On Friday Emil got back from his North Dakota trip! He had left very early Tuesday morning, after all of his Monday flights had been delayed and then canceled... And was gone through till Friday night. This was his first work trip of the year, and its nice to have it behind us! Traveling is a part of Emil's job, and he is having fun experiencing new things and growing in his abilities! It has also pushed us as a couple, and I think brought us closer together! Of course we both hate being separated, however we have learned even more the importance of communication and love, even when we aren't together. I will normally fill the week with project plans and getting together with family and friends. When Emil was in Russia last spring I painted and decorated the living room and tore wall paper from the bathroom walls and then painted the bathroom. When he was in South Africa over the summer I painted and decorated our bedroom and Master bathroom. This time I didn't have a painting project... But I did have curtain projects! I wanted to make a set for the living room and the baby's nursery upstairs. Also, somehow having a toddler now is a tad more time consuming then just caring for a baby. Liam and I both stayed busy and had fun as we tried to help the days pass quickly. =)
Tuesday Liam and I had the day to ourselves. We went shopping to Menards, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart that morning to pick up some of the remaining supplies that I needed for my curtain projects. We found some really cute pink fabric with white polka dots on it for the baby's room. And for the living room I wanted to try drop cloth curtains. The DIY tutorial that I found on pinterest was a no sew one... but I'm not a fan of unfinished seams, hidden or not. So I got the drop cloth from Menards for fairly inexpensive and cute two panels. The drop cloth comes hemmed, which was nice because I only had to hem the one side that I cut and then the bottom. I used 2 packages of 9'x5' drop cloth that Menards sold for $9.something per package. I purchased the curtain rod there as well, which was $20. Unfortunately the first curtain rod that I purchase was only 84" long... and I needed 86"... so it got returned and I purchased the next size up. I bought some burlap and lace ribbon from Hobby Lobby to decorate the inside sides of the curtains with, and that ended up being $9.something as well. And then with the curtain hooks that I also purchased at Menards, I estimated the living room curtains costing about $55. A pretty good deal since a lot of curtains I saw online were close to $50 per panel. Cost could have been cut if we went with a DIY curtain rod or a very cheap version, as well as if I had not used the burlap lace on the sides. But I am *very* happy with the turn out! And I had enough extra drop cloth fabric to make us some new pillows for the couch!
I did a basic envelope pillow case for the 2 pillow forms that I had. Then I cut out with my cricut machine and some iron on vinyl a quote for the pillow. I had previously done sharpie quotes on the pillow cases, but they seemed to wear out fairly quickly. I'm hoping the iron on vinyl lasts a lot longer! Plus it looks so pretty! Unfortunately I only had enough vinyl left for 1 quote. I'll have the other pillow made up when I get some more vinyl.
Here is a black and white that I took on my ipad the night Emil was coming home. I'll have to get a better one up later.
Of course, there was one day that was particularly difficult... Wednesday started out just groggy and slow for Liam and I, and after realizing that all my jeans had been spilled on and were dirty I figured I had to do laundry. Not my favorite past time. So I put my yoga pants on and after putting Liam down for his morning nap (he had been so cranky that morning) I grabbed the laundry basket, sticking my phone on the top so that I would have an extra hand to carry a few other things downstairs. May I remind you that I was wearing yoga pants and did not have pockets... because all of my jeans were dirty... Anyways, I forgot my phone was in the laundry basket and just threw everything in and got it started. Not realizing my mistake for at least 10 minutes. Oh I was not happy. There was a tear filled skype call with Emil that followed, then my sister, who had come to spend the day with me, helped me make some chocolate chip cookies. Things began to look better... I was able to borrow a phone from my family so that Emil and I could still stay in contact and I wasn't without a phone while he was gone. And then my sweet sweet husband sent me a bouquet of yellow flower. My favorite! 
Thanks, Sara, for helping me make some delicious cookies!!
One of the first questions Emil asked me when we skyped about my phone was if I had had my coffee yet... I hadn't because I had been to busy running around to remember to drink it. So I warmed it up in the microwave and made sure to take a few minutes to drink it and focus that life moves on.
Due to the fact that Emil was gone, I didn't feel like I had to clean up my craft station every night! It was nice to just leave it out (protected from my curious toddler) and work on my curtains during the evenings as I waited for my husband to call me. =)
On Thursday I hung up all the curtains that I had been working on sewing, and then in the afternoon Liam and I headed to Mom and Dad Bandy's house for the afternoon and evening. The time was filled with wedding talk as my sister-in-law plans her wedding, as well as playing with Liam and the big tub of Duplos that Daddy' and Uncle Ashton and Aunt Grace used to play with. =)
I didn't take pictures as I sewed up Baby Munchkin's curtains. But they were pretty simple. I bought 5 yards of the pink and white polka dotted fabric, cut the 5 yards in half so that I had 2 panels 2.5 yards long. Hemmed all sides, making the top hem thick enough to fit around a curtain rod. And hung them up! We had the curtain rod purchased already, so it was just $30 for the fabric. I'll probably find something cute to tie them back with... I haven't decided if I like them hanging straight or if I'd prefer them tied back yet... We will be getting blinds for her windows here sometime in the next few weeks, so I wasn't worried about about the fabric being too thin. I chose one of Hobby Lobby's apparel cottons that happened to be 30% off that week. The sheep skin rug was $6... no, its not real... I found the fabric at Walmart and got half a yard... It kind of makes me giggle with happiness every time I see it.
This morning was a nice Monday morning. Liam was such a little ham and played contendedly until his nap time. After nap time we went to the grocery store and got back in time for lunch. After lunch we made granola and we exercised.
I got my week 24 baby bump picture taken that morning while Liam was sleeping. Baby munckin is 11.5 inches long and weighs about 1.3 lbs! She is gaining about 6 oz. per week now as she packs on the baby fat. Her face is fully formed and her hearing is becoming even more defined.
We cannot wait to welcome her into the world in just 16 weeks!
2 weeks ago I tried out a granola recipe that I saw come across my pinterest feed. I was very interested as Emil and I love granola... but it can be so expensive and/or full of sugar. Now, Emil and I love normal, sugar filled cereal just as much as the next person. In fact I think we have some fruit loops in the pantry from when I was down with morning sickness.... Cereal is such a nice option to have on those mornings you aren't motivated to make anything and just want something easy and simple. But those yummy cereals don't really provide us with the energy and protein to attack the day! So I'd been thinking about making my own granola for a little while, and decided that now was as good of time as any! I made just one batch, which consisted of just 4 cups of oats. I wanted it sugar free, so I substituted the sugar for truvia. Today I made a double batch and oh did it smell good baking in the oven! =) Here is a link to the recipe if you're interested in whats all in it! http://mygluten-freekitchen.com/vanilla-almond-granola/ I added dried cranberries and instead of almonds, I added some chopped pecans.
It tasted oh so yummy!
Liam was being awefully quiet... so I went into the play room to peak at him. He was sitting oh so proud on the couch with his tupperware container and his book. =)
My sweet pea.
No comments:
Post a Comment