Simply Parkers

Personalized Melissa & Doug Wooden ABC Magnets

2013-03-26T16:12:00.001-07:00

We have been in full get-ready-for-baby #2 mode for last few months. This has mostly included converting our guestroom/office/craft room into a "big boy" room for Little J (and subsequently trying to find a new home for all the contents of that room) so we can free up the nursery for the new baby. Since it has been a HUGE undertaking that has consisted of so many mini-projects, I thought I'd finally share one of those mini-projects today: Personalized Melissa & Doug Wooden ABC Magnets.

In our home we are big time Oregon State University fans (the hubby and I are alumni, he was an athlete there, so were his cousins...our love for the school and the athletics runs deep). Since "OSU Beavers" was already the theme we had going on in the guestroom/office/craft room (read: lots of orange & black), we decided to embrace it as we transformed it into Little J's "big boy" room, but it was very important to me to make at least a few toddler-friendly additions/changes along the way. That's where this project comes in.

Here is a sneak peek of the room! We made a trip to Ikea to buy a number of things for overhaul including the new PUGG wall clock (with very large numbers so we can eventually say, "Stay in your room until the little hand is on the '8' please"), the RIBBA picture ledges (how amazing is it that Ikea now offers these ledges?? They're just a smaller scale of the ledges we DIY'd for our master bedroom not that long ago), and finally, the SPONTAN magnet board. I definitely thought about DIY-ing something like the chalkboard I made, only with the addition of magnetic paint, or even painting something directly on the wall...but the convenience of something pre-made won out. I also wanted the option to move the board to another area (rather than painting something directly on the wall) in case this specific part of the room becomes the perfect place for a play kitchen or something like that :)

The Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Alphabet was a Christmas present, but since we already have a set of magnet letters (like these) downstairs on the fridge, I thought this would be the perfect addition to Little J's "big boy" room. The letters come in red, blue, green and yellow which would have been fine...but, I'm all about color-coordinating :) We already had most of the spray paint on hand, just had to pick up a can of the orange (since we needed it for another project in the room anyway). It just took a couple light coats (don't worry, I painted outside, with a mask on) and 48 hours later, voilà! Fun, functional room decor! I don't know how the paint will hold up over lots of play, but since we waited the full 48 hours to cure, I'm hopeful that it will be a long time.

Can't wait to share the rest of the room and the other mini-projects with you!

PS - I'm linking up this post at House of Hepworths , The Shabby Nest, Liz Marie, and Tater Tots & Jello

Baby Registry Essentials: Gear

2013-03-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

MONTHS ago, before I realized I was pregnant with #2, I must have had baby on the brain and started a little series of baby registry posts (here and here). So now that my due date is only weeks away and I'm taking inventory of what we will need in the coming months, I thought I'd continue that series with a post about some of my favorite baby gear!

(from middle clockwise)

Essential #1: BOB Revolution Stroller

If you're only going to buy one stroller, this is the one! I can't tell you how great this thing is. It's so easy to push and maneuver, I get annoyed pushing any other stroller. It's great for jogging too. It's been with us through at least one 5K...and on many, many walks and outings. This past weekend we went to the zoo and basically used it just to haul our stuff around...it's perfect for pushing through crowds since it turns on a dime. It is spendy. It's one of those purchases you will agonize over. But it is so worth every penny. Wait until it goes on sale at REI (which happens once or twice a year at least - that will be the best price you can buy it for unless you luck out on Craigslist or have a very generous gift giver).

Essential #2: Car Seat(s)

After TONS of research (when you're a first time parent, researching what baby gear to buy can be excruciating), we decided on the Chicco Keyfit 30. Best infant car seat hands down. Again, it's spendy, but if you are going to splurge on only one baby item, it should be the car seat. Safety first. My awesome and generous co-workers bought this off our registry. Always register for big ticket items, people often like to pool their money for shower gifts. Bless their hearts.

If you only want to buy one car seat, get the Diono Radian. It is awesome. It is streamlined and compact...it goes from backward-facing, to forward-facing, to a booster and accommodates 5 to 120 lbs! Great investment. I still prefer an infant seat for the beginning (I like to be able to carry a sleeping baby out of the car without any interruption), but if you want to keep things simple with just one car seat, this is the one. It will be the only car seat you ever need.

Essential #3: Basic Bouncer

This simple, basic bouncer saved our lives. Evening fussiness (Little J was a VERY fussy baby at the beginning) or a place for him to be while I was in the shower or making meals, this little thing had us covered. We loaned it to a friend recently and it will be seeing our #2 in a few weeks. $30 for three babies is a pretty good investment.

Essential #4: Baby Carrier

I always wanted to be the hip mom with her sweet little baby snuggled close in a Moby wrap. Thankfully we just borrowed one, though, because Little J HATED it. So sad. (Maybe we'll try again with baby #2??) But thank goodness for the Ergo. If you're just going to buy one carrier, this is the one to buy. Super sturdy, comfortable, and can be used from 7 to 45 lbs. I carried Little J around in this at Disneyland, the farmer's market, while I was cleaning the house...it was great to always have in the car so that I didn't have to haul a stroller around. Awesome invention.

For infants, I prefer the Baby Bjorn. Little J especially enjoyed facing outward once his neck was strong enough (which is one thing you can't do in an Ergo). The problem with this carrier is that it can only be used up to 25 lbs which is a relatively short time frame. If you can borrow one, or plan to buy one and loan it out later (or use it for multiple children), that would make it worth it.

UPDATE! A friend just told me about the Beco Gemini, which essentially combines the best features of both the Ergo (versatile and longer usage period) and the Bjorn (perfect for infants and outward-facing capable) all in one. If I didn't already own these two, I would definitely go for the Beco. Thanks for the tip Jen :)

Not essential, but really nice to have:

Bassinet/Co Sleeper - I'm still on the fence with this one. It was super helpful while we used it, but we didn't use it a long time. I have friends who are newer moms who swear by the Rock N' Play Sleeper, so we might give that a shot this time around. (Obviously if you choose to co-sleep, you can definitely keep this one off your list).

JJ Cole Bundle Me - LOVE this thing! So handy. If you live someplace colder (or wet), this is the perfect compliment to any car seat or stroller. A stranger actually introduced me to these when I was checking out her stroller when I was pregnant. She said it was her favorite baby item. It's now one of my favorites too.

Play mat - Definitely not "essential" but fun for baby nonetheless. A good ol' blanket/quilt will do for tummy time, but a mat/gym like this is fun when little ones start needing some extra stimulation.

Basic Pack N' Play - I thought I didn't want/need a pack-n-play. I was wrong. Great for travel, great for when your little one becomes mobile and you don't feel like taking him with you to the bathroom or when you need to run upstairs to switch the laundry real quick. Something you can do without, but very convenient if you have the space. Some of these come very pimped out with a price tag to match...I found that a very basic version was all we needed (for $50 or less).

Gear you can do without:

Baby swing - I think babies either like bouncers or swings. Little J liked his bouncer and hated the swing...borrow these if you can to decide for yourself.

Bumbo - Some people think these are the greatest things ever...in our experience, it was helpful for taking photos when Little J wasn't sitting up on his own yet, that was it. Thankfully we just borrowed one. If you're set on one, I suggest borrowing as well.

Exersaucer/Jumper - If you have a smallish home, these things just take up SO much room! They can't be used for a long period of time (unless you have one that converts to a play table) and they're expensive. Again, I suggest borrowing one if you can't live without it.

Registering for the first time can be such a daunting task so I hope these suggestions help (and don't forget my nursery and nursing registry suggestions as well). I think my best advice to keep things simple and from getting too crazy expensive is to borrow, borrow, borrow what you can and to invest your money in things that will get A LOT of use like your car seat, stroller, and baby carrier. Wow, this is really taking me back in time...can't believe we'll be back here again so soon. Happy registering to you and congratulations, it's an adventure!

