I don't know what's happening to me lately, but this is the second craft I've made in like 3 months! I know it's shocking. Even more so that they actually turn out! HA! I blame Pinterest for all this stuff. It's like going window shopping. You always buy something when you just go out to "look." You can't help but craft something when you're constantly browsing the Pinterest.
So I've been seeing all these cute pictures of fall-themed porches and lamenting the fact that we have the world's tiniest porch. I can't put anything on it because the storm door will just push it off when it's opened. So basically I can decorate my door, around the door, and a very teensy amount on the stairs. But, this is a blessing in disguise because then it means I don't have to make/buy as much crap to decorate with!
The main project I wanted to tackle was some sort of wreath or door hanging. I liked the idea of having an "H" on it, but most of the ideas I saw looked too much like somebody tacked a letter on a wreath and called it good. I wanted something more homogenous. So, Sylvie and I went to the craft store and gathered supplies.
It turned out the cheapest, fastest option for the "wreath" part was a little arch shaped arrangement of leaves and such. I'm sure I could have made my own, but toddlers generally don't enjoy spending hours in a store waiting for you to hem and haw over which sprig of leaves and pumpkins would be cute together. For the "H" I found a large precut wood letter in a style I liked and then bought some burlap ribbon to cover it with. I finished it all off with an orange raffia bow. The hardest part of the assembly was not burning my hands on the hot glue. Best part of shopping for supplies? They were all at least 40% off! I think I spent about $45 on everything, including the 2 strands of leaves for the sides of the door. Compare that to the already-made (unpersonalized) wreaths that were over $100.
My other mini project was a pumpkin planter. I just hollowed out the pumpkin and dropped in a cheap potted mum plant. I didn't even actually plant the mum because what's the point if you can't see the pot anyway? Amirite? Maybe I'll get crazy and do a couple other sizes/colors of flowers later on. Ok I probably won't but it's a good idea.
So there you go. Fall decorating on the cheap for a small porch. Just don't expect me to change it when Christmas rolls around...
It's amazing all the things you'll learn to do when motivated by money. Being a homeowner gives you lots and lots of opportunity to advance your handyman skills. I've installed everything from faucets to chandeliers, repaired all from toilets to pianos, and improved my decorating and organizational skills.
Last week I put a load of clothes in the dryer before going to bed. Sylvie woke me up around 2am and after I got back in bed I suddenly realized I could still hear the dryer running. Visions of charred clothing danced through my head as I sprinted downstairs to see what sorts of evil spirits had invaded my dryer.
When I opened the door I was shocked to find clothes that were completely dry, but cool... just tumbling away with no heat. I looked at the timer to see it had only advanced a sliver from where I had set it originally. Huh. That's odd.
The next day I did what anyone would have done in my situation: Googled the hell out of my problem. From what I could tell a cycling switch and possibly a heat fuse had broken. I then watched a video on how to fix the problem which looked incredibly easy, so I ordered up the parts.
A couple days later when they arrived, I got myself setup to make the repair. When I unplugged the dryer I was surprised to find one of the prongs looked burnt/melted, but, I figured since the dryer was still running, it must be OK. So, I installed the new switch and fuse and fired her up. No dice. There was still no heat. Hmm..
I did some more Googling and wasn't 100% satisfied that ordering other parts would fix the issue. I finally decided I needed to stop guessing and actually test all the components in the dryer to see which one was broken. So, I broke out Seth's trusty multimeter and proceeded to test all the dryer parts. Imagine my shock when they all tested good. What the heck was going on?
I think I finally must have decided to check on the burnt power cord and I'm glad I did. Apparently those crazy power cords will keep running the dryer, but the prong that goes to the heat just won't work. Most likely the connection in the outlet was bad or loose and it arced and damaged the plug.
Well, at this point I decided this was a job for the professionals. We called in a real electrician to replace the outlet and check the wiring to make sure it was OK. I replaced the fried power cord on the dryer and that was that. It scares me to think what could have happened. The laundry room is right beneath Sylvie's room and something like that could have easily started a fire. Needless to say I'm never going to run the dryer at night again.
All of a sudden you seem so much older. I look at you sitting in your high chair and I see a little toddler, not my tiny baby. Everyday you seem to learn something new and it's so fun to see you progress.
