Remodel: Yellow Room Part I

view from doorway. Small, awkward windows but real sunlight!!!

Taping out the walls to do a second coat of yellow paint 

     So as we know, Hubby and I have moved into my Dad's house to help save up for a cross-country move and buying our first house together *squeee* But until that happens (transfer dependent at this point) we have been helping my Dad clean up and re-do some of his house. We have helped him, and a lovely contractor, re-do the kitchen and dining room. We have been living in a downstairs converted basement, which when I lived there in my wild and single-ish days, was huge at 16' by 30' but now with the Hubbs, Baby and the two older kids when they come over it's awkward, small and no privacy (this momma gets stressed when it's my bedtime!). That combined with my inability to maneuver stairs after the C-section, Hubby and I ended up moving a bed up to the spare room and staying upstairs for the past month. It has not been fun since all of our things are downstairs but the baby and I are relegated to the upstairs. With the multiple facets of the problem, my younger Brother (who doesn't want to be mentioned by name here) codename Twigs, and I are going to switch living spaces. He and his girlfriend are moving into the large one room basement area while Hubbs and I will be moving into the two smaller rooms. Bonuses: upstairs, windows, closets, locking doors, separate room for kids. Negatives: much smaller area, less personal privacy.
     So Hubby and I spent an afternoon, painting a second coat of yellow on the walls. The following day I repainted the inside of the closet, the top shelf and the hangar bar. They each took about three coats. I am not sure which primer my Dad had bought but it did not work as well as I had imagined. Hubbs and I bought Behr yellow and it did wonderfully.

see him here

and here, being uber sexy and gungho about this project

Closet painted, floor scrubbed

Hubby was so not happy with these pictures or being informed that indeed they would be put up on the blog. Luckily, he gets over things like that very quickly, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. *insert evil laugh here*
     The closet is just waiting on me to repaint the shelving unit that fits in the bottom. It was an old entertainment center that my parents had painted completely black for my room when I was an angsty teen, so it obviously would not have matched the room now. I am currently in the process of the first coat of yellow after two coats of primer to cover the black. I plan on making fabric covered bins to fit in the cubbies for the two older kids clothing and shoes. There will also be a place for a hamper and toys. I haven't been able to find curtains that I like for the space, and I really want to test out the current trend of chevron print in grey to go with the yellow. I might end up buying sheets, or painting my own. Since we are condensing space, all of my crafting things need to fit on the top shelf of that closet (gahhh!!!). Considering it currently takes up a five by seven square of the basement, this single shelf will be an insane cut back in space. I will have to invent some creative ways to store fabric, machines and miscellany. Hopefully, by the end of next week the room will be done and I will be able to move on to the next room we have to freshen up. Here I come Pinterest!!!

And here are our not so helpful helpers! Marley, Juniata and Baby Steven all watching us paint. Although Steven does not enjoy just watching and he would much rather be in someone's arms helping

Renfaire Conundrum

     Every year since I was in middle school, I have gone to the NY Renfaire in Tuxedo, NY (except the year I lived in Texas). Last year, I wasn't pregnant yet, so I had made a gorgeous costume, green taffetta dress with a black and gold tapestry weave corset. I had also made Eve and Griffin their own costumes, which they definitely will not fit into this year, and Hubby was less then enthusiastic about his Tudor style outfit. So with only a month before out normally scheduled attending, I have now five outfits to make if I make any. I would have to make a newborn savvy outfit, two growing kids, a nursing outfit and something that is more masculine for Hubbs. And it tends to be super hot whenever we go, but it also could be in the fifties, so layering has to be an option. Completely unsure if this will happen in the next month, especially considering that we are also redoing two bedrooms, having a yardsale, prepping for an In-Law visit while still having Baby. A very large maybe.

