kitchen transformations

Our rental house is old.  To make it sound more charming, I like to tell the story of how it was a Sears kit house that the original owner bought and had built on his property.  He made some additions, and while I would've picked a second bathroom over a huge kitchen, nobody asked me.  So that's a nice little story, and it's plopped in the middle of five acres, which is kind of what made us fall for the place, despite some of its flaws.  Anyway, one of the home's charms is a farmhouse sink.  These are all over Pinterest and people seem to have a real thing for skirted sinks.  I might have thought I had a thing for them too, until I lived with one, and now I'm content to have cabinets under the sink.  But it kind of fits the vibe of the kitchen (old-timey).  

When we first moved in, there were red curtains under the sink:

But I was having a hard time working the red in with the yellow walls and blue backsplash (sigh), so I took on my first-ever sewing project to create this:

Lemon-yellow curtains.  With one upside-down panel and perhaps hemmed a few inches too short.  Ta-da!  Despite my original feelings of pride over my first sewing experience, I ditched the green rugs and found a big yellow and brown one, and the decided I didn't love the lemons anymore.  Actually I had picked up some fabric for a different project and wondered if that might be a nice change under the sink. I hung it up for an afternoon to see if I liked it.  

I had no idea that someone ELSE had an opinion about it!  I heard a bit of a scuffle and a growl in the kitchen, and came in to see Moose hilariously interacting with the big piece of fabric.  I didn't think dogs cared about that kind of thing, but apparently Moose is a breed apart.

Oh, Moosey.  What would we do without you?

So, I liked the change so I made some new curtains for under the sink.  

Hooray.  

They also go with THESE new guys, another summer project:

Ice cream parlor stools!

I don't think that's the actual name of these guys, but that's what they remind me of.  My mom bought them for me at a garage sale when she was visiting.  The owner said her parents had purchased them in the fifties as part of a table set.  They looked pretty lame when we got them:

Except you have to picture the seat as cracked in half.  And everything all cobwebby. 

Matt dismantled them for me and I sprayed them down with the red we had leftover from last year's porch furniture.  Matt also had to use a jigsaw and cut a new seat for me.  Thanks, dear!

I purchased the thickest foam I could find from JoAnn's and cut it to size before covering with the same fabric I used for the curtains.  

It looks cute on the stools but I think it's too matchy-matchy.  Oh, well.

They were originally supposed to go on the side, where the lip is bigger, but I think they're too big.  

I do like a summer project. :) 

sunday morning likes

I like that our church has a summer schedule of one morning service and one evening service.  We've been going to church at 6 PM all summer.  I  love our long Sunday mornings, the relaxed atmosphere of the sanctuary in the early evening, the sermon series on Judges that our associate pastor is leading us through, and the occasional late trip for ice cream before the rush of the week takes over.  Right now this means that we're snug inside listening to the rain watering the garden so I don't have to.  Bo's taking nap number one . . . and since I haven't heard anything from him, I assume we've beat the 45 minute mark on this one.  Like!

I saw The Help last night with a couple friends.  LIKE the movie, and the fact I was out on my own, knowing that Matt and Bo were having sweet time together at home, just made me happier with the situation.  My first girls' night did include poop on my shirt . . . but that was because of a dinner incident that included no changing tables at the restaurant and a little wardrobe change for Bo in the car.  (Mental note to fill up the wipe container . . . I tackled that whole mess with just 2 wipes.  TMI? Sorry.)  But that was all ok because we had our first successful dinner out with friends.  Normally Bo is in meltdown mode around dinnertime but he was great last night!  I'm glad we risked it and left the house.  It's nice to be with friends.

We've had perfect weather the last three days.  This is what NY SHOULD be like!  I've been outside as much as possible . . . reading and snacking on a bowl of cherries, and less glamorous activities such as weeding the patio.  I hate those pesky plants that start peeking up through the pavers . . .  but I love being outside and not sweating!  

My weeding buddy

Bo's become fascinated with his feet.  It's really cute.  He's started rolling in the other direction now . . . which means I've got to be more vigilant on the changing table.  It also means Bo is getting into some funny little predicaments.  

Not sure how this happened . . . 

Lately Moose has been showing more interest in the baby.  I've found him lying next to (or on) Bo's blanket a few times this week.  

Or just on the baby.

I like that they're buddies, and that Bo seems entertained by Moose's presence, and not scared of his loud barks.  

Just being thankful on this Sunday.  I spend a lot of my time scurrying around trying to fix this or clean that.  Today I just want to enjoy our downtime and not think about the patio cushions I left in the rain.  They'll dry out in a couple days.  It's all good.  

snacks and more

When looking through my phone, I found a few photos of food that apparently I found noteworthy enough to take pictures of.  So, here they are.  

