Crock pots and Hot cocoa

Its finally time, I love crock pot season and appropriate times to drink hot cocoa. I say appropriate because I could really drink hot cocoa year round. It is ridiculous, but its my Mormon coffee :) haha

But anyways I love crock pots...just throw everything in and with a snap of a finger, everything is ready! (haha give or take a few hours) but my point of this is I really cant stand long projects; sometimes even making food can feel like forever! Haha! So, that is why the crock pot is like my best friend!

So, since we found out we were pregnant and I wanted to do something nice looking for their room (I blame my sister-in-law for making it seem so easy! And she is always so good at this stuff, I wanted to give it a try) I so wish I could throw everything in like the crock pot and BAM it show up super nice and be done! I really cant put it, I am like my mom in this area...we like to get things done and get it done fast; if it takes more than a few hours my ADHD kicks in and I want to move on to something else, eventually forgetting about that project I started a week or less ago.

Not this time though! I am trying my very best to make this room look good and be done all the way (not half doing the job). So, here it is the room and all: (SIDE NOTE: I really owe inspiration to my sister-in-law for helping with ideas, answering all my questions, well....basically its helped in more ways than one...I would have given up before I even started. Haha!) ((But I couldn't leave out the fantastic husband I have who keeps me motivated to get things done and helps with the projects so it doesn't seem overwhelming!))

Like I said....everything would be easier if it was like a crock pot...just throw it in and be done with it all!

So this is what I have been up to with the room:


I got these letter blocks at Hobby Lobby, I figured they would be cheaper with one big letter for their name instead of spelling it out. Plus we weren't 100% sure on the boy name so it was a safe bet ;)


I used spray paint because it got the job done a ton quicker and it didn't bleed a lot. The M I had as a trial run and I had this tiny chevron stencil I had to keep moving so it made it a little difficult to make it not bleed.

I got smart and on the spots it kinda bled through I added the stars (Since that is the theme of the room) It made me a lot more calm on making it look better.

I spray painted so stars as well and decided to hang them from the letters. I was going to make a mobile but I figured it might be silly to make Marley a mobile since she is no longer a baby (sniff, sniff). So I used fishing wire to hang them up on the letter.

I got this dresser at DI, and since I didn't have a dresser for their room to put ALL their clothes in I was happy I finally found one and didn't care about the color really. I could easily fix it if needed. This was a little stressful because TJ was thinking we could strip it completely and stain it. I was worried about stripping it and sanding it down and basically it wouldn't be even. So I left this job to him (haha!). Well we went to Home Depot looking for some ideas and if it would even be smart to stain (smart wallet wise) and we found it would actually be easy to just paint it and sand a little bit of the dresser to help make the paint stick better. We had star swatches of the colors we wanted and they matched them exactly! It turned out being super easy to do and I took over that part of the project again.


I found also that painting to me is very therapeutic. I really enjoyed it. I got the dresser done all in one day while Marley took her naps. (Actually that is how I did all my project time, during nap time...it kept us both sane)

Here is the final product, so much better than the original DI version! It was SUPER easy to do and I now want to go around and paint everything! I spray painted the stars on so it wouldn't bleed from the paint.

These are the room before pictures. Sorry it looks weird. I used the panoramic picture thing. I took more to show what it looked like as before, in a non panoramic view.

So this was basically it when you walked into the room. Just this wall that was done and it wasn't even done. I used this shelf as Marley's clothing holder since we didn't have much. It made do but with two kids I was in no way going to shove two kids clothes in that tiny shelf space. Plus Marley is wanting to throw everything out from them. Pain in the butt so I knew clothes would be messier and drive me crazy!

 Here are the individual quotes. I am just missing a picture of Christ with a young boy to match the other side.

I had to make some rearrangements because Marley likes to touch and reach for everything. Her quote was one of them, so I had to move it up and move the picture some.