PS - This is blog is not just about parenting / babies...but it's a topic that's near and dear to my heart so I like to write about it from time to time :)

Best of Simply Parkers 2012

2013-01-28T11:29:00.001-08:00

Before January is over I'd better recap my most popular posts from 2012! Enjoy :)

Repurposing Furniture - Bookshelf Turned Hutch

DIY Picture Ledges

DIY Chalkboard {Repurposed Cupboard Door}

Outdated Craigslist Dresser Turned Chic TV Console

An Organized Nursery

And #1, Hide That Fuse Box! This post brings the most traffic to my blog and gets the most pins / repins on Pinterest to date...and it's so simple! Measure your fuse box, buy some stretched canvas sized accordingly (from Michaels with a coupon!), cover it with pretty fabric, and slap it up on your wall to hide that ugly eye-sore (it's lightweight and easy to take on and off for easy access to the box).

Looking forward to mustering up some energy in my third trimester to start sharing some new projects...thanks for sticking with me!

Outdated Craigslist Dresser Turned Chic TV Console

2012-11-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

This project has been a labor of love for a LONG time. It's been mostly finished for awhile now, but since I'm not completely done with it I was hesitant to share it...I'm not good with surprises, though, and couldn't wait any longer! As most things do these days, it all started with Pinterest. Specifically with these inspirations here, here, here, and here. So, many, many months ago I began my Craigslist search for the perfect old dresser. I knew that I wanted something solid wood with lots of character and I knew what ballpark dimensions I was looking for (something about 30" tall so our TV wouldn't be too high for watching and something almost six feet long but not an inch bigger so there would be ample storage - besides looks, storage is the main reason I opted to go with a dresser).

One of these days I'll have to share my tips for searching Craigslist. My number one tip, though, is PATIENCE. It usually takes a while to find exactly what you are looking for (my only exception to this rule so far is the Ikea mirror that I randomly saw listed one day). So after months of scouring Craigslist, a visit to one of the shadiest places I have ever been to (just a reminder to NEVER go alone to look at anything you are wanting to buy from Craigslist, safety first), and sending my hubby to pre-screen dressers in not one but two neighboring towns, I finally found the one. The round brassy hardware is what sold me on this one...along with just the right dimensions (this is the picture from the Craigslist ad - it looks a lot prettier in this picture than it did in person, it had a hideous greenish-honey hue to the wood finish that couldn't be sanded off, otherwise we may have kept it as is):

So, because I'm pregnant and have the most amazing hubby ever, this TV console project was 100% my idea but at least 95% of the work was executed by him (let's just say my hubby has NOT been bitten by the DIY bug - so it is a huge deal that he spent so much time making this what I wanted it to be). We started out by letting the dresser air out outside for a good two weeks (it had an unpleasant mothball/musty smell going on). Then it was all wiped down inside and out, given a light sanding, primed with oil-based primer, and finally given two+ coats of white paint (the same white paint we used for our bedroom picture ledges). There was some light sanding between coats of paint as well. Here is the finished product again:

There's much more I want to do this console, specifically lining all the drawers with some pretty paper (I'm in LOVE with this wallpaper so I want to find something similar and for a fraction of the price...probably some gift wrap), AND I have lots of organization projects in mind! I want to use all the drawers to house our DVD/Blu-ray collection, Wii components, and some of little J's toys (possibly our photos as well). But, baby steps! I recently came down with shingles...ugggh...so I'm learning that things will get done when they get done, and the most important thing is to stop stressing so much/stay healthy for myself, and especially for this baby that I'm carrying!

Since I've never shared pictures of our family room before I thought I'd give you a peak! Disclaimer, as is the case with most of our house, everything always seems to be a work in progress (I'm always changing my mind and always trying to be frugal/green with how we spend our time/money updating it which makes for some serious delayed gratification). This picture was taken at the beginning of the year (before we made simple updates like homemade pillow covers) - I never realized how dark/gothic this room looked until I saw these photos (DEFINITELY not the look I was going for):

And this is where we're at today:

There's much more to be done to this room:

DIY-ing a frame for that map behind the TV
more DIY wall decor/framed photos, etc.
I'm still not sold on my pillow choices
ottoman switcheroo?
rug/curtains/paint???

But I'm so much happier with the direction this room is headed and the switch from the boxy TV hutch to the chic TV Console was a HUGE improvement! (By the way, I already sold the TV hutch on Craigslist which made up for over half of what we spent on the dresser!) So what are you updating these days? Any exciting Craigslist finds to share?

PS - I'm linking up this post with House of Hepworths, Your Green Resource, Liz Marie, The Shabby Nest, Thrifty Decor Chick, Young House Love, and Bower Power

"Be Thankful" {Homemade Chalkboard Revisited}

2012-11-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

This homemade chalkboard is still one of my favorite DIY projects to date. My favorite thing about it is changing it up to say whatever I want, for whatever season or celebration I want. Since Thanksgiving is only days away, these song lyrics are one of my favorite "be thankful" reminders:

Since I haven't talked about this chalkboard for awhile, here are some updates. I still haven't found a chalk pen to try out (so far I've just used regular chalk) - anyone have a good source for some chalk pens that don't cost an arm and a leg? The jury is still out on the chalkboard contact paper...writing on it with chalk almost seems to etch/scratch it. It's not super noticeable, but I notice it. It's hard to get a nice, even stroke when writing on it - not sure if that's just the nature of writing with chalk or what. The good thing is that it's not permanent. I can always pull it up and either paint the inset panel with chalkboard paint or apply some chalkboard vinyl.

Along with the chalkboard, I of course have my share of gourds and Indian corn around the house...and the porch is still full of different sized/colored pumpkins and more gourds along with a small hay bale. I love it all, but I'm getting really excited to move along to Christmas decor!

PS - I'm linking this post up with Two Twenty One's "Dare to DIY: Be Thankful" series (also found at Decor and the Dog, Maybe Matilda, and Newly Woodwards)

Red White & Two (a few months late)

2012-11-05T17:39:00.003-08:00

Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is on it's way with Christmas trailing closely behind. So why am I writing about Little J's "Red, White, & Two" birthday party?? Well, I guess I wanted to give you a jump start on next 4th of July. Not exactly, but I just hate not to post some of the cute details from Little J's 2nd birthday (and in case you didn't read this post, I'm pregnant, and tired, and a little behind on the blog these days!). Here are the invites:

My inspiration for this party came from here (via Pinterest, of course). Even though Little J's birthday isn't until the 19th of July, it was close enough to Independence Day that the hubby and I thought that "Red, White, & Two" would be a fun theme. That and Little J's first birthday party was A TON of work (worth it, but a TON of work nonetheless) so we wanted something a little less labor-intensive this time around. I bought some of the decor from the Dollar Store. Not usually my style, but cutting down on some of the labor was exactly what we had in mind. And I made some of the decor myself, along with the goodies. Like these pretzel sticks that are always a huge hit with our family:

And white Oreo truffles (my version of another Pinterest find):

And this garland I made from star cupcake liners I had lying around for YEARS, glitter cardstock scraps from Christmas, and leftover yarn. I also framed an extra invitation and put our own calendar on a stand on the gift table since the picture/caption were appropriate:

We used mason jars we had on hand for drinks. I used cupcake liners from the $1.50 bins at Michaels to act as "lids" on jars for the younger ones (just used a hole puncher to make a place for the straw):

We used our homemade chalkboard not only as a "Happy Birthday" sign, but a place to keep track of how many wanted a black bean burger and how many wanted a salmon burger (with cheese or without which is why most of the tally marks are C's):

We made PB&J for the kiddos (or whoever wasn't fond of black bean or salmon burgers) and used one of our star cookie cutters to make them a little more festive:

And the Dollar Store did the rest (balloons, window clings, and hanging lanterns, along with the star trays pictured above):

So tell me, do you remember what it was like to plan a party before the days of Pinterest? I suppose I do...but the memory is quickly fading!

