Decorative Growth Chart

Finally another project is complete!

Even before I was pregnant I thought these charts were so cute. It's the perfect addition to decor in your house & something to treasure espeically when you are just starting a family. I am so excited to see Greyson's measurments throughout the years & any siblings that we add in the years to come.

 Pinterest had tons of different versions so its definitely easy to make yourself. We start lots of projects but you never know when they are going to get completed...as you can tell we are horrible procrastonators. I wanted to get this done before Greyson was even born but that obviously didn't happen! A year later it was in the works so thankfully we got it finished before Greyson turned 2 so we can measure him at 1 year old. LIFE happens & we basically work on things as we can.

 

However, this week we have gotten quite a bit acomplished so in the next couple days I will have yet another project to post about =)

 

Here's what we did to make our very own decorative growth chart.

Matt got a peice of wood that was cut when we built our barn, had it plained, stained a semi-dark color & then we put a clear coat sealer on it.

 

It sat in the garage like this for a few days so we could paint both sides. After that Matt took care of all the measurments. We liked the "ruler" look so we kept it pretty plain & traditional.

 

Greyson kept a pretty close eye on things =)

 

I ended up hand painting the lines & used stencils for the numbers. I'm not really a perfectionist, but I wasn't sure painting the lines was the best thing to do. They wouldn't be straight & the paint tends to differ with pressure of the brush...I tried a few lines, wiped them off & did a few more, but there was just no getting them perfect without purchasing a paint pen. Matt thought it looked neat to have it hand done so after some convincing we decided that was the way to go. It actually turned out really neat looking & the lines still look the "same" even if not one is alike!

 

We found the perfect place for this large piece in our upstairs hallway. There was an odd space beside our bathroom door & it fit perfectly.

 

 

Matt is the expert when it comes to hanging things especially on our plaster walls. I left all the technical stuff to him. He figured that the once the nails were in & hung it would hang a little off from the exact measurments...we were extremely pleased to see that every inch was dead on! He made sure it was super secure so that Greyson wouldn't pull it off the wall...he has tried a few times & it isn't going anywhere! We are talking about adding on to our house in the next couple years so this piece might make its way downstairs to our family room, but for now this is where it will stay.

 

It turned out SO good & we are really happy with it!! Matt has said multiple times how much he likes it...so another project is checked off the list & we can move on to all the other ones we want to accomplish!





15 Months!

 

I can't believe Greyson is already 15 months. I feel like his Dr. appointments keep getting closer & closer together! His 18 month check up will be here before we know it. Sadly, our pediatrician retired & we had to switch to a new doctor. I hope we like her just as much & that the transition is easy. Greyson has changed so much in the last few months. He is turning into a toddler more everyday & while I love this age...I miss my tiny little baby. I feel like I say that at every update!

Greyson

so far you...

*weigh 24.9 lbs & are 31.5 inches long

*still wear 18-24 month clothes & size 4-5 shoes

*took your first steps at 11 months & took off walking & standing on your own at 14 months..you are going non-stop now. I can tell you have slimmed down so you have been in the same size clothes for 6 months & counting =)

*wear size 4 disposable diapers but your all in one cloth diapers still adjust to fit

*have 6 teeth, 4 on the top & 2 on the bottom & 3 molars that just came in this week!

*say dozens of words, learn new ones every day & you repeat after us constantly

*sleep all night starting at around 8:45pm-9:30pm & go until 7:30am or 9am so we can count on at least 8-12 hours a night

*take 1-2 naps a day...most of the time you go down around 11:30am & 3:30pm but if your schedule is a little off you take a nap whenever you can. You usually fall asleep on your own & it is nice to just lay you in your crib with Mr. Beary, turn on your music cd & close the door.  You usually sleep for 1-3 hrs before you get up

*still have not had any major sicknesses other than one ear infection & even then you didn't act sick.  You never slowed down playing & acted fine even taking the antibiotic. You have had all your shots & thankfully no reactions to any. You have had a few "cold" symptoms where you are stuffy, have a runny nose & seem just plain miserable but every time I take you to the Dr. thinking you are really sick, they tell me you are just teething & that you are completely clear....so over all we are really glad you have gone 15 months without the flu or any other really bad virus!

