DIY Bookshelves & Crystal Baby Mobile!

I'm really behind on sharing some of the projects I have worked on for the kids rooms. Mainly these pallet bookshelves & a window project I've had done since we lived at our old house! The window will have to wait a little longer until we hang it & I can show the finished product.

For now, I can at least show you his super cute book shelves!

{Pallet Bookshelves}

We started out with some plain old pallets that Matt brought home from work.

He cut them to make 2 shelves & used a crowbar to take a few slats off & hammered them into place.

Then I cleaned up the wood & clear coated them to make them look nice, but still rustic. No stain, no paint...just natural. As you can see...we made these SO long ago...it's been a little over year since we finished these.

Finally, a few months later, Matt got around to hanging one...yeah...one. It was a lot bigger process than we thought because we had plaster walls behind this paneling at the old house. Matt broke off one of his bits in the wall in the process! Not good! You can see how little Greyson is here...he still looks like a little baby! He loves being front & center to help daddy =) 

We enjoyed our one bookshelf for awhile & then had to take it right back down to move...good thing we didn't put the other one up! 

Here is the finished product at our new house! We had to wait until the room was painted, & we still have some decor to add above the shelves, but for now, they are working, functioning bookshelves & Greyson loves them!

See how much he's grown since these were done?? We can be such procrastinators!

 One thing that didn't take me long to make was this baby mobile for the nursery. I made Greyson's mobile before he was born, so I knew I would make something this time too. On days when I had to wait on Matt to help with bigger projects...I focused on smaller things.

The nursery has been pretty easy to decorate & majorly cost effective...I haven't had to buy hardly anything! I'm using all the same furniture from Greyson's nursery & upgrading him to his "big boy" room. Plus most of the decor & other items I'm using I already owned...with the exception of 2 or 3 things & some little crafty accents I bought from my aunt =) So I figured one little DIY item couldn't hurt & I used lots of 40% off coupons to make it!

{DIY Crystal Baby Mobile}

I have seen several crystal mobiles on pinterest & since I like the chandelier vibe it gives off, I knew I wanted to make one of my own. 

I started with a wire wreath frame (about $2) & wedding crystals from Michaels. I already had burlap, craft paint & some embellishments at home so those were the only things I had to buy. I painted the green frame a cream color to match the room so when you look up at it, it's not so dark & unfinished looking.

 I bought the crystals 2 separate times to use my coupons so it made it way cheaper. I didn't feel like stringing individual crystals on fishing line or string like I have seen done before...too time consuming, so these wedding crystals are a great alternative! They are used to drape in floral arrangements etc & come in long strands so I just took them apart & attached them to the frame.

I love neutral colors & always had an idea of what I wanted to do in a nursery if I ever had a girl. Even when I ended up having a boy, I still used most of those same ideas like my cream & white furniture, rustic accents & decor. I have had lots of burlap on hand ever since & use it for so many things. It was a no brainer that I needed something to go around the wreath frame & since I already had other burlap accents in the room, I tied this in. To create a "ruffle" all I did was pull one strand of the burlap to make it bunch up...being careful not to break it on the other end. It worked out perfectly! I just attached it to the frame & then hung my crystal strands.

I used a thin twine string to hold it up giving it more of that rustic feel, but the crystals make it seem girly & elegant. I embellished it just a tiny bit with a burlap rosette & a little craft tag I got from my aunt. 

 Matt hung it up for me in a corner of the nursery with a simple hook. It is a little heavier than normal with all the crystals, so I wasn't really comfortable hanging it over the crib. Especially with longs strands that a tiny baby could get tangled up in! So this won't be serving much as an actual mobile over her crib. 

I placed it a little behind our chair so that she can still look at it & enjoy it while I feed or read to her. We still have a shelf to hang near the chair so it won't look so lonely up there =) & the only other thing we bought was ONE shade of gray paint! No, that is not a darker gray or tan color...it is the same color as the other wall!

 I have always loved the color gray (being so much into neutral...I should probably try to branch out more) & it was the color we painted our living room at our old house when Matt & I first got married. Matt rarely likes to buy a sample paint to test on walls before painting because it costs just about as much as 1 gallon! SO after we painted it, the room looked A LOT like this picture is showing here! It was definitely in the tan family. Gray is just one of those colors you have to be careful with...I have seen it look blue, lavender, & tan...just to name a few. 