Sorry! One more thing. I couldn't help but share our thank-you notes:

Why does a blogger disappear for over two months?

2012-10-29T15:03:00.001-07:00

Well, because I'm pregnant! Just a few days before turning the big 3-0 I had this sneaking suspicion that I was in for a big birthday surprise, and I was right, there was definitely a bun in the oven (how do you like my three shades of pregnant dollar store tests, haha)! So, the last 10+ weeks have been filled with nausea, ridiculous cravings, extreme fatigue, and a few other symptoms you'd probably prefer not to know about. Kind of hilarious given that my last couple posts were ALL about baby stuff (here and here)...I guess subconsciously I knew something was up.

Anyway, not sure what all of this means for the blog. I'm finding it a challenge just to keep up with the daily grind of stay-at-home-momdom these days. We'll see! I have at least one more project that I'm just dying to share. If you're still around, thanks for hanging in there...stick around for my sudden bursts of energy here and there that will hopefully result in a blog post every once in a while!

And because a post with just one picture would be too boring, here's another! Hope you're all enjoying this fun time of year, watching lots of football, and venturing out to a pumpkin patch or two :)

Baby Registry Essentials: Nursing

2012-08-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I finally posted pictures of Little J's nursery (now that he's TWO)! I included a list of our nursery essentials and now I'm working on a couple more posts about baby registry essentials since a number of our friends are having their first babies this year. I'm a huge proponent of breastfeeding (I breastfed Little J his first two years), so without further ado, here are a few of my favorite nursing baby registry items (if you are unable to nurse but are looking for baby registry suggestions, please check out my nursery post and upcoming registry suggestions):

(from top left clockwise)

Essential #1: Quality Nursing Bras

The Bravado Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra is my favorite. So comfortable! Kind of spendy, but TOTALLY worth the investment, especially if you plan to have more than one child. I got away with just two of these bras, one in black and one in nude.

Essential #2: Quality Breast Pump

If you don't plan to return to work, I think you could get by with a less expensive pump than a Medela, but this is such a great pump. And depending on your insurance, some actually will pay for your pump or at least reimburse you some money which is awesome!

Essential #3: Nursing Tanks

Returning to work ended up not panning out for me, so comfy at home nursing clothes were a must! For the price, these Gilligan & OMalley Nursing Tanks from Target were great.

Essential #4: Reusable Nursing Pads

I've already written an entire post about these, but I'll say it again, reusable nursing pads are a great way to help out the environment and save some $$. I'm a fan of these particular Pink Daisy organic cotton/hemp pads (check out my old post for some other suggestions).

Essential #5: Boppy with Velour Cover

We couldn't have survived without our boppy! And I highly suggest a velour cover (usually the Boppy brand covers have one side cotton, one side velour). With velour (or something fuzzy like fleece), it will be easier to wipe up excess milk or spit up without it soaking right through to the boppy pillow.

Essential #6: Glass Bottles with Silicone Sleeves

When possible, I think glass over plastic is best. I absolutely love these Life Factory glass baby bottles, but they are expensive, so these Evenflo alternatives work just fine. The amount of bottles you will need depends on whether you will breast or bottle feed and whether or not you will return to work. Four bottles were about all we needed.

Essential #7: Super Absorbent Burp Cloths (not pictured)

Little J spit up...A LOT. The absolute best burp cloths for a heavy spitter-upper are flat Chinese or Indian prefold cloth diapers. They're big, they're absorbent, they're perfect. Even if your little one doesn't spit up a ton, it's great having something super absorbent to save your own clothes from unnecessary laundering.

Essential #8: Lanolin (not pictured)

The first few days (sometimes weeks) of breastfeeding can be rough. You will need some lanolin! A little goes a long way and some samples came with my breast pump, so those were all I needed. You may even be able to get some samples from your doctor or midwife...so ask for some :) Little ones come with a number of initial expenses, so accept samples / freebies when they are offered!

Essential #9: Nursing Cover (not pictured)

Can't believe I forgot this in the original post! Of course it's a matter of personal preference, but I really liked having a nursing cover like one of these.

So those are the nursing essentials to add to your registry. Did I miss anything? (See comments below for additional info).

PS - This is blog is not just about parenting / babies...but it's a topic that's near and dear to my heart so I like to write about it from time to time :)

PPS: I'm linking this post up with "Your Green Resource" (on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal)

An Organized Nursery

2012-08-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

With a number of my friends having their first baby (or twins!) in the next few months, I have baby on the brain! Our little man just turned TWO, but with the exception of his bookshelves and some of our cloth diapering set up, I have yet to post any pictures of his nursery. So here is our organized little nursery. The (3) bedrooms in our house our fairly small, so we tried to make the very best use of the space to fit in the essentials. I'll try to highlight what those nursery essentials are in this post along with how we've organized everything. I also want to write a follow up post with some of our other must-have baby items as I'm often asked for suggestions when friends are creating their registries.

This is the view of Little J's room from the hallway. I'm not usually a huge accent wall fan, but the nursery was an exception. The bright pop of green definitely brings a playful feel to the room.

Essential #1: A crib

We opted to go with this convertible crib. It goes from crib to toddler bed to headboard/footboard. Since convertible cribs are around the same price as standard cribs, it was a no-brainer. Even if we don't end up using it for all its different purposes we love having the option to do so.

Essential #2: Crib bedding

3 crib sheets
crib mattress and mattress pad (preferably organic)
bumper (be sure to do your own research on the safety of bumpers and make an informed decision)

We chose this Dwell Studio for Target Hippo bedding (I've always had a soft spot in my heart for hippos) which is sadly no longer available. After having purchased the full on set, there are definitely some components we could have done without (namely the comforter since it is never a good idea to cover a baby with a heavy blanket! and possibly the crib skirt...we used it for such a short amount of time, once we lowered the crib mattress it could no longer be used).

Essential #3: A rocker (or other comfy chair)

ESPECIALLY if you plan to breastfeed (please do!!), you will be spending many, many hours nursing, often in the middle of the night during the first year. I guarantee you will want a comfortable place to do so. Even though this room is so small, we had to sacrifice some real estate for this chair. I nursed Little J all of these past 2 years so this chair has received lots of love. Besides that, it is the perfect place to snuggle and read many, many books. Definite must have item.

Essential #4: A reading lamp

Setting up the nursery so we can have some dim light for stories has been great for our bedtime routine since the very early on. I've had this lamp for about 16 years. I just painted it black and bought a new lampshade to match the nursery (my favorite part of this lamp is that it has three cute little drawers. I keep baby nail clippers in one of the drawers so they are easily accessible when we're already sitting there in the rocker).

Essential #5: An automatic night light

Essential #6: A baby monitor

I don't think these need much explanation.

Essential #7: Curtains

We have both blinds and curtains in the nursery to make the room nice and dim, especially for middle-of-the-day napping (make sure your crib is placed a safe distance from the curtains).

Essential #8: Lots and lots of book storage!

We like to keep this basket full of books right next to the rocker. It mostly holds bedtime stories for easy access at night. And across the room we have pretty much my favorite feature of the nursery, these bookshelves:

Essential #9: A wall clock

Before I had an iPhone pretty much attached to me at all times, I would often stumble into Little J's room for a middle-of-the-night feeding not knowing what time it was. When you're keeping track of feedings (and your own sleep), knowing the time is super important :)

Essential #10: Closet storage bins / crates

What you see is pretty much all the functional space we have in Little J's closet (the other half has a slanted wall). On the top shelf of the closet there are two crates. The crate on the left holds outgrown clothes. When it fills up I separate into three separate categories: keep, donate, consign (since my church holds an annual clothing drive and children's clothing is the always the first to go, we try to keep our consignment items to a minimum so that we have more to donate). The crate on the right holds bulky, too-big items that Little J will wear down the road. Other things we like to store in the closet are nice shirts and pants, some toys, and extra diapering / cloth diapering supplies.