*eat pretty much everything we give to you, but spit out things you decide you don't like. You were just introduced to turnip greens which you actually fed yourself! Favorites snacks are: fruit, yogurt, & crackers...if you see anything "sweet" we have to watch you or you will break into the box or bag of whatever we have =)

*started using a fork at 14 months to feed yourself...usually you feed yourself pan cakes, bananas & anything cut up that you can stab

*learned to climb down stairs going backwards...we've had a few falls but nothing serious

*climb on everything..its your favorite thing to do. Climbing stairs is #1 which means we have to really keep an eye on you

*love "peekaboo" books with the flaps. They are your favorite kind of book..you can sit & play by yourself for hours giving me time to work & get things done around the house

*started "answering the phone" using anything you could hold up to your ear. First it was the remote, then a piece of mail, or a random toy. You hold an object up to your ear & say...Hello? Hey! & babble on then start over with Hello? Hey! It is so funny. I got your play cell phone & pull toy phone out so you could use those, but it really doesn't matter what you have in your hand as long as you can "answer" it =)

*play pretty well with others & have learned to share...although you have your moments! We love our play date group & have so much fun interacting with new friends 

*bath time is still a fun past time but you have decided you don't like cold water touching you or getting water poured over your face..

*Mr. Bear (1 & 2) & Mr. Monkey are your favorite bed time buddies. If we forget to take one with us when we are out, you are NOT very happy! Sometimes you are tired enough to fall asleep without one, but it sure helps

*have learned the meaning of no & if we have gotten you in trouble for something, you usually remember. For example, you know outlets are off limits so when you get close to it & notice us watching you, you look at us, point to the outlet & say, No no no no no. You like to tell other babies or Tinky, No when they are doing something you don't think they should be

*you got your first "tiny" hair cut this month...it wasn't a REAL one but you were starting a pony tail in the back so mommy trimmed a few curls off to keep =) maybe by the time you are 2 you will have had an actual big boy haircut!

 

 

What we are looking forward to:

*Easter

*Nana & Papa's visit in April (for Papa to go turkey hunting)

*Friends coming to visit this summer

*Our trip to Idaho to meet Baby R

Burlap Banner

     If you can't already tell, I love burlap!

After I made my curtains (which you can check out here), I knew I wanted to use burlap in different areas of the house. It is just so functional & makes things look rustic but adds a bit of charm to any modern decor. I bought 3 more yards at a local Walmart & plan to make quite a few things.

So far I've made Greyson's name banner for his first birthday party...

...and I cut the 3 yards in half to make this table runner for the rustic table in our den. I love that it adds a little something extra but with no fuss & it was super simple. We had 2 black benches made for extra seating & when our table goes from 6ft to 9 ft they definitely come in handy =) The plant in the center was from my inlaws for my grandma's funeral & surprisingly is still alive & well. I'm not sure how I've managed that!  I also just added the little corner bumper (if you are wondering what that is) because Greyson & his friends keep cracking their noggins on this particular end of the table. I hope it helps! 

I've just recently added some seasonal banners to my collection of burlap uses & wanted to share them.

First I measured one of the stencils on the fabric to decide the size I needed. In order to get a straight cut across the fabric, I use a neat little trick by snipping one of the fibers in the burlap where I would cut & then pull that one strand of thread out through the fabric. It leaves a straight "line" where that one piece of thread was & all you have to do is follow it with the scissors. 

I used acrylic fabric paint in white & some stencils I had on hand that I got at Walmart. I didn't necessarily want to have "scrolly" letters so I used the stencil as a guide & modified the letters to what I wanted.

I used a round sponge "brush" to blot the paint on & some craft paint brushes to fix & finish the edges. I didn't use a lot of paint because I wanted it to have a shabby chic look & not be too "bright" white. Plus sometimes using too much paint of light fabric can make it curl or distort while hanging. 

I made 2 banners...one for Spring & the other for Fall. 