Please don't think me strange, but I think I had this for lunch for a week straight:

 PB&J yogurt

Umm, that's weird, isn't it?  I don't think Matt even knows that, he's going to be grossed out.  :)  I used to make a tasty protein-filled snack of greek yogurt, peanut butter, and honey.  Yum!  And sometimes I'd do yogurt and blackberries or strawberries, with a spoonful of jam to sweeten it.  Out of this was born the greek yogurt + peanut butter + jam.  Somehow the consistency gets all light and whipped like one of those Yoplait whips.  Don't knock it till you've tried it, is what I'm saying.

My other food venture of late has been in the organic/homegrown department.  We joined a CSA again this year and split a box of fresh organic veggies with a friend every week.  I like the program because we support a local farm and it pushes us to eat more vegetables, and try new ones (kholrabi? purslane?).  And organic is a nice plus!  We have a small vegetable garden as well.  Granted, the random pumpkin/squash that sprung up in the middle of the yard looks healthier than anything we actually planted and water, but it is so fun to go out in the morning and see what is ripe for the picking.  Our tomatoes are looking great- I love looking out and seeing spots of red signaling I need to come pick them!  Our cucumber was doing well but now is not . . . the zucchini gave up the ghost after one squash . . . but we've enjoyed several types of pepper and my rows of onions have yielded some small little guys.

Of course tomatoes + onions + jalepeno + my new birthday Ninja ( + cilantro and lemon from the store) = homemade salsa.

I'll tell you what, I got such a good feeling from picking the veggies in the morning and turning them into salsa for lunch!  We're practically self-sufficient.  (If we can figure out how to live on one bowl of salsa a week.)

Random - our tree . . .

And while we're being random, here's the breakfast in bed Matt made me for my birthday:

For not liking eggs, he sure makes a mean omelette.  Also, it was breakfast in bed with the WHOLE family. Moosey too.  Watching me eat and licking his chomps.

While we're on the birthday topic . . . a little story . . . A month ago we took a picture of Bo riding Moosey.  Last week Matt's brother Adam had his cousin edit out the arm holding him in place to create this wonderful photo:

How can you not look at that and laugh?  It's so funny to me!

You know what else is funny?  Matt had the image immortalized in a chunk of glass.  Crystal, he says.  

A 3D image of my boys.  Captured forever.

Funny, I know.  

AND, Matt really hit a home run here with my other gift. 

Actually, we got to go out to dinner last weekend, which was a surprise, and he organized a Bo sitter and everything, which was ALL I wanted for my birthday and was a perfect treat.  Thank you, honey.

But ALSO . . . 

He got me an old typewriter.

Which I have always (unexplainably) wanted.  

True!!

I don't know why I've always wanted one, but seriously, since like high school.  So.  I was PRETTY excited about it.  And it works!!  What a great birthday.  

16 weeks (and a milestone)

We've been doing this for sixteen weeks and he's still afraid of the big camera.  No smiles.  

Monkey overalls (from Matt's Aunt Diane) and monkey blanket.  Is that too much?

What about the matching hat?  Is that too much? 

I think not. :)

Yesterday was pretty exciting in Bo's world.  Besides wishing Mommy a happy birthday multiple times  through mental telepathy, he pushed himself physically to reach a new goal.    

Mom and Dad are a bit excited, huh?  He'd rolled from back to tummy once a couple weeks ago, but I think it was an accident (and it made him really mad).  This was three in a row, so it seems more legit.  Great job, Bo bear!   

Baby Bo

I feel like once I've finally figured things out around here in baby world, everything suddenly changes.  Bo had been slowly stretching his night sleep and slept ten hours straight for six nights in a row.  That was a great time in my life, and I went to bed at night crowing with joy about the uninterrupted sleep I was about to get.  Until, on the seventh day, Bo woke up at 11:30.  AND 3:45.  And proceeded to wake up twice a night for the next week.  I was in shock.  My mind could not compute what was happening to me in the middle of the night as I stumbled over baby toys in an effort to find the baby and make the crying stop.   At 4:30 in the morning, this is a very traumatic moment. 

What?  Me, trouble?