Ensemble found here

     I am seriously considering just chemises and overskirts for us girls. Even with elastic, which I try to stay away from because I am sometimes snobby when it comes to my period pieces. But this year will be an exception. I also need the flexibility of an elastic top to be able to nurse. Note to self: check if Motherhood Maternity has peasant blouses and save yourself some grief. Eve has looked at some fairy costumes so that may be a slight influence if I can get her to commit to an idea, I will have little issue with it. Last year, our faire had a whole fairy glen that she seemed to like, but we will see if she is still into it this weekend. Mostly I just need someone to hold a fussy baby for a couple hours out of the day so I can sew. I am getting much better at leaving him alone and not having to carry him everywhere (thanks you Hubby, who always gives me the stare that I am coddling my poor infant). But something easy to make and easy to wear, I still have hot flashes, its still humid as all get out here and I sweat profusely, so sleeveless is also an idea.
     For Hubbs and the Eldest son, I am potentially feeling a little more of a Viking vibe, if either one of them wants a costume. That will definitely be fine for Baby but again this will entirely come down to a time management decision. So putting that on the back burner for now to muddle over for a bit. Updates to come!!!

Thrifting: Clothes and Books

     I did get to do a little thrift shopping this week, it tends to be a little more difficult since I only like to go when the Salvation has their half price day and the secondhand bookstore is open. Timing that with when Hubby has the day off can be a bit of a task, especially with the newborn in tow. It is so very odd when in one week, Steven was inside of me and I could drop anything to go out and the next day, we needs tons of accouterments to go anywhere. Anyways, my 16 year old twin cousins were spending the week and I convinced them to go shopping with me. Having another person in the back next to the baby relaxes some of my driving alone stress, I have driven alone with baby once since he was born and I told Hubby that I will not do it again unless it is an emergency or baby can talk. I just can not handle not knowing what is going on back there. 

     We piled up into the car after driving Hubbs to work and getting him there on time and then made the trek into the Salvation Army. Since it was Family day, the place was a little busy. I was hoping that Baby would sleep for most of that trip but instead he had me figure out how to walk and nurse only ten minutes into the trip and then need to be carried for the last ten minutes of the trip. I could literally spend hours in there if I have a sympathetic companion and a sleepy baby. 

I have talked before about how James and I are both on the geeky side and Doctor Who has become a fast favorite in our house, even with the two older kids. My younger brother also loves it and one of the visiting cousins as well, so we have spent a fair six hours straight watching the Doctor. We are still in limbo about attending NY Comic Con this year since I have a wedding (my first as an adult!) so we will have to see if we can organize that crazy weekend. But if we do go, we have talked about having matching costumes (because we are so those kinds of people) and what to do with baby and the older children if they want to dress up. On the off chance that I ever need the outfit, I figured that I would start looking for pieces for a female version of the Eleventh Doctor outfit. Matt Smith has a few different variations on the same outfit based around a tweed jacket, workboots and bowtie. With that in mind and after stalking Pinterest for other people's interpretation of a female Doctor, I have started picking up pieces. Now if only I can get Hubby to dress as a male version of Amy Pond (we honestly debated naming the baby Amelia after her, instead of the Impossible Girl we have Captain America). 

So I found a great light and soft tweed, woman's cut jacket in the right color, maybe a little too light, but I am a girl so it still needs to be feminine and adorable. I initially was going to go with a white oxford shirt, but I like the pink and the contrast that a red bowtie will have with it. The brown heeled oxfords are a maybe with the outfit, I am still on the lookout for boots, maybe an old pair of Doc Martens. But they are too cute and seem to be a relative staple for a trendy fall closet, so for $3 I was willing to risk it.

     Not that I have a little girl in these sizes but... The black and white houndstooth jacket may be too small for Eve, but it will not go bad and since I am packing up baby girl clothes now, if it doesn't fit, I can pack it up for that eventuality. The leopard print one was too cute. I have a friend with a baby girl only two weeks older than Steven and if she doesn't want it then it will go in the box as well. They were just too good of deals to pass on, especially knowing that no one else is thinking about winter jackets quite yet.