When you think "banner" you normally think of the triangle cut outs but I like changing that up sometimes. With Greyson's name I used circles & for the -SPRING- banner I made a tag like shape. I first saw the tag shape on a blog I follow & thought it looked neat & different. It is just squared with the upper corners cut at a diagonal. I left some fringe from the fabric on the bottom to give it a little something extra. For my -FALL- banner I just did the regular triangle cuts, but I didn't like how big they turned out. The letters I used are about 3-4 inches tall so I trimmed them down to the size I wanted. I wasn't sure how it would look cutting some of the letters but I thought it turned out neat so I kept trimming.

I have 2 sizes of twine on hand...a thicker rope type twine & a string like twine. I didn't want to weigh it down too much so I used the smaller twine. You can thread the twine through the burlap like I did on Greyson's name banner, but I absolutely LOVE these tiny little clothes pins. I think they are so cute & this is usually what I use when I hang up any type of banner. 

It's that easy! I just adjusted the letters to the center of my mantel & wala!

Cute, inexpensive & crafty =)

I plan to use the rest of my burlap in a picture frame or two & monogramming is definitely on my mind. There are just so many things you can do! If you have any great ideas I would love to hear them!

Play Date Fun!

Over the last week it has been beautiful here in Alabama. We spent Sunday afternoon playing outside at Mimi & G'pas house.

Mimi found this swing at a yard sale & Greyson loves it!

It was so pretty swinging with the lake in the background...Spring is just around the corner!

Tuesday's are play date days. We love our little group & our host Nicole opens her house each week for us to get together. She is so good about planning little parties especially for the holidays. Since St. Patricks day is this Sunday, we had our St. Patty's day party early. Everyone wore green & brought something "green" to eat =)

 Sometimes we have several moms & babies attend & sometimes there are just a few. Today we only had 4 Moms, but ALL boys. That happens a lot! They are all about the same age & it's neat to watch them interact with each other. We need to get more girls in the mix though...the boys are taking over!

We have so much fun & look forward to our Tuesdays. 

Happy St. Patty's Day!

In Recent Days

Just wanted to share a few photos of what we have been up to recently.

We had some friends stop in for a few days on their way to Florida...so we let them ride Zeke & also got some family pictures of us riding him. He has been getting ready for show season so we don't ride him a lot just to make sure he stays show ready. When he has other people riding him (like me since I don't use "show riding" technique) he tends to get off track & does his own thing, but he is the sweetest horse & anyone can ride him even if they don't ride the "show" way. He likes that. 

We had fun. Greyson loves riding. He kept signing more, but finally we had to get him down & he was not happy. He loves real horses but is terrified of little toy rocking horses...go figure.

Later we went out to the farm & took a ride in the double seat Kubota. It was a tad chilly, but nice to ride around & see the animals =)

 Who knew we had "hiking" so close to home! Our house is in the little neighborhood in the bottom left picture. LaDonna took lots of pictures but I hardly got any of her...except this one! 

 Another day we drove up to Mt. Cheaha. It was overcast & very windy but the drive was nice. LaDonna took these cool pictures. Jera came too but she napped in the back seat with Greyson...

We celebrated G'pa's birthday last week too. I took this photo on my phone & my mother in law was in the background talking to someone else. My amazing sister in law Richelle, edited this picture & I love how it turned out. We got an 8x10 size & framed it...we also made a customized mug with this picture & had "Happy Birthday, G'pa! Love Greyson" written on it inside a horse shoe. It turned out cute.

Helping blow out the candles...

Present time!

We've had a lot going on since our trip to PA but things are slowly getting back into our normal routine. It was great having our friends visit & now we look forward to Easter & having the Nana & Papa come visit soon! 

Colic Calm & Diaper update!

I was recently asked to be featured in an article in the Colic Calm Journal.

I found Colic Calm shortly after delivering Greyson & was amazed at the results! During that time you could only buy CC online, so I was pleased to find out that you can now buy it in stores like CVS, Walgreens & Babies R Us.

Read my story here! And check out their website at www.coliccalm.com

I definitely recommend this for new mom's to be & moms who want to give natural ingredients to their babies =) 

I love this product & tend to be one of those moms who does a lot of research on ingredients or different things that will help benefit us & the baby in the long run so this was a win, win! 

