kapachino

Tag: quick takes

  • quick takes

    I don’t know how “quick” this will be today as I seem to have a lot on my mind but here we go. (Check out more quick takes here.)

    one

    This week has been super busy and work has been tough and I know this is true because I have been almost completely absent on social media, and also I have been eating horribly. I mean I don’t usually eat great  but this week has been particularly bad. I guess I’m okay for breakfast and lunch, but then I’ve been snacking so much in the afternoons and dinner has just been fast food  or nothing (mostly because of time constraints and lack of planning). Anyway, I feel gross and this weekend I am definitely getting back to meal planning.

    two

    Can someone explain to me how my baby turned into a real child with actual opinions? She doesn’t want to wear that shirt, she wants to wear the shirt with the “balls” (polka dots). She doesn’t want to put on her “boops” (boots) until we get to school. She doesn’t want to wear her “jackee” (jacket), she wants to hold it. She wants to color sitting on the ground, not at the table. She does NOT want you to even THINK about brushing her hair. And no no no – don’t look at her while she’s dancing, why would you do that?

    Also, here is a new favorite pastime, “feeding” the dogs:

    feeding dogs

    Usually the food ends up all over the living room. It’s a tradeoff on whether or not I’ll let her do this. I can’t stand the mess, but sometimes it’s worth it to get a few minutes of quiet time.

    three

    So I am still thinking about and making plans for the Christmas holidays even though it’s not even Halloween yet. Right now my thinking and planning is revolving around what format I want to do my December mini album. I did this for the first time last year following Ali Edwards‘ daily templates, and I loved the finished product but I did not like doing daily updates. This year I know for sure that I want to do a minibook but just fill it as I go, but I can’t decide whether I want to stick with a 4×6 chipboard album that I put together myself (like last year) or whether I want to try something like the Studio Calico handbook that is kind of like a mini Project Life. I’m just not sure if that will be overkill, but it might be easier to keep up with.

    four

    Speaking of Halloween, last weekend I was in a kids’ consignment store picking up some shoes for Meredith and I saw a ladybug costume and it took me about 5 seconds to snatch it. It’s a size 3T and I haven’t tried it on her yet, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem and I know it’s going to be super cute.

    five

    Stocking update (the left is what I’ve done, the right is what it should eventually look like):

    stocking progress

    All of Santa is done! Well, except for his floating left mitten. Right now I’m focusing on getting all the rest of the pieces embroidered and sequined and then I’m going to put them on in order. It’s going really well and I think it will be done in time.

    six

    I am slowly working my way through the Game of Thrones series (I know it’s not really called that, but that’s what everyone thinks of it as, and I can’t keep the rest of the names straight). It’s taking me forever because it’s super long and I read other books in between. Anyway, right now I’m in book 3 which is most people’s favorite and it’s really good, but I sure wish my favorite characters would quit being killed off.

    seven

    I am just so glad it’s Friday. This morning I had a new tube of mascara, I stopped at Starbucks for breakfast to treat myself, and I listened to an entire Nickel Creek album on my way to work which was so nice. Tomorrow morning I’m going on a hike with the ladies at church and then hopefully having a nice quiet weekend after that full of family time and crafting.

  • quick takes

    Linking up!

    one

    The internet is a pretty cool place sometimes. Someone who had just bought the midnight edition of Project Life emailed me about doing a trade for some of the seafoam cards that I have, and I just got her package in the mail yesterday. So now I don’t have to buy the whole midnight edition and I can work those cards into my spreads! Pretty excited.

    two

    This week I had to place an order for a book I want to give to a friend (and none of my local bookstores had it) so I thought it only made sense to order one more thing to get the free shipping…right? So this was a total impulse buy:

    liberty cross stitch
    but it’s one I don’t regret in the least. As much as I am interested in all types of crafts, I think needlework and specifically cross stitch is going to remain my favorite and probably what I focus on. I want to do my part to keep the modern stitching trend alive and pass it down to the next generation. :)

    three

    Last night David and I had an appointment to go to right after work so we arranged for his mom to pick Meredith up from daycare. We didn’t make it to get her and bring her home until around 7:45pm and I thought she might be fussy and needy for us but instead she was mad that we were there. All she wanted was for Mimi to hold her and read her books and when we had to leave she cried huge tears and was calling out Mimi’s name for half the car ride home until she exhausted herself. So basically I’m worrying less and less about leaving her the weekend of our anniversary trip in November because it seems she’ll be just fine.

