Unplanned Weekend

Josh and I purchased our home earlier this year and although we love it there are few things that we don't like.  Aesthetically, some things just aren't quite to my liking.  The front door was a reddish purple and although a pretty color I did not prefer it for my door.  So, my Mom painted it for me!  It looks so much prettier and "cool" than the old color.

On Sunday, Josh and I were going to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary at the shooting range but it was closed so we hit up Lowe's instead.  Not quite how most people would spend their anniversary but it was nice to have a couple hours of alone time and be able to eat lunch without worrying about sippy cups, spills and straw papers being shot across the restaurant.  We know you are supposed to change your locks when you move into a new house so we were a bit behind the game but now that we have new color we also have new locks!

We have a sliding glass door in our kitchen.  It's lovely because it opens right up to the deck and on nicer days lets in a wonderful breeze.  The downside is that about 25 feet away is our neighbors kitchen window.  We have great neighbors but one night I looked over and realized that we were doing dishes together...in our pajamas!  So, curtains are in order!  I've had fabric since before we moved in but have not had the time to whip them together.  With my Mom up this weekend we tag teamed and got them done in a few hours!  Rory was fascinated by the sewing machine and wanted to help me guide the fabric through.  I was surprised but he sat patiently, followed my instructions and between the two of us finished one side of the curtain.

My Dad installed the curtain rod and voila!  It really made the space look complete and helped the doors look more polished.

See that small window?  That is our neighbor--they really are great people but a little privacy is a good thing.

As if all of that weren't enough excitement look at what else has been happening!  Behind our house is a huge pond and in front of that a small creek.  Rory is not afraid of the water and that made this mama quite nervous.  Although he is never in the yard without supervision he moves so fast.  I've heard similar stories from other mom's with toddlers.  For being only 3 feet tall they really can cover some serious ground so we felt like a fence was a must.  In addition to keeping Rory safe from the road and water our family is expanding (by four furry legs)!  More on that later but here is what the yard looks like....

Overall, I would have just been happy to have the house kept clean over the past 4 days so maybe it's better to go into things without having a plan!

Homemade Child's Neck Pillow

All too often my little man falls asleep in the car.  We travel a fair amount and try to do it at nap time so Rory can sleep in the car.  Our family is about 120 miles away and we make the drive about times a month.  Rory is a great traveler!  I always feel bad though when he falls asleep and his little head bobs back and forth.  You can easily find neck pillows for adults but I wanted a child size one.  With my new motto of being homemade and using what I have on hand I decided to try and make one.  It was such an easy project and worth the effort!

I started by making a "U" shape pattern out of tissue paper and pinning it to my fabric.  Make sure the fabric is layered so you are cutting out 2 pieces at the same time.

Once the pieces are cut, pin the right sides together.  In other words, you will see the wrong side of the fabric.

Then sew the pieces together leaving a small opening for stuffing.

Start stuffing!  This was the only part of the project that I had to buy.  A small bag of stuffing cost $3 and I still have plenty left!

 Once the pillow is stuffed, sew up the small opening my hand...and that, my friends, is it!

This pillow was VERY worth the effort...it probably took about an hour from start to finish.  No more head bobbing here!

Don't worry--I took the picture at a stop light!  I think this pillow is going to get plenty of use.

Sewing Project

My first hurdle in becoming more "homemade" was a birthday party invite for our neighbor's little girl.  Rory and the little girl play together quite a bit and we have become great friends with this family.  We both are "not from the area" so we end up doing things together.  I racked my brain on what to get a 2 year old little girl for a birthday present but was coming up with very little.  Her family is moving at the end of the year so I didn't want to buy a bulky toy that would not move well and clothes didn't seem like a good option since the climate here does not match where they are going.  I wanted to get something special that would mean more than a toy or outfit.

Then it hit me!  Her mom and I took a sewing class earlier this year and we made aprons.  It fits in perfect with my "homemade lifestyle" journey.  So, if her Mom has an apron then she needs one to match!!  Perfect, right?!? 

I made my own pattern out of tissue paper and purchased fabric to match her Moms.  What do you think?

Rory was a willing model so here is what it looks like on...

I asked Rory if he would like one and he said "yes" but promptly said "airplanes on it."  Lemons just don't fit his style!