The ONLY thing about CC that I would watch is the fact that since the liquid is in its all natural state of color (which is BLACK!) this can stain clothes, so I kept a tissue handy in case Greyson spit any of it out or it ran out of his mouth. He really liked the taste so it didn't happen often. Periodically as his body would digest the liquid, I was afraid it would stain my cloth diapers too bad & would tend to put a disposable on him after administering this to him. However, the few times he did wear cloth, the stains came out completely & I haven't had any permanent stains to clothing either...so I guess just be extra careful not to get any of it on clothing to be safe & if it happens, wash or soak immediately... mentioning cloth diapers brings me to an update~

Diaper News

I found out about the "new" way to cloth diaper a couple years ago when I was looking for different ways to save us money. I had been working full time for over 5 years & was now going to part time so anything that would help in the financial aspect of adding kids was a plus. 

After more research =) & having my hubby help figure the research/cost I found out just how much cloth diapering can save & we invested in a 12 pack of bum genius elementals (one of the more expensive brands) I have heard that you can CD your babies for as little as $50 or go as high as $500 total. Either way, it still saves you $$ since the average cost is anywhere from $1,040 ($20 a week for disposables) to $2,000 in one year...times multiple years until your child potty trains. Since we also still use disposables for sitters, when we are away from home & for out of town trips, we know how fast disposables can go so we are happy with the results from CD & use them as much as possible. CD has worked for our family in a number of ways...whether it's poop, throw up, spit up, etc...I realize a lot of people can't get on board with cloth because it grosses them out...but mess happens & you will have to clean it up eventually so whether you save with CD or in another area of bringing up your baby...make this decision based on what is best for YOUR family. In our case I was having to wash poop out of Greyson's cute clothes from blowouts on a weekly basis! I figured washing a diaper would be better than having to save our clothing & since switching to cloth, we haven't had a single blowout so this decision has definitely worked for us, not just from that, but eliminating G's diaper rash as well! 

I have used CD's since G was 8 weeks old....I have not needed "more" & love the ones I have but did find that the longer Greyson slept at night, the more absorption was needed. He would leak out the top from time to time & since that was the only time leaks occurred I knew I needed something else. In the last couple weeks I was invited to a cloth diapering party. From the party, I was able to get 3 fitted bamboo diapers with an extra insert. (pictured below)

These are super soft & the extra layer of fabric in the insert takes care of the problem 100%! They need a separate cover (which I've never had to use) but I only need one cover for the 3 diapers so I didn't add a lot to my stash & this is definitely helping us get through the nights! This combo definitely makes his bottom a LOT more fluffy!! His pants usually fit over the BG Elementals no problem, but these just seem huge in comparison. I love the coverage though & they seem to be pretty comfortable all around. Greyson likes them so that works for me!

I ordered these from my friend at the party along with some liners that have worked like a charm! I never invested in a sprayer & felt like the liners would help with the clean up a lot better. While it hasn't bothered me to clean a poopy diaper prior to these, it does make it go faster, is less messy & I am happy to say that the liners accomplish everything I was hoping for! After figuring out the best placement that is... I have had nothing but good results. They keep the diaper fabric a lot cleaner & it doesn't take a lot of extra time to add the liner to the diaper during a change. They advertise being flushable, but I would check your septic system first. We are supposed to be in a good area for flushing these, but we have had trouble in the past being in an older house so I've flushed a few, but most of the time I just take them out to the trash.

 I got all of these new items through Imagine Baby Products! I will have a party soon & I can also share through facebook so be ready. They have lots of other little accessories & things to make cloth diapering a breeze like dry/wet bags, liners, rash ointment, & everything for the different kinds of cloth diapering that include all in ones, fitted with covers & prefolds. If you are up for saving lots of money on diapers for your baby, this is the way to go! Each of the items are super soft & relatively inexpensive. I have yet to find liners this cheap anywhere else online. Stay tuned for information about my upcoming party around the beginning of April & how to order =)