    four

    So this baby in my belly: I have no idea what to name him. I know I have a few months to go but it’s still worrying me because I haven’t come across a single name that really calls to me. There are a couple of common, traditional names that I like but when I think of using them on our baby they don’t sit right. And there are some less common names that I like but I can’t really picture using them. I just don’t know.

    five

    Sadly we are about out of hand-me-downs for Meredith and she has exactly one pair of pants that fit her. The rest are all shorts or capri-length leggings, and as we are finally getting some cooler temperatures I should probably outfit her a bit more appropriately. Similarly, she only has one pair of shoes that fit and they are sandals. So this weekend we’re going to hit a couple of consignment stores and I’m actually pretty excited about it because I hardly ever shop for Meredith because I’m cheap frugal but it’s so much fun.

    six

    Also this weekend I want to go thrifting specifically to look for a bedroom dresser, organize the buffet cabinets, attempt a fall garland, do a Project Life spread, and switch out the electrical outlets in our bedroom. I also have book club and a jewelry-selling party to go to so I hope I wake up with a lot of energy and a well-behaved child.

  • quick takes

    one

    I am so tired today. It’s been too much week. We’ve had something planned every night this week except for one, and that night the toddler was a hellion so I’m just beat. It was good stuff that we were doing: dinner with family, church, and our anniversary dinner (we went here and it was delish) but I’m just not used to having so much to do after work. Tonight we have to prep our house for carpet installation which is a lot of work, but I’m also super excited about the result.

    two

    This week at work has been lighter than usual which I am very grateful for, so I have had some computer time. I managed to blog every day this week, an accomplishment in itself, and I am also caught up with blog reading, Craigslist browsing, and my Pinterest feed. But the side effect is that I have a bunch more ideas and inspiration now that I still have no time to execute.

    three

    Speaking of crafts that I have no time for, here is an update on my autumn sampler:

    autumn sampler progress

    I haven’t worked on it since last weekend but it’ll get done…eventually.

    four

    And here is how my niece’s stocking is going:

    stocking progress top

    stocking progress bottom

    I’m pretty happy with it so far and it’s still a really fun project. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are at work on some of the pieces so I think there might actually be a chance that we finish it in time.

    five

    Here is what I want to get done this weekend, ideally: carpet installed and everything put back, regular chores, Project Life spread, list 9 for Book of Lists, some Photoshop work for a couple of blog posts, replace the outlets in the bedroom, visit the craft store to choose yarn for my blanket, a quick “just for fun” craft that I have supplies for, an IKEA trip, and painting the shelves in the bedroom. Plus I have a baby shower and church small group to attend. Sooo my plans might be overstretching things a bit. It doesn’t hurt to dream though, does it?

  • quick takes

    one

    So, this happened at the beginning of the week:

    sick

    Apparently I’m prone to stomach viruses because I seem to catch one every year at least. But catching one when you’re pregnant is a whole different ballgame. It’s super easy to get dehydrated (especially when one doesn’t drink enough water to begin with – I’m working on it, okay) and when you get dehydrated you start contracting and that’s no bueno all around. I spent the night in the ER on Monday night receiving fluids and getting the contractions to stop (they gave me terbutaline and that stuff is weeeiiird). For some reason they refused to give me anti-nausea meds until I was still vomiting at 3 a.m. even though I begged to the best of my ability. Somewhere in the middle of it I think I decided that I don’t want to try for a natural birth this time around. I’m kind of over pain and discomfort at this point, no matter how worthy the cause. Anyway, I took the next day (obviously) off work to sleep, and the next day to regain my strength. Fun times.