Essential #11: Toy storage

We keep most of our toys downstairs but we like to keep a few things upstairs. This was an old laundry basket that I spray painted to match our old guestroom.

Essential #12: Cute nursery decor

Haha, I guess that's not an essential, but it sure makes the space so much more inviting. My favorite part of Little J's nursery decor is this shelf that includes some subway art I made for his first birthday party along with the bunting seen in some of the first pictures above (also something I made for his first birthday party). Even though they don't really match the green / brown / yellow Dwell Studio Hippo decor, I love how the wooden blocks that spell out Little's J's name on the shelf tie both color schemes together.

Essential #13: A sound machine

White noise helps the hubby and I sleep, so it's no wonder that Little J needs it too. Every night, every nap, it's on. This Graco one is a great value as it has different white noise options and also doubles as a speaker (the bottom portion houses a plug to hook up your iPod).

Essential #14: Changing pad (preferably organic)

with at least two covers
topped with a fuzzy sheet saver

We like using a sheet saver or even a small hand towel on top of the cover so we can just throw it into the laundry if it gets dirty instead of constantly having to change the changing pad cover.

Essential #15: A large dresser that doubles as a changing table

Even if we wanted a separate changing table, there just isn't space for one in this small bedroom. I love the idea of multipurpose items which is why this Hemnes Ikea dresser was the perfect solution to our small room / even smaller closet dilemma.

It holds extra receiving blankets, sheets, and changing pad covers:

socks, slippers, and ties (booties and babylegs too):

pajamas and play clothes:

extra blankets:

swimsuits and (hand-me-down) clothes in the next sizes up

and probably most importantly, all our diapering / cloth diapering supplies:

(burp cloths, diapers, covers, inserts, prefolds):

wipes, cloth wipes, diaper rash ointment (A&D is the ONLY kind that works on our little man), cloth diaper liners, etc:

The extension of our nursery is down the hall which includes other essential parts of our cloth diaper set up:

Essential #16: A large trash can (for cloth diapers)

2 Planet Wise diaper pail liners

Essential #17: A small trash can (for the occasional disposable)

Essential #18: A place to hang-dry cloth diaper covers

These space-saving hangers (way back from my freshman year of college when I lived in the dorms) are perfect for our cloth diaper set up. If you're into cloth diapering or curious about it, please check out all my cloth diapering posts.

So there you have it, our organized little nursery and another glimpse into our home. What do you think?

PS: I'm linking this post up with House of Hepworths, Liz Marie, Tatertots & Jello, and Thrifty Decor Chick

DIY Chalkboard {Repurposed Cupboard Door}

2012-07-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen this picture I posted a few weeks ago:

Cupboard doors that I picked up at my local Habitat for Humanity Restore. In the past I have looked for cupboard doors from the Habitat store to repurpose into signs like this for gifts:

But this time around I had something a little different in mind! So, without further ado:

I am so in love with my "new" chalkboard. Hanging up in our kitchen / dining room area it has already come in so handy!

Fun quotes, birthday / holiday countdowns, menu boards...chalkboards are so fun!

So how do you make your own?

Find an old cupboard door with an inset center panel (check both sides of the cupboard door, sometimes the back has an inset panel). With the inset center panel you get the appearance of a framed chalkboard.

Paint cupboard door your desired color. I just picked a shade of turquoise acrylic craft paint from my stash. I only painted the "frame" part of the cupboard door and the outer edges of the inset panel.

The inset panel is your chalkboard surface. Tape it off and paint with chalkboard paint if that is your desired medium, or, if you're like me, buy some chalkboard contact paper or vinyl. The reason I chose to go with contact paper (vinyl works too) was because I wanted the option to write with chalkboard pens (which apparently do not work properly on chalkboard paint).

Install a cup drawer pull upside down to store some chalk. Look around your Habitat store for a drawer pull to reuse, or you can find them at Home Depot for as little as $2!

Choose a method to hang your chalkboard. I went with 3M picture hanging strips - they are AWESOME! Don't know why I haven't invested in these before now.

It goes without saying that I found LOTS of inspiration for this project on Pinterest...SO many cute chalkboard projects to be found there!

So how about you? Have you given into the chalkboard craze?

PS: I'm linking this post up with House of Hepworths, Liz Marie, and "Your Green Resource" (on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal)

Master Bedroom & Wishlist

2012-06-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Back in December we made some changes to our master bedroom (that I talked about in this post) but I never really got around to sharing more pictures! After coming up with an inexpensive, pretty ingenious (lol, if I do say so myself) solution to hide our fuse box and filling a very boring wall with picture frame ledges (that I shared last week), it's time to show you the evolution of our room from matchy-matchy Pottery Barn poppies to a room inspired by a quilt I made (close to five years ago now!).

The thing I love about this quilt is that I made it...I handpicked all the fabrics, I came up with a design, I pieced it all together. The top-stitching was done professionally, but I did the binding. Quilts are such a lengthy process, but so much love goes into making them that they are worth every minute. Lol, I digress. All that is to say, I love this quilt and I definitely wanted it to be the star of the show in our master bedroom (even though I think the shelves are definitely a close second now).

So here are some before and afters of how our master bedroom has changed and the things on our wishlist for the future of this room:

And a little more up close:

On the wishlist from this view:

Nightstands with more character (probably mismatched) and with more storage - I've been scouring Craigslist for a while but no luck so far. If I eventually give up on my Craigslist / secondhand hunt, I really like this Ikea hack {Armelle blog}
Sheers for the window or possibly cute homemade pelmet boxes {A Home in the Making}
Beefier lampshades. The scale right now is all wrong...but I love my green glass lamps so instead of getting rid of them I'd rather see how they look with bigger lampshades first.
A white duvet cover! This dingy naked down comforter needs some help.
A solution for this hideous ceiling fan. Any ideas!? I would really love something that was a little more streamlined and closer to the ceiling like this...but I'm always a fan (hehe) of something a little greener like just making this fan work somehow.

All happy from this angle! I really need to write a follow up post / tutorial on this fuse box cover, though. It really is funny how much traffic this blog gets for that specific post, especially from Google searches with keywords like: "how to cover up basement my fuse box," "hiding a fuse box," "how to hide a fuse panel," etc.

Very happy from this angle as well. Just need to make some adjustments in those frames. I just love waking up to this wall...the picture frame ledges are a HUGE improvement from that blank wall! We won't talk about the master bathroom located behind that pocket door, though. That is a future project all on its own!

Finally, this corner:

And up closer:

On the wishlist from this view:

Like for the other window, sheers or homemade pelmet boxes {A Home in the Making}
A corner office area / work station to replace the dresser. Eventually we want to have another kid(s), so we will need to convert our current guest room / office into a kid's room, which means we will need a new home for our office. I've thought about all the different scenarios, and with the limited space available, I think this corner would be the most logical place in our house. I absolutely love this work surface and shelves {Mini Manor} and think it would be a great solution for creating a small office space in our bedroom (this is another reason we need new nightstands - with the loss of this dresser, we will need more storage since we will have to share the other dresser which currently houses just my things).
The walk-in closet located behind this door needs a few minor adjustments...but we'll save that for another time!

One last look:

So that's what we've got going on in our master bedroom and some things that are on our wishlist. Always a work in progress like most of our house! And always a balance between being content with what we have but making things prettier and more functional as we live and grow in each space.