 While I fed him, I searched the internet for ways to end this vicious cycle.  I finally read that waking up at random times (which he was doing) probably indicated a growth spurt, and in the morning I'd repeat my mantra, "it's a growth spurt, it's a growth spurt, it's a growth spurt."  But at night, I became convinced that he was getting into a habitual routine and seeking my company in the middle of the night and IT WOULD NEVER STOP.  And then, unable to fall asleep, tossed and turned until it was time to get up.  At 6 am.  Because this was VBS week and I had to remind 14 kindergartners to sit still 18million times a day.  I got really really tired after a few days of that routine. Somehow my body forgot that I'd been getting up in the night for three months.  It just seemed so much worse after a week of sleeping till morning.

a boy's just gotta eat.

So, after positive self-talk and really trying to relax about the whole getting up in the night thing, it did get a little easier again.  Last night Matt and I went out to dinner and our friends watched Bo.  They put him down at 8:30 . . . and he slept ten hours again!  I'm trying not to get my hopes up for tonight.  Maybe I can get my friend Meghan to come back and work her magic . . . 

So that covers my worry about Bo's night sleep, and then there's worrying about Bo's day sleep.  I started reading "The Baby Whisperer Solves Everything," even though at the time I didn't really have any problems to solve . . . until her charts and formulas indicated that Bo should be sleeping and hour and half for each nap.  Bo only slept about 45 minutes for most naps . . . and an hour and half sounded magical.  I set out to achieve these long naps.  At first it was just frustrating, but one day I finally succeeded in getting Bo to go back to sleep after the 45 minute intruder woke him up.  Seriously, I feel so powerful when I get him to sleep for another hour, or he falls asleep by himself in his crib without a fuss.  Maybe it was the Baby Whisperer's tips and my perseverance, or maybe he just got big enough to accomplish these goals, but we're having much better nap times now.  Translation - Mommy has more time to think of crazy projects.

This week while I taught Kindergarten at VBS, Bo was in the nursery.  He was the only baby, the rest of the kids were 2-4 years old, so he got a lot of attention.  My friend told me she heard her 2-year-old calling her baby doll "Baby Bo" and putting him to bed with a blankey.  I tried to be an easy mom when I dropped him off. . . I explained his routine but ended with, "But I just want this to be a good experience for you, so do what you need to do."  However, turns out I didn't really mean that . . . I really meant, "Please refer to the typed list of instructions I left in his diaper bag."  Yikes, yes, it's true, I typed out some helpful tips.  I like to think I'm fairly flexible with him . . . but in reality, he sticks to his routine and I've found that following that actually brings us more freedom and I can better understand what he needs.  After a couple days in the nursery we all got the hang of it and it turned out to be a positive experience for everybody.

I think he's pretty sweet.  I love his new tricks, how he's found his feet and rolled over (once).  I love reading books with him before he falls asleep.  Yesterday Matt and I crept into his room and watched him talking to the lion in his crib when he woke up.  They're pals.  I think I'm settling into this mom thing.  

 

back in oklahoma

Here are some belated pictures from our time in OK.  I've been a little busy with VBS and Bo-watching, but I like these pictures of Bo with my family!

Mr. Bo is quite the traveler now.  Traveling with baby is much easier with another adult (which is how I've done most of the flights) but not too bad alone (I flew back to Long Island by myself with him.  It went ok!).  Bo is a pro at pooping when the 'fasten seat belt' light is on, but not once did a flight attendant tell me to sit down.  The sight of a diaper and wipes sent them scurrying for a garbage bag . . . and once even prepping the changing table for me.  Do not love taking care of baby business in those tiny (gross) restrooms, but it must be done!

 (zonked on the way to OK)

A four-hour layover in Denver gave me the opportunity to see my sweet friend Amy Jo and meet her husband for the first time, since a certain life-changing even prevented me from going to their wedding in April.  Jon escorted us straight to Bass Pro Shop, the perfect spot for us to giggle and chat about girly things.  

Bo spent some time with our dog, Tucker!

He learned to share.

He learned to ride bareback.

Riding in the stroller for the first time sans car seat.

 (melting in the oppressive heat!)

My mom borrowed a bunch of baby stuff from people and this Baby Bjorn chair was a winner.  It was perfect for Bo right now.  He tore it up on those wooden toys.   

Coco thinks of everything.

We stopped by to visit the family I used to babysit for . . . I used to put these kids in zippy footy pajamas and now they are huge.  :(  But so sweet to see them rocking Bo in the same chair I would rock baby Sarah in!

babybobooty

Edmond had something around 30 straight days of 100+ temps . . .

. . . leading to naked Bo in his car seat. 

Monogramming. 

Bo's first successful trip to the pool!

He's been to the pool before but he normally doesn't like the cold water.  107*F = warm water.

 

With Aunt Elyse...

And Coco and GG.