Craigslist Finds

This is an old post . . . I know, but I'm linking it to Finding Fabulous' Frugalicious Friday. I hope you'll look at some of my more recent "stuff."

My husband comes home frequently and tells me that the whole economy is going to fail - banks are going to fail- the FDIC is going to fail and we have better be careful. It doesn't seem the right time to tell him how I'm dying to get out of the house and go shopping. To please my hubby and myself, I've been looking on Craigslist. When I see something I like, I've offered a totally low price, and the last couple of weeks - it has worked. I haven't paid more than 25% of their asking price on any of the following items

The first is new chairs for our kitchen table. We have a hand-me-down table, that my husband sanded and primed. We got some unfinished chairs from Lowes at the time, but apparently they don't carry them anymore. We only bought 4 chairs, but now we have 5 people in our family. I could buy a new table and chairs, but that wouldn't go well with Tom. Chairs, individually are kind of pricey, so I looked on Craigslist. I figured if I could get them to not look like they were trying to match, it might actually work. I just planned on painting them black, if I needed to. I found these Restoration Hardware chairs and bought 2. I paid $30 for both! The stain is actually super close to the color of the table, so I don't even have to paint them. Yeah.

Every Sunday (because that is the only day, I actually really get dressed up) I stand on my bathtub and try to look at my shoes in the bathroom vanity mirror. I started looking for a big mirror, and I found this Crate and Barrel one. I paid $20 for it. Please excuse the mess on the floor - that is my reality. Weird to look at this now that I've painted this room and done a lot with it. Still love the mirror.Lastly, I saw this coffee table on This Young House and knew that it would work perfectly for our home. It's pretty awesome, so I've been on the search forever. I finally found one, but really had to bargain to get it a price I wanted. Each email I sent out, I was sure he would be offended and say no deal - but after 12 emails, this Crate and Barrel baby was mine! I was doubting what I was doing as we were driving home and I envisioned it filled with little fingerprints, but it's in a room we hardly use. It's worth it, right?Ohhh. . it looks so clean - currently I have it accessorized and still love it!
Those are some finds from last year - I've just gotten some incredible deals in the last month but I'm sprucing them up a little bit! Thanks for stopping by.

Hoop-La

One of my best friends just began a blog to sell her earrings. They are a big hit here, and I see them everywhere. Thought you might want to check it out - Hoop-La.

Grateful Sunday

Today, I am grateful that this week is over! With 4 out of the 5 people in our family getting the flu (including me), 3 costumes to sew, fall break, our baby's birthday and all the proper celebrating that goes with that (I. informed me that I always make birthday banners and shirts with the birthday child's new age on it for every birthday and hadn't done that yet), and our church's Trunk or Treat that I was in charge of with an expected attendance of 400 people - I was a little stressed! Right now, I'm parked on the couch, laptop on my lap, HGTV on the TV and I am pretty content.

Sending birthday wishes:

What a Year!

Warning: This post has tons of pictures and is very wordy. You've been warned!

At the hospital: Nine lbs. 8 oz. A shock, yet the easiest labor by far!

One Month

Three Months - super smiley
this is right when the skin on her face was a mess. We tried going to an urgent care and then our pediatrician, but nothing could clear it up. At this point, it was so bad if she touched her cheek it would bleed. Break my heart!

I finally suggested it might be an allergy. I grew up with severe allergies. I was assured by the doctor that she was way too young. I pushed to have her tested. It meant taking her to the Children's Hospital and having them take two vials of blood from her. I couldn't handle it - the nurses were chiding me telling me she was too young to have this test. I had to go out the waiting room and ponder if I was even doing the right thing. I was really an emotional wreck. I called my sister, crying wondering what in the world was going on. A few days later, we found out about her allergies. The doctor told me anything above a 0.3 something or other meant she had an allergy. Her tests were reading in the 30s for eggs, the teens for wheat and I can't remember about the peanuts anymore. Her results were incredibly high for someone of her age. Her egg allergy is so severe, if she were to touch eggs - it could be fatal! I immediately went off these because I was nursing and we watched her skin start getting better. I haven't even cheated once. I have often felt a need to call the nurses at the Children's Hospital and scold them for scolding me! What if I hadn't done the test, and we just thought she had a rash, and she had grabbed some of the scrambled eggs that I cooked often for our family! Shame on them for making me doubt myself!