PS - The restyle of the room used only things we already owned with the exception of the round mirror (from Ross) and shelf-making supplies (from Home Depot)

PPS - I'm linking up with Thrifty Decor Chick

Almost $10 Picture Ledges

2012-06-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, the hubby and I started this project back in February?? (I think I actually posted about it in March). I am happy to report that it is finally done...almost. Our version of Ana White's $10 picture ledges (which probably cost us closer to $15/each):

The ledges themselves are finished...they are built and attached to the walls. I say "almost" done because I still need to tweak a few things on the ledges (that currently have scrapbook paper as place-holders) and find a frame for my beautiful Poppy & Pinecone print:

I have been in love with gallery walls ever since I saw Young House Love's wall o' frames and a bunch of others I have pinned on Pinterest, but Ana White's picture ledges were ultimately the best fit for what we needed: a place for so many mismatched frames we have received as gifts over the years. I thought about spray painting all the frames white like Ana White did on her shelves, but I couldn't bear to lose some of the funkier qualities of the frames (and even opted to make a couple of the frames even funkier by spray painting them neon and teal) and I like the contrast of the black frames as well.

The overall theme of stuff on the shelves is things / places we love. These are just a couple of my favorites (I'll have to include more pictures later because I really love it all):

From left to right, 1) the frame I spray painted a cheerful neon-y green, 2) a fortune cookie fortune that I loved: "God looks after you especially" back-dropped by some super sparkly paper leftover from Christmas, 3) A print Josh got me after we'd only be dating for a month (it was for Valentine's day...music is super important to me which is why this print means so much to me, he already knew me so well even after only a month!), 4) a Schilling from when I studied abroad in Vienna (I was there the year before Europe switched to the Euro and made sure to collect my fair share of beautiful coins from all over Europe before they were gone forever...someday I might just have to frame them all).

Here's nice before and after:

And a few more angles. Let me know what you think! And if you've ever tried any Ana White projects...I'd love to see them :)

PS - I'm sharing this post at the YHL Summer Pinterest Challenge, Delightful Order, Liz Marie, House of Hepworths, and Doodles & Stitches

Just Say No To Frumpy Pillows

2012-04-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hard to say why we've been staring at these frumpy pillows for the past SEVEN years! Last weekend I finally decided on some fabric to cover these ugly things. I'm no math genius and I pretty much never sew with a pattern (I love reinventing the wheel)...so I was a little off in my estimate and only ended up with enough fabric to cover three of our four pillows. But three pretty pillows are better than four ugly ones! (I'm tucking the 4th one away to cover with something else and also hope to add more pillows to the stash now that I know how relatively painless making pillow covers is).

I've never sewn in a zipper before so I was pretty intimidated, but lucky for me, Prudent Baby was having "Zipper Week" this week which led me to this handy little tutorial for installing zippers on pillows. Talk about good timing in the blogosphere!

This pillow cover making adventure helped me to discover that my sewing machine has a serger-like function. Who knew?! Turns out actually reading a product manual can be SUPER helpful. Cannot tell you how many times this stitch would come in handy over the years (I'm still kicking myself for not realizing this sooner - perhaps it's time to grab a cup of coffee and read the manual from start to finish).

Anyway, who's ready to see the finished product?!

I'm so happy with how they turned out! Oh, and here are some details if you're interested. I bought 1 1/4 yards of fabric (this is Suzani Summerland/Natural by Premier Prints which is a medium weight cotton duck home decor fabric that is 54" wide) for a total of only $10.00. I made three 17x17" double-sided, zippered pillow covers (my orignal frumpy pillows were 18x18" but I wanted the finished product to be less frumpy - I thought that stuffing them into smaller covers would help give the appearance of a fuller pillow, and it did). Three zippers were about $8.50 with a coupon from JoAnn's (but I had a gift card from Christmas so they were free for me!). Here's an up close of the "invisible zipper." Not bad for my first attempt but for some reason my bobbin thread was a little squiggly and not as clean of a stitch as I would have liked (anyone have any suggestions for fixing that?). Total cost of project: $10.00

Pillows can be really expensive, so why not make some pillow covers yourself and kiss those frumpy, outdated pillows goodbye?!

PS- I'm linking up this post with "Your Green Resource" on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal and with "Fridays on Remodelaholic" on Remodelaholic.

Hide That Fuse Box!

2012-04-20T17:00:00.001-07:00

Let's start out by making the obligatory "sorry for the blurry pictures" disclaimer. When is that camera stork going to drop off a new little bundle of picture taking joy for me?! Anyway, lots of little changes are being made around the house. So many in fact that any time to blog has been put on the back burner. Here's a little change I made this week:

No, it's not just some randomly centered wall decor. It's a fuse box cover! Why fuse boxes can't all be put in a closet or garage or somewhere out of view I will never understand. But anyway, this was my solution to hiding an ugly fuse box: stretched canvas (bought 60% off at Michaels), covered with fabric I already had (it's excess backing for the quilt I made for our bed seen here), hung semi permanently so it can easily be taken down to access the fuse box. Definitely worth the $17.99 stretched canvas cost to hide that eyesore from view!

Here's the before and after:

I should also point out the giant Hemnes mirror on the slanted wall. We used to have a silly, college-style mirror covering the fuse box, but I was dying to buy this Hemnes mirror from Ikea. It makes a lot more sense to have a mirror on the slanted wall because otherwise I was always having to close our bedroom door to check out my outfits in the morning. I'm definitely enjoying this configuration MUCH better. Oh yes, I should also mention I randomly got on Craigslist one day and found the Hemnes mirror for sale. I spent half the price and saved myself the 4-hour roundtrip to Ikea...huge win for our bedroom and the pocketbook! Always look on Craiglist for home furnishings before you make the trip and buy something new, you might find just what you were looking for!

So how do you hide your fuse boxes and have you ever found exactly what you were looking for on Craigslist?

So Many Projects...So Little Time

2012-03-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

What happens when you have a DIY-obsessed gal + a hubby who is an engineer by day/high school lacrosse coach by night + an active toddler? About ten projects going on a time, all in various stages of completion. There's only so much I can accomplish on my own during nap time, so I heavily rely on the help of my amazing (but super busy) hubby to make my all DIY dreams come true on the weekends (weeknights are pretty much out because by the time we get the little man dinner, bathed, and in bed, we're both ready to crash on the couch and watch a show or two before bed).

So here's a few things we have going on right now:

This lovely find from the Habitat Restore is on it's way to becoming a workbench in our garage. It's presumably a piece of someone's from-the-early-70's kitchen cabinetry. It's big and sturdy and the perfect combination of work surface and tool storage. I hope to get it all painted (even the counter top) and we also have a cabinet (a Craigslist find) to hang above it. Once lacrosse season is over and the weather is a little warmer for painting outside, our workbench should be well on its way to completion. I'll be sure to update the blog with our progress!

Next on the list of partially completely projects is our master bedroom. For 7.5 years (of course we've lived in a total of four different places in those 7.5 years but the decor hasn't changed much from space to space) it's looked a little something like this: cute, but very matchy-matchy. Slowly but surely it's been evolving into this:

Not much to look at now, but I have high hopes! My favorite part is the quilt I made a number of years ago with greens and teals (my favorite colors). The chartreusey Euro shams are from the bedding we had in our guest room (before it turned into Little J's nursery) and the round mirror was a Ross find. Nothing else new to note other than a huge Ikea mirror I'd been wanting forever that I stumbled across on Craigslist one day for half the price (it's obviously out of frame in this picture - we'll include it later once the room is a little more "done"). There's a number of other ideas I have for this room including new wall color and curtains for starters (and maybe something with that ugly ceiling fan). AND this little project that is well underway:

A pair of pictures ledges (only one is pictured here) for the large, empty wall in our master bedroom, inspired by the DIY queen's (Ana White's) $10/each picture ledges pictured below (ours were more like $15/each). CANNOT wait to get those finished so we have a place for all the lovely frames we've received over the years. Hopefully the finished product will look something like this:

Shelves/photo by Ana White via Pinterest

So many projects (and that's just a few of them), so little time! Anyone else have a load of DIY projects in various stages of completion going on around their house? I'd love to hear about them!