     Since I had the extra set of hands to carry the baby, we headed over to the bookstore. Since Baby decided that he needed to be fed while we were there, he cut short how many books I could legitimately look through but I still was able to grab a couple. I was able to grab two vintage hardcover copies of Shakespeare plays: As you like it and Troilus and Cressida, to help flesh out my insane Shakespeare hoarding fetish. I have also been obsessed with recollecting all of my favorite books from childhood. I picked up a copy of Amelia Bedelia, mostly to show her to Hubby who had never heard of her. Those books were the main reason that I did not want to use Amelia as a potential baby name, although it is still an option for future offspring. This trip I grabbed A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and the Gypsy Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Snyder also wrote the Egypt Game which dictated how I spent at least two summers of my life, dressing in old sheets, writing secret notes in hieroglyphs and mummifying dolls. I haven't read the Gypsy Game, but I assume that it is a similar story and that I will enjoy it equally. I also got The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting Projects, but after looking through it, it seems a little outdated and I have used easier tutorials from Ravelry and such. That one might go back to the store. I also got Good Things from Tag Sales and Flea Markets by Martha Stewart, which I am psyched about, Hubby hates her but I am fascinated by a billion dollar empire built around setting tables properly and spray painting old furniture. I love it. Lastly, I picked up 365 Things to Do and Make, it is a little young for the older kids and obviously too old for my youngest but he will grow into it. All in all, the book haul cost me $5. So I was an extensively happy camper!


     In even happier news, today was Steven's one month birthday (weeks wise, not by date) so last night we made cupcakes and ate them at midnight and wished him a happy birthday for all he cared about it. So far he has gained almost three pounds, weighing 11 pounds. He has his own schedule completely and loves sleeping with us in bed at night. He rarely spends time more then ten feet away from me. He is a messy eater but makes the best faces when he is hungry, unless its crying. Every night he gives us two hours of hellish crying and then sleeps for nine hours, waking up twice to eat and once for a diaper change. Everyday when we are cuddling, I am amazed by this little person and all the things that I wanted to get accomplished are nothing near as important as staring at him while he sleeps and making sure that I am there when his eyes open. I was reading to him tonight and as he fell asleep, I was in tears about all the nights that I have to look forward to, all the nights I will be able to hold him, all the books that we will read together. And in contrast, how few nights out of his life I have to hold him, that soon he will be too old for that, and then he will be too old to read to, too old to hug me, then he will be out of the house and on his own and one day he will have the same exact thoughts about his child and I hope he calls me to let me know that I did a good job. It is by far the most important thing that has ever happened in my life and I hope that I can be the mother that he needs as he grows. I sent a picture of him to Hubbs while he was at work just to thank him for giving me a beautiful baby. Happy One Month Birthday Steven!

DIY: Dinosaur Crafts

     A few month ago, Home Depot had a Do-it-Herself workshop all about succulents and how to care for them. Their plant supplier gave a bunch of the plants out to the attendees so I now have two adorable succulent gardens that are still alive, thank goodness. I do not have the garden prowess that many people are blessed with so a low maintenance plant like a succulent is perfect, although we will see how well they fair come winter. Anyways, after planting these amazing little potted gardens and giving some away as presents, I still had some plants left over. I ended up giving them away but before that I perused Pinterest looking for neat ideas on how to display them. Luckily, they are very trendy and I found lots of adorable things to do with them, none of which I actually did.
     But I did find this:

I found an entire store on Etsy that makes them *squee*

 Which led to things like these:

found via Pinterest here

found on Etsy here

found here

Found here

Which are all really neat, and cute and I kind of want to decorate Baby's room in dinosaurs. He doesn't even have his own room yet but still. Then I found things like this:
     A lot less useful, but I may or may not have a slight obsession with toy dinosaur crafts and bobbles. It is on my list of things to do this summer to attempt some of these crafts. More than likely, not the dinosaur high heels. But the other ones are pretty adorable and now I have a little boy that will one day need adorable dinosaur paraphernalia.

find it here at Being Alison

 
One other blogger was at the workshop, sponsored by the Home Depot. Being Alison did live Twitter updates during the workshop and posted lots of pictures all about it and I followed her while at the store. It was a ton of fun and I definitely suggest going to one in your area. Make it a date night with some friends, Starbucks before and maybe a couple drinks after. Especially if you found a babysitter already!
 