To be more clear, here's a little sneak peek of our nursery accent wall. We tried to pick something light & went with the color called "Grayish". I love creams & tans next to it, but every now & then a picture like the one above will distort the color. Also, during the day it leans more towards lavender...like the photo below...but its ok because it IS a girls room! =) 

We wanted an accent wall so we could use part of the existing paint color. The previous owners had just painted this room the perfect shade of cream that matched all my nursery furniture!! I wanted to utilize it someway but didn't want to leave one whole wall cream, so we left the bathroom & closet all cream & accented this wall with a stencil. I love how it turned out! We had very willing painters tackle this for us & for beginners...they did an amazing job! 

We will eventually change the fan out to a white or cream one since that one is obviously overbearing...but you just gotta have a fan in your bedroom living in Alabama! So that will be the last thing we have to buy. 

I'm excited to finish this nursery, but again...you know us! I probably won't get around to sharing the final details until months later. I have a really neat cast iron bed that we bought the first year we were married...one part of the frame was broken that Matt STILL hasn't gotten around to fixing! We always thought about using it in a little guest room at our old house...now, it's the perfect bed for baby girl to grow into & since the room is so big, it definitely needs something else in there. I'm happy to say that the bed has finally made it to the shop after 7.5 years...now lets just see if it makes it back home in the next 2-6 months! =)

36 Weeks!

Well, we are hopefully coming to a close of baby growing photos! Someone is ready for this to all be over =) 

We are anxiously awaiting Baby R's arrival. I dilated 3 cm at 35 weeks & was still 3 cm at my Dr. appt yesterday. My Doctors were all pretty excited at my progression & have said they think she will come early, but at this point it is just a waiting game. I was afraid even 36 weeks was a little early to be expecting her but they told me yesterday they consider her FULL TERM! YAY! Even if she comes next week, they will not try to stop labor because she is ready...I'm ready...for her that is! 

I may not be ready in the sense that we still have lots to do before family & friends come to visit. I'm trying to plan Greyson's birthday & work on Christmas at the same time! Plus, I would like some beds around for people to sleep in =) but it will get done one day at a time.

How Far Along: 36 weeks 3 days

Size of baby: 18 inches long & 6 lbs.

Weight gain so far: 14 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing some regular clothes, but mostly maternity at this point- starting to pull out clothes for cooler weather!

Gender: A Girl! So excited for her to make her arrival

Movement: Getting pretty snug in there...still feeling lots of movement but she's almost out of room!

Sleep: Actually getting a lot better! Haven't taken tylenol in quite awhile =) 

 Symptoms: Heartburn & back pain here & there- low iron so I am on iron pills until delivery- Thankfully NO swelling this time around! I think I might make it to delivery with regular sized feet!

What I miss: With so much going on, we have worked non-stop to get our house in order from moving & ready for the baby. I miss being able to do a lot of regular activities, but I have learned when I've overdone it & when I need to sit or take a break. I'm still working so that is a good excuse to prop my feet up for awhile!

Cravings: Anything sweet...homemade cinnamon rolls in the making right now!

Best Moment this week: Getting the kids rooms painted & being able to start setting up the nursery

Baby "Sprinkle"

Ever heard of a baby sprinkle? Well, it's just like a baby shower, only on a smaller scale since you don't need as many first time mom baby essentials =)

My 2 awesome friends (Skye & Emie) planned an adorable get together at Olive Garden to celebrate. 

We were "sprinkled" with so many cute little girl things from my family, friends & co-workers! 

Our food was delicious, of course, because it's my favorite restaurant. They had cupcakes decked out in pink & tiny paci's for dessert! SO CUTE!

 Most of my gifts were baby girl clothes, accessories & toys...which of course made opening everything SO FUN!

I also received a beautiful framed poem called "What is a Child?" It is so perfect for this time in our lives...it will be a constant reminder of why we have children & what our purpose is in raising them.

My wonderful hostesses & the babies!

Greyson loves seeing Jace & Kylee. They are so cute together!

 We are SO very blessed to have these friends in our lives...I have received numerous other gifts from family & friends that were not able to attend & the nursery is filling up more every day! After the sprinkle, Emily & my other friend Courtney came to my house to help put away all the gifts & organize the closet & dresser. I could not have done it all without their help! 

As it turns out, I had my 35 week check up yesterday & am progressing much faster than expected. I still may go to my due date...these things are never certain, but the doctor told me to go ahead & get my bags packed & everything in order just in case. I am already dilated to 3cm & while I know some have been dilated this early & have STILL gone a full month, she thinks I will be a couple weeks early. In a way I am very ready to have this baby...but I would like her to "cook" a little longer to be on the safe side. Also, these last few weeks with Greyson seemed to take FOREVER! but this time around, I am feeling rushed & like I don't have everything ready! I know realistically it's because of the major events we have had in our lives lately. Our family has gone through so much...most people only have 1 or 2 major things happen in a year & we have had several. From losing loved ones & traveling, to a major boost in Matt's work & job taking him out of town more often, a major transition in location moving to our new house & getting settled in...to bringing a new baby into the world...ALL within a year.