Repurposing Furniture - Bookshelf turned Hutch

2012-01-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

Who's ready for a good before & after? Me, me! So I've wanted a hutch for a long time. Not a gigantic, old fashioned hutch with glass doors - something open, simple, and smallish. I have so many beautiful serving dishes that were wedding presents (or that have been other gifts over the years) and I wanted to display them when they're not in use (they bring nice pops of color to my otherwise neutral kitchen/dining area). I've waited long enough for this hutch that I probably could have justified buying something new...but why buy new when you can repurpose!? There are so many options for finding used furniture these days: Craigslist, Goodwill, Habitat, garage sales...and my personal favorite, mom and dad's garage. This old bookshelf has been in the family for about 30 years? It was a part of my older brother's bedroom set...it's seen California, Wisconsin, Oregon (and perhaps Idaho at some point?). It's seen my brother's room, my nephew's room, and my dad's office. And now, thanks to some paint, elbow grease, and new hardware, our humble abode.

We just love it! And it cost us all of about $10 (for the new cup drawer pulls by Martha Stewart from Home Depot). We already had the environmentally-friendly Green Sure paint from Sherwin Williams from lil J's bookshelves and the little round brushed nickel pulls from an old project. Easy peasy. For the most part. In the spirit of keeping it real, here's what we learned from this DIY furniture repurposing experience:

Be realistic about how long it will take to repurpose your piece(s) of furniture. This is no immediate gratification project. It takes time. Especially when your window to work on the project is after your little one goes to bed!
Do your research. I mostly searched some of my favorite DIY blogs (like Young House Love and Remodelaholic) for the how-to's.
Don't skip the primer. We thought by just sanding we could jump right to painting...and we shouldn't have. Priming is definitely the one thing we would do over if we could!
Work in a well-lit area. We tried working in our garage and there just wasn't enough light. We ended up bringing our painting project inside, which was less than ideal, but it had to be done (thankfully with our Green Sure paint we had little fumes to worry about since it has almost no VOC).

Well that's about it. Any DIY furniture repurposing tips or projects to share?? I'd love to hear about them! Anyone going to go check out their parents' garage to see what gems they can find?

Now for one last look at our "new" hutch...

PS - I'm dreaming of a new camera! These iPhone pics just aren't cutting it. Anyone have some moderately priced recommendations for me??

I'm linking up this post with "Your Green Resource"on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal, with "Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways" on Frugally Sustainable, and with "Delightfully Inspiring Thursday" on Delightful Order.

2011 in Review

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

With the end of the year just a day away, I thought I'd take this opportunity to highlight favorite Simple Greenish Living posts from the past year. Some of these are fan favorites, some are my favorites! Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas...wishing you a very blessed 2012!

ALL my cloth diapering posts. These posts are actually what inspired me to start writing Simple Greenish Living just this past April. I started a family blog called Meet the Parkers in March of 2008, but I figured not all my family blog readers were interested in the nitty gritty of cloth diapering (they're mostly interested in non-diaper-related-Little J stories of course), so, it was time to start a second blog!

My Pantry Overhaul - this one was my very first featured post (on week 7 of Your Green Resource at Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and The Greenbacks Gal). I was so tickled by everyone's sweet comments on this post and thrilled to see that it had even been pinned on Pinterest :) I've done even more work on the pantry since these pictures were taken, and hope to have an update for you soon!

Feeding baby:

Homemade Baby Food
Homemade Baby Food - Grains
Hit the Road (feeding baby on a road trip)

Greenish solutions:

Making the Most of Your Junk Mail
Foaming with Possibilities (homemade foaming soap w/ soap dispenser)
Goo-Be-Gone, Naturally
It's in the Bag! (storing plastic bags to be reused)

Thrifty holiday posts:

Simple solutions:

Clever Bookshelves

Little J's first birthday:

12/31/11 - I'm linking up this post at The Blooming Hydrangea's 2011 Year in Review Link-up!

Advent Calendar

2011-12-18T23:46:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my Advent calendar this past Friday night! Better late than never, right? Sewing with the felt proved to be a bit of a challenge (since felt on felt is like velcro), but I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. It definitely looks homemade...but it is homemade so I'm okay with that :) If I hadn't already purchased the felt for my calendar (nearly 3 years ago), I would have been very tempted to try out this recycled option found here (I still think it would be a fun craft project to work on with Little J a few years down the road), but I love the way the felt matches the stockings I made our first Christmas together. Right now all the pockets sit empty, but we're looking forward to filling them next year when Little J is older and understands this whole Advent thing a little bit more! I never use patterns when I make things, I just like to wing it and get the most out of whatever fabric I'm using...so if you have any questions, feel free to send them my way! By the way, I used my Silhouette to make the numbers...I still need to write a post explaining how exactly I came to own this handy machine!

So do you have an Advent calendar? What does it look like? I'd love to see it!

Thrifty Christmas Decor

2011-12-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

Pretty much the same idea as my thrifty Halloween/Harvest decor, I just switched out what is normally in the hodge podge of frames on my piano with cheap (practically free) decor! This Christmas word art cost me a grand total of $2.65. I designed the picture files in Adobe InDesign (I get most of the fonts I use here for free) and had them printed at Costco. Instant Christmas decor!

I still want to create some garland to hang from the sides of the piano (similar to my pom-pom garland), but I need to finish the Advent calendar I am working on first so I can use the left over felt scraps (yes people, I realize it's already 8 days into December, but it's now or never! I bought the felt for my Advent calendar THREE years ago and am finally getting around to working on it. Christmas always sneaks up on me.every.year).

I got the idea for this piece of my Christmas word art from Pinterest, of course. And in case you don't know where this saying originated, stop what you are doing immediately and go rent "Elf." One of the best Christmas movies ever :)

Okay, here's a little peak at some of my other Christmas decor from around the house (mostly thrifty, but not all).

Starbucks gift card holders from a few years back that were just too pretty to let go of...I hang them on the hooks by the door where we keep our keys (using a bit of fishing line).

This year we opted not to get a full-grown tree and just pulled out our little 3-footer that we bought a few years ago. Little J is exactly at the age where I envision a tree crashing over on top of him if I turn my back for a second...no thanks. Maybe next year (well, the full-grown tree part, not the tree crashing over part *fingerscrossed*). I like to switch things up with ornaments from time to time, but I try to be creative and either not buy anything new or not spend a lot of money. This year I asked my mom if I could borrow the hand-painted wooden ornaments she and my dad made their first Christmas together (41 years ago). They're very simple and kinda cheesy, but I love the story of how my parents made them together that first year of marriage when they didn't have much money...and 41 years later, they (and their marriage) are completely intact. How cool is that!?

My favorite (non-thrifty) Christmas decoration is my nativity. Between buying myself a new piece each year or receiving a piece as a gift, it only took 4 or 5 years to complete the set :)

Growing up we always had sleigh bells that hung from our front door at Christmastime. I've improvised with the little green bells (can you tell I like green things? Lol).

Love my antique/passed down Christmas decor including a beautiful teal glass candy dish (teal glass = LOVE) and a ceramic, light-up Christmas tree that is also a music box. The tree was my grandparents' and it brings back so many great childhood Christmas memories. Little J is already in love with the thing which melts my heart. It's such a joy to see his eyes light up when he sees it and hears the music.