    two

    One slight positive to the ordeal is that I had some extra time to lie in bed and work on my stitching. I probably should have used it to work on my niece’s stocking (I have made progress on that, but I forgot to take a picture this week) but instead I was way too excited to start on the autumn sampler. Here’s my progress so far:

    sampler progress

    It took me way too long to get this far (can I blame my weakened state?) so I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up with it in real time but I’ll do my best. It’ll be ready to display next fall. :)

    three

    This stuff already has me in holiday prep mode. I have so many plans, but most of them involve making things and I think I just need to check my expectations at the door right now because 1) I don’t have much time to begin with, 2) my extra time right now is devoted to the stocking, and 3) I have a baby due in January so I probably at some point need to focus on that a little bit. Not to mention my goal of getting our bedroom halfway set up before then. It feels like I have forever to get ready but this time of year flies by.

    four

    I listened to a really interesting Freakonomics podcast this week about the impact parents have on their children. Turns out that obsessive parenting regarding things like having your kids in a bunch of activities & educating them super early doesn’t make much of a long-term difference, but things like behavior modeling (whether you smoke & drink, if you are kind) do. That was a relief to me because I am not into the rugrat race. I don’t care if my kids are the smartest or highest educated or earn a lot of money later in life. I want them to be happy and I want them to know they are loved and I want them to know Jesus. So I’m going to keep on keepin’ on with my “lazy” parenting ways.

    five

    I’m sure glad I didn’t decide to do seven quick takes each week because that’s just too many for me.

    six

    Weekend plans: chores, lunch with another couple from church, do a Project Life spread, get together with my MIL and SIL to work on the stocking, maybe take a trip to Lowe’s to pick up some things for our bedroom, hang out with the fam.

  • quick takes

    Another round of randomness coming at you! (Linking up.)

    one

    Fair warning that it just might start to get very crafty/nesty up in here. Our new carpet will be installed in a couple of weeks, and we’re painting our bedroom this weekend. I have barely touched the back half of our house and so this is really inspiring me to fix up our room. It’s such a sad state of affairs in there right now and I would love to have a happy master bedroom. I have plans, people. Will be sharing them soon.

    two

    I’m also spending almost every spare moment working on my niece’s stocking. Here is what it looks like so far:

    stocking far

    The lighting is kind of weird here but you can see just how far I have to go. So far I’ve just embroidered and sequined the gold stars and sequined/appliquéd Santa’s hat poof.

    stocking close

    Here’s a close-up; it’s still kind of hard to see the poof but I think I got the hang of the appliqué and I hope the rest will get better and faster. So it’s not much progress so far really. But I’ve never done this before, so time has been spent doing research and watching tutorial videos and practicing. Look for weekly updates on this process.

    three

    I discovered a new crafty blog this week, and it made me so happy to see that she’s a cross stitcher! What was even more exciting is that she has a shop selling patterns, and is doing a seasonal sampler subscription program. I decided to sign up for the autumn sampler subscription, and even though I’m not sure how I’ll fit it in, I’m going to attempt to keep up with the stitching each week and share my progress here too.

    Look at the cuteness though!

    Autumn_Sampler_Sneak_Peek_2

    Any current or wannabe cross stitchers out there that I can enable into doing this with me??

    four

    We had a bit of an up and down week around here. First we discovered that our mortgage increased by almost $300 a month, so that was not fun. Then my car broke down and we were 90% sure we were going to have to buy a new one. All this right after we had placed our carpet order, which was a big expense for us. So stressful when we’re trying to save for new baby! But then the car got all fixed for under $500, and a doctor’s expense we thought we were going to have to pay ended up being totally covered by insurance, and the carpet guy took pity on us and gave us a discount. All in all more than we wanted to be spending, but way better than it could have been.

    five

    Last night was kind of a bummer for me because I came home ready to make dinner, spend time with the family, and work on the stocking. But as soon as I stepped in the house – it was so hot and stuffy in there – I got a wave of nausea and fatigue so strong that I couldn’t even stand up. I laid down on the couch so of course Meredith wanted to lie on top of me and roll all over my stomach. David could tell I was down for the count so he took Meredith to his parents’ house and I ended up sleeping the entire evening starting at 6:30. I woke up briefly at 8:45 to brush my teeth, throw the diapers in the dryer, and feed the dogs, but otherwise I was OUT. I’m better today though, so it seems it was just a weird pregnancy thing and not a real sickness of any kind.

    six

    “Meredith, what is mommy going to have?”

    “Baby brudder.”

    “Where is baby brother now?”

    “Right dere.” (Points to my tummy)

    “Very good!”

    “And cake?”