and find the perspective I need to do what I need to do (instead of staying in my living room all day).

Levi's Birth Story (finally!)

DISCLAIMER: As the title suggests, this post is about Levi's birth, and while I don't go into too much detail, it still talks about each part of the labor experience. If you are at all grossed out by this, please stop reading here and take comfort in the fact that you know he was born and is doing well.

Levi's arrival having been a month ago, I am finally awake and sane enough to recount his birth story (yay!). And now that he's gone to sleep, I have (limited) time to write it down.

If there was a moral to Levi's birth story, it would be that you can't believe everything you read about labor and delivery - everyone's experience is different and mine is just another example of how true that is. Around 11:45PM on August 30th, right as Justin and I were going to bed, I had a pretty painful contraction. I had already experienced a few false labors, so Justin and I were hesitant to believe that this was real, but this contraction was more painful and it hurt in a different way than all the Braxton-Hicks contractions I had before.

Here's where things started to differ from everything I had read: Instead of my contractions becoming regular and gradually growing closer together and stronger over the course of several hours, within 30 minutes my contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes. While they were all pretty painful, they were not consistently so, meaning that some were more painful than others. Justin and I were both pretty confused by this, so I called the doctor (finally) at around 2AM and she told me to come to the hospital. At this point I was also starting to doubt my willingness to give birth naturally, because my contractions were getting to be pretty excruciating. The contractions themselves were not what was so painful, it was the back labor I was experiencing in conjunction with them. Because of Levi's position (which also played a role in his delivery), every time I had a contraction, his head would press on my lower spine.

At the hospital, even though I dilated a centimeter during the hour that I was there, they would not admit me. My contractions were irregular and I was only at 3cm. I felt frustrated because it seemed that the nurse did not really believe the amount of pain I was in. When I asked her what I could do about the pain (because she was treating them like Braxton-Hicks contractions), she told me to take 2 Tylenol (really...). By the time we left I was crying because of how much pain I was in.

Back at home, I took my two Tylenol, which of course did nothing, and continued to have contractions every 2-3 minutes. Thankfully, there was about an hour where they seemed to back off for a while, so Justin and I got a little bit of sleep, but for the most part, I was crying, yelling, and grabbing Justin for support every time a contraction hit. We called the doctor again at around 8AM and she told me to come back in if the pain got too bad, but I was convinced that I would just get sent home again because my contractions were still irregular. Finally, at about 10:30AM, I told Justin I couldn't take the pain anymore. I insisted that we go to the hospital immediately.

This time, as soon as I walked into the lobby, the receptionist looked at me and told me to go straight to check-in. After I checked in, which was done very quickly, they got me a wheel chair and wheeled me to triage. This time there was no denying that I was in labor. Even though my contractions were still irregular, I was now up to 5cm. When the nurse asked if I was planning on getting an epidural, I said that I hadn't planned to, but that I would like one. The pain was too unbearable. After the nurse left to get our room ready, I cried to Justin, telling him that I felt I had let him down because he believed in me so much. He insisted that I shouldn't feel that way because he was already so proud of me. He was so supportive the whole way through.

Once I got to my room, they immediately put me on Fentanyl to help ease the pain until I got my epidural, which happened within about 30 minutes or so. After getting the epidural I was finally able to rest and enjoy my time with Justin while we waiting for Levi to arrive. After about an hour without dilating past 6cm, the doctor broke my water to try to speed up delivery. She also wanted to put me on Pitocin at that time, which was the one thing at the top of my list that I did not want (besides a C-Section). As soon as she explained what she wanted to do, Justin asked if we could wait for an hour after she broke my water to see if I could dilate naturally. She agreed without hesitation and when she returned I had dilated to 8cm (yay! no Pitocin!).

After this, I started to dilate more quickly and began to feel the urge to push by 6PM or so. With Justin's support (which was more helpful than he will ever know) and the help of different nurses, I pushed for about 2 hours. After about an hour and a half of pushing (I think...time started to lose meaning at this point), the doctor came in and realized that he was sunny-side up, meaning he was facing the ceiling rather than the floor, which is what was causing my back labor earlier. I didn't realize it, but apparently it's difficult to deliver babies in this position vaginally if it's your first time. She mentioned that we may need to do a C-section if we couldn't get him out, but that she wanted to try turning him with forceps. I was getting scared for Levi at this point and I was upset at the thought that I may have to have a C-section.

After a couple of attempts, the doctor was unable to get Levi to turn, so she decided that she could deliver him vaginally using the forceps because he was low enough. All of the sudden my room was full of nurses and the anesthesiologist returned to give me additional pain medicine because of the type of delivery. At this point I was determined to get him out, and fast. After a little while longer, Levi was delivered with the forceps and we were able to avoid a C-section! I asked that he be placed on my chest right after delivery, which he was, and I was able to hold his little body and see his face as soon as he was out. The first thing Justin said was, "He looks like me!" and when I held him, I agreed. His swollen little face looked just like Justin when he was a baby.

After the fact, Justin and I both felt that Levi's delivery had been a traumatic experience. The length of time spent pushing, the urgency of the doctor and nurses during delivery, and the fact that forceps were needed left both of us scared to go through the process again. Now, a month later, I feel better about the idea, but feel that, no matter how much you try to prepare for it, labor and delivery cannot be understood until you go through it. In the end, Justin and I have a beautiful, healthy, pudgy son, and while it really takes a toll on your body, having a kid is totally worth it!

Finally, I would like to add that I have had several people say negative things about delivering at a hospital, and even specifically at Hillcrest, because its not a birthing center. Even though I felt that Levi's delivery was traumatic, it was not at all because I was in a hospital or because I was at Hillcrest. I would recommend that hospital to anyone, and, because of how Levi ended up being delivered, I'm glad I had him where I did. The process would have probably been more upsetting if I had been somewhere else. All of the nurses and doctors were extremely friendly, helpful, and supportive, and would have remained so, I am convinced, if I had not had any pain medication. So if you're pregnant in Waco and trying to decide on a place for delivery, I highly recommend Hillcrest.