You are all about pointing. From the moment you wake up before you are even fully conscious, you will start pointing at everything and jabbering away "Aya! aya! aya!" We frequently walk around the house and I'll name stuff as you point at it. You like to point to Daddy in the family pictures and have me name all the spices up on the wall in the kitchen. You've also begun to point out objects when I name them. I'll say, "Where's a spoon?" and you'll point to the spoon I'm holding as I feed you. You also frequently get light, puppy, kitty, Daddy, toes, and tree. You're still working on Mommy and nose. You haven't really said anything other than Daddy, but you're convinced you're talking when you say "da" and "aya" and any other random babbling.
I finally gave in and put away your Jumperoo. You've decided you're a big girl and don't like to play with the baby toy. You have to be moving around! Luckily you've found a few new toys that are more suitable. You love to go into a room and close the door so Mommy or Daddy can't get you. As soon as we open the door you're off and crawling away laughing. You are also obsessed with playing in the kitchen drawers. There is a perpetual layer of spatulas, measuring cups, and other utensils strewn about the floor. You open and close the drawers, take things out, put them in, chew on things, etc.
You've been pulling yourself up to stand for a while now but didn't seem too interested in walking. You wouldn't stand up when I held your hands or walk with your puppy walker that Grandma Denise gave you for your birthday. A couple weeks ago your Aunt Corinne sent you another walker toy which we opened at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Within 2 minutes you were walking all around the house like a pro. Since then you're all about walking. You walk with Mommy, you walk with your puppy, and cruise around all the furniture. I think you just don't like to tackle new physical feats until you're sure you can do it. This morning I let go of you momentarily while you were standing and for a couple seconds you stood there by yourself. Pretty soon you'll be walking on your own!
You have taken much more interest in eating recently which makes me really happy. Your little chunka cheeks are getting bigger by the day and it makes me so proud to see my baby so healthy and chubby. Your daddy makes you pancakes or waffles every morning when you wake up and you readily scarf them down. You love anything in the bread family. We keep a stash of Ritz crackers in the car and I'll hand you one periodically when you're getting fussy. I love to feel your little hand take the cracker and hear the tiny crunch noise when you take a bite. I don't think there's anything cuter than you eating a cracker. Other foods you currently like include tuna casserole, penne pasta with tomato sauce, macaroni and cheese, peas, fries, Cheerios, and raspberries. Yogurt seems to be on its way out and you're not a big fan of meat yet.
You are growing into quite the affectionate girl. You'll boop my nose with your nose or give me a kiss when I ask you too. You are also usually quite gentle to Gracie and pat her or boop her nose. You've also taken to grabbing books and coming over to the rocking chair and wanting to be put in mommy or daddy's lap to read. Your favorite books at the moment are "Blue Hat, Green Hat" or "Oops" as I call it, and "Goodnight Moon."
I recently caved and gave you your first haircut. Granted I only got to snip at your hair a couple times before you were through, but I think I toned down the schmullet look a little.
I know I say this a lot, but I sure do love you Sylvie. Being a mom is so much more amazing than I ever dreamed. You mean the world to me and I'm so lucky to have you.
Probably since Sylvie was born I've wanted to build her one of those small bookshelves made out of a pallet. You know... those ones you always see on the Pinterest. Well this morning I was telling Seth all about it and he's like "We have a pallet behind the shed you know." WHA?! Turns out my dad gave us a pallet to use as firewood and Seth hadn't gotten around to chopping it up yet. SCORE!
So, I spent the next hour and a half sawing, sanding, and painting. I am now the proud new owner of a pallet bookshelf! Or Sylvie is. It's the perfect size to fit into her small room and I can hang her nice books out of reach so she can't tear them apart. Let's just hope I sanded it well enough that she doesn't get a hand full of splinters.
Just a short note on the actual execution of this project. It was really pretty easy, although all pallets are not created equal. The pallet I had to work with only had one section that was usable as a bookshelf because most of the boards were broken or splitting or were reinforced by extra pieces of wood that would have been too time consuming to remove. The section I ended up using wasn't perfect but I figured it's supposed to look rustic, so it was alright. I used a reciprocating saw to cut my pallet apart but a jigsaw would be preferable as it makes a little more accurate cuts. But, again, I figured it was going to look rustic so I did it the lazy way and eyeballed all the cuts and didn't sweat it when they were a bit crooked. The tutorial I used said you could reuse the nails removed, but me and nails don't get along so I just used some wood screws to put the bottom piece (removed from another section of the pallet with a pry bar) on. Luckily, we also had an orbital sander and some sanding disks left over from refinishing our wood floor so that made the sanding part way easier. Sanding by hand sucks. Also, since I used a different section of the pallet (and I probably did it wrong), there was a bit of a gap at the bottom of my bookshelf. Hopefully all the books don't fall out. But, I figure I can always doctor it up with a ribbon or something if I have to, right?