Books I am digging right now!

   
     Like I have said before, Hubby and I tend to dabble in the geeky fandoms and Game of Thrones is no exception. I have read all of the books and am up to date on the show. James has a couple episodes to catch up on from the most recent season. He loves Dany while I chose Tyrion to be one of my 8 fictional people I would sit at a table with (I am working on who the other 7 would be, give me some time on that, it's tough). I had heard from someone in the club I belonged to in college that this book was occurring and double checked and it is! While I am pretty sure that it is not a new book, just a collection of the greatest witticisms of Tyrion Lannister, it is still pretty exciting, especially considering that he is a somewhat likable character that Martin has not killed off quite yet. I am in no way sponsored by Amazon but you can preorder here!

 
     I already have read this, but the entire series would come recommended. It is not on my list of book to reread, but if you like dorky romance books, then these are perfect. Add a little supernatural, some vampires an a Southern girl to it and it was almost made for me. Much less dark and brooding then Anne Rice, although she will always have my heart when it comes to vampire stories, the ending of the Sookie Stackhouse series was interesting to say the least, not what I expected but when it happened, I wasn't blown over either. On the other side of that, though, you could watch True Blood, the tv show based on the book series but then you would be completely lost on anything that goes on. Loosely based, with similar characters and some similar stores is about the most similarities that you can find between the two. Read the books for their story, watch the tv show for its story, don't compare the two. Lafayette and Pam make the entire story in the tv show, in my opinion.


     This series has been one of my favorites pretty much since forever. Hubby did a wonderful thing and bought almost the entire series on Ebay for me and since I had only read the first three, I am having fun rereading those and getting through all the others. If you like fantasy, these books are brilliantly written. The main character for the first three novels is a drow (an underground elf) named Drizzt while the following  books follow other characters, keeping the story from becoming stale. Salvatore is pretty much a genius in creating a world and depth of character without the wordiness of Tolkien. Another nice thing is that there are plenty of books that are based on the world and the characters that Salvatore did not write, well done fan fiction I suppose, but I have enjoyed them equally. But read them, they are delicious and I love them.

 
     Hubby and I started our relationship over comics, so comics tend to be a common occurrence in our household. James holds pretty true to the big two, Marvel and DC (although he just corrected me and said that he likes independents just as much). He likes plot while I can't read any story if the art doesn't rub me the right way. One of newer comics that has really piqued my interest is the new Brian Vaughn comic, Saga. It has a definite feminine vibe, a Romeo and Juliet story line mixed with Star Wars. The art is awesome (done by Fiona Staples), the narration is well done and the characters are interesting. Pick up the trade paperback to get the first 6 comics or else you will be angry that you can't read the entire story. Unfortunately, after the second trade paperback they are on hiatus, so you may finish the 12th story and cry because there are no more and potentially never will be any more. But it is worth it, if you like aliens and cuteness.

Thrifting: Books and School Clothes

     I absolutely love thrift shopping. Up until I was pregnant, thrift shopping was a hobby, a place for me to go on dates with friends and grab a couple cute finds, then it was the only logical option with how much I was growing and how picky I am with how things fit. Although in the end, maternity pants (from Salvation Army: Motherhood Maternity brand) and long cut tank tops from Old Navy and Target were the only things that were comfortable. With now three kids, clothes shopping could be an epic expenditure if I bought everything of theirs for retail price. 