Five Months - She still has big brown spots on her back, tummy, and even up in her scalp. Even though we've cleared up the rashes, the spots won't go away. Now, our pediatrician recommends us to visit a pediatric dermatologist. We're informed that she has some name that I can never pronounced, but it means brown hives. They are masses of histamines on her back that will last her for at least 2 years. We're shocked, she seems so happy. She has never slept through the night and the doctor guesses that maybe she is just too itchy. During the day, I can distract her from it, but not at night. My poor poor girl. This is something different from the allergies and the eczema. Now the creams and lotions come out. We have about 4 that need to go on her a night. We have no perfumes or dyes in our laundry detergent, soap, lotion, etc.
Six months - I keep thinking that with all this, she should be a very difficult baby. But, she is so happy! She smiles so easily. I was told that these allergies and skin conditions are genetic. I know they come directly from me, which although I understand it is not my fault, still causes me grief. I think I understand her better than anyone, and we become BFFs. She is pretty content to just hang out on my lap and always be near her mommy.
Seven months - I feel like things are running pretty smoothly and I am back in the game. We went camping, we had my in-laws come and went to Grandma's Camp with my mom. And she charms everyone through it all.

So, now we're gluten-free and egg-free. As she has begun solids, I am so grateful that we found out so early. I had a chance to figure things out for my diet, and now can help her. She loves smoothies, and we have one almost every day for breakfast.

Look at the tummy, she doesn't seem to be starving!

Today, she turns one. This means a whole new slew of testing. She has to see the allergist and have all her environmental allergies tested. You know, dust, pet dander, mold, etc. Her test are very difficult. They usually perform the scratch test on backs, but because of her hives, it is virtually impossible. She has to be tested on her forearms. After the scratch, she has to not move them at all for 15 mintues, which seems impossible for a one year old to not move at all. I don't know how we are going to do it and I'm already getting anxiety over it. We have to see the Dermatologist to get a biopsy of one of her hives, which looks like it is coming to a head. And, oh I forgot, her left kidney was enlarged at birth, and we have to get an ultrasound to see if it is still large. If it is, she has to have a floroscopy to see if things are flowing the way they are supposed to. I think that's all the appointments so far.

It has been a super quick, yet tiring year. The thing that most surprises me is the countless times I've been told that others could never have a diet that I do - like I'm some kind of hero. I guess it surprises me because I think any mother would do it. If you were told that the health and welfare of your child depends on whether or not you eat a cookie, it seems sort of a no-brainer. You just don't cheat and I don't even want to. She'll be weaned soon, she hardly nurses anymore. Truthfully, I'm not super excited to start eating "normally." I'm scared. Now that my baby is eating, the food goes directly through her system (instead of through me to her). I notice that I am stricter. We are all eating her diet, instead of just her and me. The whole family pitches in. My little boy asks "is this gluten-free?" so he knows if it is OK to be around M. while he is eating and I. assures me in her pretend restaurant that all the food has no flour, no eggs and is safe for everyone. I'm scared of her getting independent so young, of strangers offering her food, trying to be nice that she can't have. I get scared every time I leave her that she'll get something she's not supposed to have and have reactions while I'm not there.

So, that's what I've been through with my baby in the past year, briefly. I didn't get a chance to mention how she melts my heart and she has her daddy wrapped around her finger.

Happy Birthday Sweet One!

How Cute Is This?

I've been sewing up a storm and thought I'd share a sneak peek!

Both my girls are going as witches. Now to figure out what a Jedi looks like!

Grateful Sunday

Where has the time gone? I am thankful for:

• I found my camera!! Some random shots we found on it:


• Pretty much perfect visitors - we stayed up way too late and have some sleep to make up for it, but oh, so worth it.


• A fellow crafter has joined the family. I now have a "partner in crime" for family events!


• Fall break this week - I've got to get crackin on some costumes.


• Fall colors, I can't get over how gorgeous they are.


• Some real progress on the never-ending project of the backyard (gotta love the bums).


• I think I'll be able to open my etsy shop this week - cross your fingers!