I made some pillows for the dresser (I'm not sure if you can see but the fabric is star fabric) I was wanting to make star shaped pillows but I just didn't have much luck. So to save more time and my mind I made square-ish pillows with star fabric! I think its a win win!

I moved this shelf to the wall (and away from Marley's bed since she likes to climb up it) and it is now a diaper and wipes holder. Also its a place we put Marley's shoes and socks so she can get them herself.

I also switched out the drapes to match the new theme (pink zebra didn't really do with it) And it is even awesome with the new drapes they kill a bunch of sunlight which is perfect when Marley is taking a nap in the afternoon (sun is shining in her room during the afternoon which makes it lighter in the room) BUT with the new drapes they really block out basically all sunlight and giving the perfect non-lighting for a nap!

I sanded down some pallet boards to make the main quote for the room to tie the theme together. I made individual quotes for the kids to go with a picture of Christ with a child. I had one for Marley and I loved the idea to make it so they can keep the quotes when they grow up and not just for a baby nursery.

I don't actually mind sanding now as a side note, since I have sanded so much! Though if its a big project and involves a real sander I might stay away...these smaller projects that aren't getting touched I don't mind. I don't want to be liable when it comes to splinters ;)










This is the final product of the pallet board, I decided to hang some extra stars I had on the board to tie the room even more together!

 Here is the main wall now! It is way more decorated!

 I made extra stars for each kid (pink and green) so I hung them from the ceiling to fill out the room more.

 Here is the little mans upper view of the stars and his side. (minus the picture of Christ)

 And Marley's side

 A better view of the main board.

I wanted to get a good shot of the boards and the dresser since they are matching (on purpose)

P.S. I decided to give each kid two drawers. The baby's clothes fit into the upper two and still have room. Marley's drawers are full to the rim and I have to use the closet dresser to put even more of her clothes away. This is crazy, she has more clothes than TJ and I combined!

 Here is the baby's side again. We are getting things all put together for when he arrives.

 Marley's side. I even made little drape hooks to pull them away without the hassle (I cant remember the actual names for it) But it is super easy to now let light in without pulling on the drapes!

 

Marley has a cute little vanity she can play with in the corner (and hopefully not pull everything down from the shelves!)















Another view of the dresser (I really am so pleased with it)

But wait! I took pictures of every angle of the room and Marley is no where to be found, and it is somewhat clean...so where can she be?

 She was kicked out and into the door way was the farthest she would venture off. (Why when I was having so much fun in her room?!) So she was making a mess of cardboard, as in it was ALL over the house in little Marley made pieces! Oh my , never a dull moment in the household! (Sorry for the no clothes, I gave her PB&J for lunch and it got all over her clothes so we had to strip her down before I let her play)

Well that is all for now! I will be putting another update up now that I am completely done (well mostly, still cooking up a baby to add to the room) but I have neglected the other updates because I have been so busy with this room. It was a lot of fun doing the room transformation, I am glad I actually went through with it and make their room really nice and not boring.

Until next time!

Summer rain

It has finally calmed down a bit for the day, we are not running around outside or going place to place to keep us entertained and away from the heat. It is simply a nice summer rainy day, and we are enjoying the nice little break.

Since our last post we have had such an eventful (?) summer-haha- so let me explain: this baby has been causing some pains and it has been difficult getting out and about all the time to play with my little Marley. So we always make due with the conditions we do have and also with the extreme heat and our severely pale skin (and overly sensitive due to a growing baby) we have tried really hard to avoid the heat when we can. So far it has been working-difficult, but working non the less-

I feel like July was just so crazy and surreal, we have a one year old, not only that but her personality has really shown through lately and it is so amazing watching her become the little lady she is!
We also found out that this baby is a boy! We are both pretty excited to be expanding our family and making Marley a big sister. She has been so amazing lately that I have NO worries (watch me eat my words when he gets here) that she will be a great big sister!