My most recent trip to Salvation Army was with my older brother and my niece and Steven so the two or three hours that I used to spend shopping through every item was not an option. With fall coming up, warmer clothes in Eve and Griffin's new sizes is a must. Griffin is in a size 10, but there wasn't much in that size on this trip, but I did find three great Old Navy brand 12s that totaled $6. They will be stored away until a few months (possibly weeks, kids are like that I've learned) and be perfect for Griffin. Eve is a tough little cookie to shop for, she is 8 years old and has a couple older friends, so fashion is starting to become a more important factor in her clothing choices. Gone are the days were green leggings under a Snow White dress with pink cowgirl boots passed as an option. With that in mind, I have been trying to buy a little more generic girl clothes and when she is with me, she can pick out the more radical options. I found two great Children's Place pants, size 8 for length and with the brilliant elastic/button waist cinches to fit her size 6 waist. One hot pink that can button up to capris and the other an emerald green corduroy flare leg. They both fit her nicely and can be paired with almost any of her tops or shoe choices. Overall, that trip was successful. While I didn't get anything for Steven, Hubby or my awkward postpartum body, these five finds made me feel accomplished.

I know that I have posted before about how much I love our library's thrift store, but seriously, I love it so much. I have only been once since Steven has arrived and I was still hurting too much to pay too much attention to the brilliance around me. This will explain the second stack of books from that trip where the only book that I picked up was Crocheting for Dummies, the rest are the Hubby's choices, although I may read the Magic the Gathering books, fantasy books are my favorite genre.
     The trip before that I was much more involved thus my choices: The Good Housekeeping Needlecraft Encyclopedia, Making Dolls and Doll Clothes, Hogwarts Yearbook, two baby books, three Supernatural books (Hubby and I are huge fans), two vintage hardcovers and three young adult novels for my nieces birthday present. Hubbs picked out the two Dilbert books (after five years together, I didn't know that he was such a big fan), a home improvement book for when we finally move into our own first house, and a book on Irish fairy tales.  These two trips cost us around $20, and while I do not have the voracious appetite for reading that I had as a child, I still read too much to warrant always running to Barnes and Nobles when I finish up a book. As much as I would love to, do not get me wrong, I love the bookstore, but I can not justify spending $100 on books like I used to when my grocery budget every week is that much. Twenty dollars once a month or so is plenty to entertain our whole family in the literary department. Do not ask how much we spend on movies every month though, then my frugality ends and Hubby's love of the movie theater takes over. It's fair after I look at my stockpile of fabric, ribbon, patterns and books. Mostly.
     And here is my obligatory baby photo for today. Steven has grown so much already in the three weeks since he was born. He spends much more time awake, laughs in his sleep and fusses when he hears my voice. We co-sleep every night, when I am up to it, we try to put him in his swing to sleep for a couple hours but when he wakes up to nurse he usually stays in bed with me. Last night was the first night that Hubby "forced" me to let Steven cry it out. Every night since he was born, Steven has about an hour of freaking out crying that a diaper change, nursing, swaddling or holding will soothe. So last night, he had to sit in his swing until he relaxed. We both watched him the whole time, for the most part, there was a good chunk of it that I was in full blown tears with my head under a pillow because I couldn't pick him up. But after only five minutes or so, he stopped and Hubby held him for a bit then I nursed him and we all went to bed relatively happy. Hubby thinks that I was ridiculous but I am terrified (completely unfounded terror btw) that if we let him cry that he will have severe trust issues as an adult and will not want us to be a part of his life. James assures me that it will not be the case but I still worry. I keep telling him that Steven is only three weeks old, that he shouldn't have to cry because I am right there all the time. But it would be nice to be able to go to the bathroom without the door open or a baby in my arms, so I see his argument. As I am writing this, he is peacefully laying and practice nursing in his sleep. I can't wait to see his first true smile and hear him laugh but I am already sad that he is starting to lose his baby smell and that he has grown so much, solidifying the fact that he will continue to grow and will one day be too big to hug me in public. *Big sigh* For now, Steven and I have the blessed option of staying snuggled all day together doing anything we want or absolutely nothing.