At any rate, I call this a win. I pinned something on Pinterest and actually made it and it worked. So there.
Well you made it! You're one year old. I can't believe time has flown by so fast. You've changed so much in such a short time. You are growing more and more each day and progressing and learning so much it's hard to keep track of it all.
You are now highly mobile. You have mostly graduated from your army crawl and book it around the house on all fours now. You're also very good at pulling yourself up to stand. Every once in a while you pull yourself up and get stuck, not knowing how to get back down, but you're getting better at the down part. I love to see you stand there somewhat shakily with your little bum wiggling. It's just so darn cute. I know it won't be long before you're cruising around and walking.
I can't believe how smart you are. One day a couple months ago I put one of your shirts over your eyes to calm you down as I was changing your diaper. You then pulled the shirt down off your face and I said, "Peek-a-boo!" You giggled and immediately pulled the shirt up over your eyes and then down again, continuing the peek-a-boo game all on your own. It is now your favorite game and you will spontaneously start up a round whenever the mood strikes you. You even tried covering your eyes with your toothbrush yesterday. The cuteness is sometimes unbearable.
Lately you are all about pointing. You point at everything and nothing in particular. We'll walk by the spices on the wall in the kitchen and you'll point at all the different ones as I tell you what they are. You point out at the tree in the backyard at you're sitting in your high chair. You also like to "give" things to people. You'll hand off a cracker or your sippy cup or a toy and wait there patiently until it is received. The receiver must give it back though or there will be hell to pay.
Another one of your favorite games is chase. I have to start it out just the right way: "Syyylvieee... what are you dooooing?" and you'll immediately start crawling away as fast as possible, your little bum and legs going at the speed of light across the floor, giggling all the way, screaming with delight as I catch you. I never get tired of that laugh. Never never.
You can hear her little giggle in the background (sorry my voice is so loud)
Speaking of which... you are ALWAYS smiling. You've taken to scrunching up your cute little nose and showing your cute little teeth whenever anyone is around to see you. Which always makes me need to immediately kiss your chubby cheeks and hold you and squeeze you. Who can resist that adorable smile? No one.
You love to open and close doors. Close, mainly. Which is really fine with me because generally closing a door keeps you more confined in one area! You also love to open and close drawers. There is a small drawer at the bottom of the cabinets in the kitchen and it is your go-to place to find new treasures. You open and close the drawer, pulling out all the big spoons and spatulas and whisks. I began cleaning out one of the drawers in your bedroom yesterday... pulling things out that needed to be thrown away. You immediately jumped in on the action and began pulling bibs out of the drawer in a frenzy. Always so helpful!
Food is a constantly evolving area with you. You are starting to prefer feeding yourself and do fairly well for the
most part. You've recently taken a liking to pizza, crackers, and yogurt
bites. You now have 5 teeth... both sets of front teeth and one incisor next to your front tooth. Sadly, all these teeth coming in have put a serious damper on your appetite. Aside from a couple small bottles of milk, you will only eat one container of Greek yogurt a day (which you LOVE) and maybe a cracker or two. Sometimes we can get a couple bites of pureed fruit and oatmeal into you, but you've been very resistant. Heck, you wouldn't even eat your birthday cake! Not even a bite! Oh well. You still have your little chankles so we're not too concerned.
Yesterday Daddy took you to your one year check up. You weigh 18 lbs. 10 oz. and you're 29" tall. You have learned the ways of the doctor and do not tolerate poking and prodding very well. Good thing these shots are getting fewer and farther between.
For your 1st birthday we had a small family party with your Grandma Denise and Grandpa Fred, and your Aunt Annie, Uncle Eric, and cousins Belen and Marshall. I made a little pink strawberry cake for you which you demolished but didn't eat (you liked the pickle I gave you better). Aunt Annie gave you a whole pack of Greek yogurt and your grandparents gave you some little barefoot sandals, a cute outfit, and a walker toy shaped like a puppy. Your Aunt Corinne sent you a walk and ride car which I'm sure you'll love. Your Grandma & Grandpa Hanson gave you a toy cell phone and an adorable new outfit and your Uncle Scott & Aunt Amanda gave you a board book and puzzle. Daddy and I gave you a little pounding bench and a book that spells out your name. Your family sure loves you and spoils you with so many fun things!