Stockings I made the first year we were married (7 years ago). The Advent calendar I'm working on will be made with the same colors of felt...SO want to get that thing done. If it doesn't happen, though, at least I've got a good jump start on next year :)

So friends, how do you like to decorate for Christmas without breaking the bank?

12/08/11 - I'm linking up this post with "Your Green Resource" on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal

12/18/11 - I'm linking up this post with The Nesting Place's 2011 Christmas Tour of Homes

Goo-Be-Gone, Naturally

2011-11-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

On any given day the space next to my sink looks like this:

Multiple jars with leftover label adhesive, just waiting to be cleaned and reused. I had hoped to collect enough used jars for my pantry overhaul, but just because that didn't happen doesn't mean I won't continue saving and reusing glass jars as they come in. But why oh why do product labels have to be SO dang sticky!? Here's my method (perfected when we repurposed Frappuccino bottles I solicited off of Craigslist for Little J's birthday) for getting rid of that annoying goo naturally:

1) The tools: peanut butter and an old toothbrush (I keep a separate little dish of peanut butter labeled "Don't Eat" with the stuff I use for goo removal).

2) Apply a thin layer of peanut butter over the goo residue on your jar. Let it sit overnight or at least for a few hours.

3) After you've let it sit, run it under hot water, and scrub off the peanut butter with the toothbrush. The peanut butter takes the goo right with it.

4) Sometimes peanut butter alone will do the trick, but if it doesn't, add a couple drops of Dr. Bronner's to the toothbrush and scrub a second time. If the goo is particularly stubborn, try scrubbing with Dr. Bronner's using something more abrasive (I use the rough side of a natural fiber sponge).

That's it, 1-2-3-4, and you have a clean, pretty jar ready to reuse!

01/03/11 - I'm linking this post up with "Your Green Resource"
on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal

Pantry Overhaul

2011-10-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

In an effort to make more meals at home, and with better ingredients (more whole foods), I decided our pantry needed an overhaul. I've been trying to save up used jars for this project over the last few months...but because I'm a little impatient and little obsessive compulsive when it comes to organizing and matching, I gave up on collecting all I needed and purchased some extra canning jars (and a few jars from Specialty Bottle, a website with almost every size and shape of glass jars imaginable) so our pantry would have a more cohesive look.

So without further ado!

(Cluttered and not utilizing space effectively).

(Love the way this is moving along! Have the bottom shelf and floor space cropped out because those are still works in progress. One way I made more room in the pantry was to move the contents of the shelf with baking supplies to another cupboard...I used to have my spices in one place and my baking supplies in another and now they are all together, see below).

(This cupboard use to house all of our Pyrex...it was really pretty [should have taken a picture] and I miss it, but there was room for that stuff elsewhere and it makes more sense to me to have a whole area devoted to baking and cooking instead of spices in one area of the kitchen and baking supplies, oils, etc. in another).

(With blue painter's tape of course! I just use a Sharpie to include the contents and either the expiration date [if I know it] or the date purchased).

Have to throw in a side-by-side shot (next time I'll try to take my photos from the same angle, durrrh):

I'm happy to report this pantry overhaul is serving us well so far. We had homemade, mostly whole food dinners Monday-Friday this week! Big success :)

So how is your pantry organized? Do you feel like having an organized kitchen makes meals at home easier or do you think I'm just making excuses for my obsessive compulsiveness ;) ?

10/27/11 - I'm linking this post up with "Your Green Resource" at Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal
03/02/12 - I'm linking this post up with "Project Pretty" at iHeart Organizing

Thrifty Halloween/Harvest Decor

2011-10-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

Decorating with squash that will later be eaten, check.

Reusing glass jars to decorate with candy corn, check.

Three ears of dried Indian corn that I decorate with every year, check.

Switching out regular pics in frames with Halloween pics from last year, check.

Cutting up Lil J's orange and black treat bag from the hubby's work picnic to fill two of the frames, check.

Printing free Halloween subway art from Eighteen25 to fill the big frame, check.

Drying Chinese lanterns from the farmers market to put in a canning jar with black beans as the filler, check.

Making pom-pom garland from yarn I already had, check.

Repainting an old sign I had made to say "Happy Halloween," check.

Finally making a yarn wreath* (just bought the yarn and foam tubing to make the base, used fabric/ribbon/hemp scraps that I already had for making the yo-yo flowers and embellishments), check.

So friends, how do you like to decorate for the Halloween/Harvest holiday without breaking the bank?

*I drew inspirations from all around Pinterest for my yarn wreath...I looked at so many I can't give credit to anyone in particular! I will say, though, I totally used the pinning method I learned about from this ribbon wreath from Landee See Landee Do (so that I can reuse my wreath and the decorations down the road, nothing has been permanently glued on or attached).

10/20/11 - I'm linking this post up with "Your Green Resource"
on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal

Homemade Yogurt

2011-08-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

It's funny because a while back I said I would never make yogurt...well, maybe I didn't say "never," but I was pretty adamant that I wouldn't. Oh how a little time can change a person's heart (remember, I once felt the same way about cloth diapering and homemade baby food and look at me now, I'm a huge fan). My biggest hesitation was the words, "live cultures." It just sounded dangerous or something. But after a few inspirational blog posts (here, here, and here) I was finally convinced it wasn't as scary as it sounded and took the plunge.

Here's how it all went down:

First I decided on my recipe and my plan of attack. My adaptation came from this recipe, this recipe, and some advice from my friends Matt and Tami who have done this a few times. (Do you guys have a blog by the way? You should). So here are the ingredients and supplies:

1 gallon organic whole milk
2 Tablespoons starter yogurt with live cultures (I used some of my remaining Nancy's Plain Organic Whole Milk Yogurt)
4 wide mouth, quart-size canning jars (5 if you don't want to fill them to the brim)
a candy thermometer
a big ol' pot
a wire whisk
a ladle
your oven

Now step-by-step:

Sterilize your glass jars. I bought my jars new, on sale $7.99/for 12, but turns out they had them at Goodwill for a mere $0.39/each! I will definitely try to remember to look there first in the future. (By the way, I spun my jars around to make sure they were sufficiently sterilized, just in case you were worried).

Warm gallon of milk on stove to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (use a candy thermometer to help you out with that one). Whisk continuously to prevent scorching (I stopped whisking just long enough to take a picture :)

Once the milk heats up to 180 degrees, take off heat and let cool to 110 degrees (this cooling process took about an HOUR...definitely didn't see that one coming which is why I was up until about midnight making yogurt that night - who am I kidding, though, I'm usually up until midnight because apparently I'm a glutton for punishment).

When the milk has cooled to 110 degrees, slowly and evenly whisk in your 2 Tablespoons of starter yogurt (some recipes called for 2-3 Tbsp, so I think I did 2 generous Tbsp - some recipes said not to over whisk at this point, so I made sure my starter yogurt was at room temp so that it would easily blend. I'm not sure if this made a difference, but it couldn't have hurt!).

Ladle mixture into 4 quart-sized canning jars (I used wide mouth jars because I thought they would be easier and less messy to fill. You might want to use 5 jars if you're afraid of spillage).

Let jars sit in your oven with the light ON over night (for at least 10 hours). This keeps the mixture warm (steady at 110 degrees) and allows all that goodness to incubate (lol, I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I like to say "incubate"). I decided to turn my oven on for a couple minutes at its lowest heat setting before putting in the jars, just to make sure it would be a warm and welcome host for this little science experiment (make sure you turn the oven OFF before putting in the jars, only the oven light should be on). There are other ways of keeping the temp steady (Matt and Tami put their jars into a cooler with warm water), but this was the best solution for us because we don't own a big enough cooler.