Family Adventures: Rye Playland

   This past Tuesday, the Hubby had a day off and with the kids home from school for the summer, we try to get out and do something once or twice a week. When I was working, Hubby and I both worked retail and when the kids were in school the chances of days off aligning were slim so we try to take advantage of the opportunities when they arise. He and I chatted the night before about doing something with the day off and the nice weather. Fortunately, having a two week old has yet to stop us from doing anything. The day Baby Steven came home from the hospital, I got stir crazy and we spent two hours at Target that evening. Since we have a year long membership to the Bronx Zoo (even though it is over an hour away and our days off schedule) so we try to go there a few times a year to actually make it worth the cost. Outside of that, the Bronx Zoo is in my top five favorite place to spend the day, so I always vote for it. The five (ahh it's now five!) piled into my little Escape and started driving towards the zoo. As we drive over the Bear Mountain Bridge, we drive into one of the scenic pull offs so I can nurse and the kids can look over the Hudson, while there Hubby throws out the idea of going to Rye Playland instead. While I was not against the idea, I have a small control issue that freaks when plans change like that. In my head I am freaking about not having sunscreen (we never need that at the zoo), no swimsuits, not enough lunch packed, no towels, no changes of clothes, and what was I going to do with Baby! Needless to say, after about half an hour of high blood pressure, I was fine and we were almost to Rye.
     The day turned out wonderful, I practiced nursing in public which is still an awkward event for me, not at all for Steven who likes to make his loudest sounds while under the nursing cover. (to the left: picture of Steven and I in front of the bell tower at the park, highlighting why I shouldn't wear red and that I need to start working on this baby weight) E and G had tons of fun, even James went on most of the rides. There are two pretty neat roller coasters that the kids really enjoyed, while most of the other rides are pretty normal fair fare. We didn't even get to the beach since we didn't arrive at the park until noon and by six or so I was too tired to keep going. From the crowds, I figured that most people spend the day on the beach and then go to the park towards the evening. We had almost no wait on any rides all day, where the kids were the only ones on some of the rides and around five the lines started getting pretty long, not Disney long but too long for us to wait to go on rides that we had already went on at least once.
     Our biggest issues were the kids not wanting to leave by the end of the night and G getting bumped one too many times on the bumper cars and the seat belt leaving a mark on his neck. They went on that ride twice, E was too small to drive alone so James had to ride with her. They seemed to have a good time overall by the end of the visit, well worn out and only a minimal amount of cotton candy was consumed.

The park had a log flume where the rider only gets a tiny bit wet, but they then included this lovely bridge where you can stand after getting off the ride to ensure that you are completely soaked when Momma does not have a change of clothes at all. While that was a worry of mine, James went right on the ride with them and while he initially stood to the side, I think the kids might have talked him into standing right where the most water can soak you. I am sure you can tell which of the over six foot tall figures is my hubbs. Positively, it was warm enough that all three of them were dry by the time we loaded up the car to head home.
     The drive is a little long for us, but if you live closer, I am sure that it is a very convenient play park. I really liked the option of purchasing a "spectator" ticket for me. Since we had the baby, I wouldn't be going on any of the rides, so for half the price the spectator ticket was perfect. The prices for the tickets were really fair considering that it is unlimited rides, all day from 10am until 10pm. They don't let full packed lunches into the park, but you can pack in a cooler and go out to the car and bring the food into their picnic area which is right on a lake that you can also rent paddle boats on. The lines were fair for most of the day but we did go on a weekday so that might have made the difference. Next time, I will definitely plan on going to the beach for part of the day. The park bracelets also let you leave and come back, so I guess you could go to an off-site restaurant to eat lunch or dinner and still come back if you wanted. Over all, my official personal scoring would give the park a 7 out of 10. Distance kind of killed a bit for me and my lack of preparedness might have influenced that score as well. But I would not mind going back and I would recommend it as something in that area to do with kids, at least from age 3 through 14.
     We are starting on redoing three bedrooms in our temporary house so hopefully some before and after pictures will be on their way as well as baby updates, and as soon as I can, sewing and crafts!!!