Quilt Giveaway

Do you feel lucky? You can enter to win this quilt by Pigtails and Snails. I can't believe she is giving it away! I almost don't want to tell you about it because brown would go so well in my home!!

Pumpkin Carols

Ahh - still haven't found my camera, I let G. take pictures with it, so it might turn up in the train box or something.


Anywho, in our nightly routine, we always sing songs to our kids. This year, I busted out some Halloween songs that I had collected while I was teaching school. As corny as they are, my kids are really getting a kick out of them. Usually we only sing one song - two if they are lucky. Now we're singing 6-7 songs because we're all having such fun. Here's a little example:

O Haunted House,
O Haunted House --
You're old and very scary.
O Haunted House,
O Haunted House--
You give me a night-marey-y.
Your wooden staircase
groans and creaks.
Your doors have lots
of eerie squeaks.
O Haunted House,
O Haunted House--
The mansion stands so proudly.

Lest I leave with a boring picture-less blogs, here are some of the crafts I might try with my sister in laws here:

from designmom.com

from pinkandpolkadot.blogspot.com

from susieharris.blogspot.com

There are tons of ideas out there - these are some quick favorites.

If I Could Find My Camera. . .

• I would show you pictures of my cute nephew and how beautiful my sister is with him.
• I would show you pictures of my best friends that I miss dearly and did not spend nearly enough time with them.
• I could show you the stack of orange and black tulle, satin, etc. that is just waiting to be sewed up.
• I could post some of our holiday decor
• I would show you the "before" shots of the lampshade or the little bench I'm working on.
• I wouldn't have to end with this clip that I've been laughing about since my sister showed me and I can't get the song out of my head: http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/the-lawrence-welk-show/727501/
• I wouldn't have to start the past 7 bullets with "I."

Glad to be back home - I missed my kids and need to get ready for relatives this week - yippee!

Simple Entertaining

How gorgeous is this book?

It's written by Matthew Mead, who apparently knows his stuff.Look at this - don't you want to be there?His website is here or you can buy the book at bookstores across the US and Canada.

Love this

When I come down my stairs, I see this:

and it makes me smile.

Grateful Sunday

Today I am extremely grateful for my faith and testimony and the strengthening that occured this weekend. I'm thankful for the peace I feel despite the state of our country and what the future might hold. I'm thankful for my spouse and his goodness - he just has a pure heart. I'm thankful that I'll be on a plane to see my sister and best friends in just a couple of days.

Now That You've Got Those Pics Framed. . .

Not all pictures are formal, yet sometimes being framed and hung up nice and straight makes it seem so. The desk I have in my kitchen has two such frames. I keep my children's work in them. Little I. pumps out about 10 pictures a day, so I let her frame her favorites. She came home from school yesterday with a poem she felt like writing in her writer's journal and her teacher loved it so much she typed it up and printed it out for her. I. knew right away she wanted to put it in the frame.

Anyways, these frames are far from formal, and I was on the look out, as I ALWAYS am. I saw this (it's there somewhere, I just can't find the exact post at the moment) and knew that was the solution:

You can choose ANY cabinet knob, a double threaded screw (or whatever it's called) and ribbon. The picture below is sideways, oh well. You just screw the know into the wall. I hot glued ribbon on the back.

I like the look, a lot. I'm planning on getting glass looking knobs for the girls room and I've found different other rooms that can use this (we have a lot of pictures on our wall).

PS - to answer questions about the last post: I got the mat cutter at Aaron Brothers about 7 years ago. You can buy the mat board at most craft shops that do framing. I think it comes about 30"x36", but don't quote me on that. I used to think that Aaron Brothers had the best selection, still think that, but I was at Hobby Lobby and they had their mat board half off, so it was about $4 a sheet - you can't beat that! I'm stocking up. I keep the mat board in a box that Aaron Brothers gave me. I use an exacto knife (is that what it's called) to cut the outline, the mat cutter to cut the frame hole. I think that is it.

PPS - I don't mean to brag, but isn't that poem awesome?! I've asked her if she just filled in blanks, or heard the poem somewhere and just tweaked it. Nope, the entire poem came from her head. Where's my mom when I need her - she would gush just like I am right now.