After that 10 hours is up, chill in frig and enjoy! (If you're like my boys, you'll want to doctor it up a little bit first. Little J takes his plain with fresh fruit and flax seed meal, the hubby likes to add a generous teaspoon or two of jam for sweetener, along with fresh fruit).

So, the results were: successful homemade yogurt with (if I do say so myself) the perfect consistency. Not so scary after all. $5 for one gallon of milk yielded FOUR quarts of yogurt. For Nancy's, one quart usually runs a minimum of $3 for the Plain Organic Whole Milk variety. That's a savings of SEVEN dollars! Plus think of all that store-bought packaging we're not wasting. I'm sold.

Here's the thing, I don't know how long the stuff is good for. We go through a lot of yogurt in this house, but I just don't know the shelf life. If anyone can tell me, please do! If we can't make it through all four quarts before it expires, I will have to rethink my plan of attack and shoot for a half gallon's worth. Can anyone help a sister out? If you're not already making yogurt, what do you think? Doesn't a science experiment sound like fun every now and then? (Who watched Mr. Wizard as a kid? I did! He even came to my elementary school once. What's up now?).

12/29/11 - I'm linking up this post with "Your Green Resource" on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal

The 1st Birthday Recap!

2011-08-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago was the big day, Little J's first birthday party. Now I'm not going to win any awards for throwing the simplest, greenest party (it's not hard to see that the menu strayed a little off the all-natural course, bright blues and oranges clearly do not occur like that in nature unless you're in the tropics!)...but I did make sure there were some eco-friendly elements and tried not to throw simplicity completely by the wayside.

So here are some tips from our first birthday party throwing experience (intermingled with some pictures of course):

Make the party your own...a theme can be born out of just about anything! We based ours on one of Little J's favorite books, "47 Beavers on the Big Blue Sea." I made up different names for all the snacks based on characters/pictures from the book (that's what all the little cards are) and used colors from the book to tie the whole party together.

If you can't find something, make it. Well, even if you can find it, make it anyway! I made lots of things for the party (including the invitations I wrote about here)...but probably the most visible thing is the lovely flag bunting (I think I used a total of one yard fabric along with about 7-8 yards of pre-made bias tape. Feel free to ask me for more specifics on how I made it!). The thing I love most about the bunting, besides the nice handmade touch, is that it can be used again and again. I can definitely see a color switch in Little J's room in the not too distant future :)

Etsy is a party's best friend. I found the just the right color orange cupcake liners and the cutest eco-friendly, paper straws from Dime Store Buddy (to go along with the repurposed Frappuccino bottles I wrote about here).

I know not everyone has this option, but we were able to use our neighborhood clubhouse for the party. We don't have a huge house, so being able to have this large room ensured all the kiddos had plenty of room to roam and we were able to keep all of our guests in one place. The downside to this option was having to transport everything from home to the party site...but the benefits far outweighed this minor detail.

Remember the kiddos. You know, the little people this party is about? We borrowed this table and chairs from our church, wrapped it in brown paper, and put it smack, dab in the middle of the room so the little ones had a place to sit and eat/ color. We kept the menu kid-friendly and even incorporated storytime for the little ones ("47 Beavers on the Big Blue Sea" of course - and we popped in the book's sing-a-long CD for some fun, free entertainment).

Don't go overboard with the party favors, keep it simple. We decided on personalized (and reusable) bottles of bubbles (I used my Silhouette and some extra vinyl for the monograms and decorated them with fabric scraps leftover from the bunting).

A couple more things:

Throw parties between mealtimes so you can just have snacks. Just snacks means simpler food prep, less plates, less napkins, and less silverware which equals less waste and less cleanup! Win, win. Just have finger foods and cupcakes and eliminate the need for silverware all together!

Choose paper, not plastic. If you don't want to use "real" dishes (I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to use glass dishes with kiddos in the mix, we didn't) and cloth napkins, paper plates and napkins are the next best choice (especially for us since we could throw them in our mixed organics cart).

Enjoy the party! (And try to come to terms with the fact that your precious, tiny little baby is not so tiny any more and is now referred to as a TODDLER!)

So has anyone else made up a party theme based on one of your kiddo's favorite books? Anyone have some tips for not going overboard with birthday parties and keeping it greenish?

PS - The image of Little J with his cake is courtesy of his grandma and grandpa...who happen to have a little nicer camera than mommy and daddy :)

Hit the Road

2011-08-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

"Hit the road." Is that what you want to say to me and my blog after I've been MIA for a whole MONTH!? Sorry friends, July was a busy month to say the least! Planned a vacation with a week's notice, went on said vacation, and then had a very important 1st birthday party to throw a week after we got back. So where to start? How about our vacation, our first ever family road trip (to California if you're curious)!

As you know, I'm a big fan of homemade babyfood, but taking a road trip didn't necessarily lend itself to that kind of luxury. Of course, Little J was practically a pro at finger foods by that point, but just because we were away from home didn't mean his diet should suffer (meaning I still wanted him to get a balanced intake of fruits/veggies/grains/proteins/dairy, even when mommy and daddy were enjoying their own "vacation foods" like In-N-Out). So what were we to do? Well, after six months of nearly 100% homemade foods, we broke down and bought some premade organic babyfood for the road. With some advice from friends and a post from yumnums!, we decided to go with a selection of Plum Organics and Happy Tot (by Happy Baby). We have to say they received mixed reviews from our little foodie. The fruit/veggie puree squeeze packets were a big hit (particularly the Plum Organics Spinach/Pea/Pear combo and the Happy Tot Sweet Potato/Carrot/Apple combo) but the Plum Organics "Training Meals" were a no-go (and also weren't quite as convenient as the puree squeeze packets).

We also brought along our fair share of bananas, applesauce cups, and oatmeal packets (stuff that didn't need refrigeration) and took one trip to the grocery store once we arrived at our final destination to stock up on some individual cups of organic yogurt (that we could keep in the frig at the hotel and pack for day trips). So as far as food went, planning ahead really helped ensure Little J had some decent meals along the way...it was really great having the premade purees to supplement meals that were lacking in the fruit/veggie department (so great that I'm contemplating keeping a few more packets on hand to throw in the diaper bag just "in case").

All in all, the whole trip was a success. There were definitely some moments when Little J had had ENOUGH of being stuck in his carseat, but we tried to stop when we could (usually around meal/refueling times so we could kill two birds with one stone) and always kept in mind that a vacation with a little one HAD to be taken at a much slower (and flexible) pace than a trip we might have taken in our pre-child days.

So here are some of our tips for minimizing waste/saving money on a road trip:

Bring lots of food! You'll be less tempted to buy junk (and spend money) along the way if you have a nice arsenal of tasty snacks already with you. Also, peanut butter and banana sandwiches are the perfect, inexpensive in-the-car/on-the-go meal for the parents (or kiddos who are old enough to have PB) because you don't have to worry about refrigeration for any of the components (we usually buy PB that has to be refrigerated but we hunted down some that didn't for our trip).

Bring along a couple hand towels or cloth napkins for meals in the car (making a PB and banana sandwich on your lap can be a little messy).

Bring along a couple sets of silverware and a little container of dish soap so you don't have to rely on plasticware for the entire trip. If you're really crazy, you can bring along some non-disposable dishes too :)

Minimize the number of individually wrapped snacks and bring along larger quantities...if you're like us, chances are you'll want to snack frequently in the car anyway, so large quantities won't go to waste (don't forget to bring along a couple clips or rubber bands to close up containers and keep foods fresh).

Bring along some jugs of water to refill your reusable water bottles so you don't have to continue buying plastic water bottle upon plastic water bottle (and because tap water in other places just never tastes as good as it does at home...especially without a filtration system!)

Anyone else have some simple, greenish advice for road trips? Please share!