Lets just say I am ready for the last phase to take place & to celebrate Thanksgiving, Greyson's birthday & Christmas with my family. Once I get through that, I might feel like I can breath again! Obviously having 2 kids will change my world AGAIN but at least I will be able to focus on them & not on unpacking, or setting up rooms in the midst of it all. We are pretty much settled other than getting the kids rooms done & we will eventually work on the garage apartment when we get a bed in there. 

God has really given me an enormous amount of strength these last few months. I can feel it! Pray that this last month will go smoothly & that our baby girl will be happy & healthy even if she does decide to come a little early. I guess this weekend means I better start packing our bags...this time I have 4!!! 

Happy Halloween!

We like Halloween.

Our family enjoys dressing up, passing out candy & attending any & all fall parties, trunk & treats & festivals. We do not however, endorse the so-called meaning behind it. 

You can choose to celebrate fall or in its stead, focus on the negative side of Halloween being "Satan's day" with all the scary, gross, gory, demonic things that go along with it. 

As Christians, we choose to take advantage of the day in itself & use it for GOOD not focusing or "celebrating" the evil that most of our culture has made it out to be. I mean there IS some scary stuff out there...not gonna lie!

Our church usually does a Trunk or Treat which gives us the chance to meet families in our neighborhood, invite them to church & get their kids in our Kings Kids program. We pass out information, candy & tracks. This can be the best kind of evangelism. So many times our pastor goes door to door inviting families to church, & the rest of us are to be out witnessing as well! But this one day a year, alllll the kids & families come to us. On PURPOSE! It's a great opportunity to share the gospel & meet several people all at one time. Plus when you participate in church events, you usually don't have to deal with the scary side & it is a much safer place to take your kids. 

Last year was Greyson's first halloween to dress up. He was the CUTEST little puppy dog EVER! I did not have a hand in picking out his costume because he got it for Christmas from my inlaws, but it was the perfect idea to use in decorating our trunk.

He had his own dog house & doggy dish of candy =)

We did have a few "scary" costumes come through but they didn't seem to phase him at all. I think he was too little to grasp what that meant. 

Even though he wasn't a year old yet, he was still able to trick or treat. MOMS- since babies that young aren't generally into chocolate candy & all that, it is GREAT to encourage baby appropriate snacks & I was happy people of thought of his age in giving to him. He got those little yogurt melts that he loved, those fruit & veggie pouches, a long with little packs of gold fish & teddy grahams. He was able to enjoy the "loot" instead of mommy & daddy getting it all...because lets face it...pretty sure whatever your kid gets...you are going to get! I was glad he got to enjoy the spoils his first year =)

This year, we did NOT have a TorT at our church. It didn't feel quite the same, but we were totally fine with that because not only was it supposed to rain (which is did) but with Greyson being a little older, & more in tune with "scary" things, we felt like taking him to a few houses of close friends & family was better & a more controlled environment. 

I'm sure next year he will be able to grasp the concept a little better & it will be easier to explain to him why people dress up in scary things, & why we don't. 

Right now, he is pretty into 2 things. Thomas the tank engine (what little boy toddler isn't) & Curious George. I'm doing Thomas for his 2nd birthday party...so Curious George was the natural choice. 

We had planned to actually make DADDY Curious George & Greyson the Man in the Yellow Hat! LOL but the costumes were just easier to "make" in the right order. Matt already had the clothes, boots & dark hair. Greyson already had a monkey hat & I was just going to dress him in brown with a red CG t-shirt. The last week before Halloween, my friend Emily happened to mention she had a monkey costume we could borrow! It was perfect! All I did was buy $2 worth of yellow fleece & made a big yellow hat out of that, black ribbon & cardboard, plus a tie with black polka dots that I colored on with a marker. Easy Peasy. Greyson's was pretty self explanatory & FREE =) 

Pretty sure I'm into the man in the yellow hat & his little monkey is cute to boot!

We went to 6 or 7 houses of family & friends- he still made out like a bandit! G-mama even got him CG snacks! =)

Of course, Mimi was expecting a little Curious George too & planned for the occasion. He loves that little George & carried him around the rest of the night...he even made sure CG had a spot in his bed.

I felt a little left out not dressing up this year, so last minute before we left the house I decided to be a pumpkin. Bet no one saw that coming...I mean what else is there unless you take actual time to plan something!! 

We had fun...more importantly Greyson had fun...& I didn't have to explain what ghosts & goblins were....this year anyway!