Something TJ and I have been discussing since Marley started walking, is when she should start helping with chores and picking up her toys. I was so hesitant because I didn't want to push her and make it a bad experience so we decided to wait until she was closer to a year and a half. Well, this was before we knew we were adding on a sibling so we thought maybe we could start a bit earlier. Even then her pediatrician recommended that it might be a bit early still but could give it a shot but not push too hard. Boy, did we really luck out because this girl LOVES to help us out! Her favorite "chore" is helping with the silverware when its in the dishwasher, I always try to let her do the silverware when the dishwasher is clean because she finds so much joy in it! She will pick up the silverware and then hand them to me to put in the drawer. She also has started picking up plates and glasses, something we don't want her helping too much with since they are still a bit heavy and oh yeah, breakable! Haha!

When Marley was younger I was able to vacuum with her in the living room and she would be sound asleep; but around 9 months she started really freaking out any time the vacuum would turn on, and I would always have to hold her. Now, it is a tad more difficult to hold her and vacuum and hold the cord as well so I was kind of desperate for a solution for her not to be afraid. So I had her help me push it around and she was so happy! She doesn't freak out anymore but gets excited when we pull the vacuum out so she can help me push it around. (she will push it around for a second and then applaud herself for helping by saying 'yay'. It really is darling)

I have been trying to spend those good days that I do have and take advantage of Marley and mom time. We have been so lucky to have such wide variety of options around and we take full advantage of it! When it has been too hot out we like to have a little ice cream and a play date. With the hot weather we have gone to the mall just to play in the play court! I know it is so silly to drive to the mall just to play inside, but she LOVES that place! She gets so excited and cant stop running around- which makes for a GREAT nap hour after we get home (for the both of us!)

I have had my concerns on adjusting Marley into having a sibling, and its been difficult because she is so little she doesn't really seem to phase her but lately she will see me with my hands on my belly when he kicks and she will run over and rub my belly for two seconds, then run away :) So I think it will all be just fine! She is so soft and gentle even with little puppies and dogs, so with a little baby brother I think it will work out great.

TJ is still super busy with work, and when he isn't at work he is just the best darn dad a little Marley could ask for! Often during the day she is so curious and asks a billion questions ("whats that" and "where'd it go?" but of course in her little voice, though very clear on what she is saying) recently she has started saying "where'd DAD go?" and pick up my phone wanting to call him. It is just so precious to watch their relationship, and her love for him. They are such a great pair and we cannot wait for little brother to get here to have more fun!

Like I said above, Marley has such the personality; she still is SUPER active and doesn't stop moving until she is asleep but loves to come surprise you with snuggles and loves every now and then. It might be hard to figure out when she is showing a moment of love but she will confirm it by saying 'ahhhhh' (like isn't this sweet? haha she is so funny!) She is not big on watching t.v. (I'm okay with) but LOVES music, and will even start to dance to her own little music. Marley would rather listen to music and run around than watch an animated show, though she does like documentaries (she is so much like TJ).

Marley Milestones: laying down, haha! This is a huge thing for us because it gives us a second to catch our breaths and she will randomly lay down for 10-15 seconds and then back up again! Still loves books and flipping through the pages, she likes it when I let her do that and will pay a little more attention when I allow her to flip through the pages when we are reading. She is a climbing machine, everything is a jungle and will climb all over the couches and climbing in the bath tub all the time! She isn't too big on giving kisses anymore but will blow you a kiss multiple times a day, and she finds that silly and sweet so it makes them that more special. She also loves giving high fives and knuckles and is now waving more to random people! Haha!

She now has four teeth on top and still her two on the bottom but that doesn't stop her from eating anything! She is such a Carney and loves lots of food, we do have a little picky person on some foods but she does pretty good for the most part.

Until next time!

This isn't the best picture but, this is how we found out we were having a BOY!

We had the doctor write the gender on a slip and went to get some balloons, it was a very nice surprise for all of us!