Sylvie I am so proud to be your mommy. You have the sweetest disposition and your smile lights up the room. I am constantly amazed by you. I never thought I'd like being a mom so much. You make my life so rich and wonderful.
One month ago, Seth and I were proud to be able to attend the wedding of our two good friends, Ramona and Gabe. This was not your typical walk down the aisle and say "I do" wedding. No. This was a traditional Navajo wedding. A traditional Navajo wedding on the Navajo reservation near Monument Valley. With the ceremony taking place in an honest-to-goodness hogan. How's that for awesome?
Seth and I were both super excited when Ramona told us that they'd decided on a traditional Navajo wedding and that they wanted us to come. There was no decision to be made. We were going.
Ramona and I have been friends for over 10 years. Seems weird it's been so long. She and Gabe have been together for longer than that so it was only fitting they seal the deal. Seth and I are so happy for them. What a great couple.
Now I won't go into a ton of detail because pictures say it better, but I wanted to show a few pictures of the preceding activities and the wedding day itself. What a cool experience.
The inside of the hogan. I love being in there.
Ramona's family butchered a few goats and sheep for the festivities so Seth got in on the action.
At Goulding filling up the water tank.
Ramona's sister, Joann. Best basket weaver in the West!
Hanging out in the shade house to get out of the heat.
After the ceremony. Aren't their wedding clothes amazing? I think that was my favorite part! (that's the hogan in the background)
Ramona and Sylvie. Best buddies.
Me and Joann. She's such a cool lady.
The amazing wedding cake Ramona's cousins got for her. No I didn't make it... I just got to do the final touch-ups!
My dad got to come along as the wedding photographer. Not a bad gig, eh?
There were a few baby goats around so they got some cute pictures with them (this is one of my dad's pics)
Ramona's mom making some dry bread. (another of my dad's pics).
Those are just a few of the pictures I have. You can see a bunch more from my dad on his Flickr page. It was such a neat experience and I was so glad to have been invited to be a part of it. Ramona even let us participate in the ceremony which meant a lot. She has always been such a good friend to me. What an honor to be a part of something so special. Congratulations you two! We wish you the best in your new life together!
This month has been a pretty big one for you. Everyday you're getting more advanced and less baby-like. You're almost a bonafide kid!
While you're still mainly getting around by scootching army-crawl style on your belly, you have managed a couple real crawls. You are constantly up on your hands and knees, rocking back and forth, but usually chicken out at the last minute and flop back down to your belly before moving forward. You're surprisingly fast at your army-crawling though and love to explore everything. Which works out pretty good now that we've got the baby gate up in front of the stairs. Now you can slide around on all the wood floors and follow Mommy and Daddy around the house!
Speaking of Daddy... you can now say "Dada"! You were jabbering pretty good for a while there and finally realized that Dada was a word. Now it's all you say. "Dadadada.... Dada...Dadadadadada." Your Daddy's favorite is when you say it very quietly to yourself in a whisper. My favorite thing is to listen to you talk to yourself when we're driving in the car. You just jabber away and squeal and generally make adorable noises.
Excuse the video quality, holding a baby while using a cell phone camera is hard!
This morning you woke up a bit early so I hung out with you for a couple minutes before I had to leave for work. When it was time for me to leave, I carried you into the bedroom and put you down on the bed. You wiggled your way over to your dad, put your little hand on his back and said in your cute baby voice, "Dada!"
I'd been wondering if you were ever going to get teeth, but this month they finally arrived. Your two bottom teeth poked through first and they didn't seem to bother you at all. But, a third tooth right next to them followed closely behind and has made you a bit cranky. I'd say you're doing pretty good though and are pretty close to normal if we can keep you doctored up with a little Tylenol and stuff to chew on. Your new smile is so adorable with those little teeth and I get to see it often as you're always so happy.
The only times you aren't happy are when you're getting your diaper changed or we're putting you in your high chair to eat. You refuse to hold still and arch your back and twist and cry as if it were the worst torture known to man. I know, we're pretty mean. Luckily, at least with the high chair, once you're in, you settle right down. You're a pretty good eater and will try most things, although you gag quite frequently while tasting even the most benign of foods. Oddly enough, you don't make a face while eating things that should induce one. Namely lemons, limes, and pickles. You love them and your face never so much as twitches when you eat them. I'm never going to figure you out!
You've got a few other random things here and there that you like. Namely the cat. You squeal with delight whenever you see Gracie and if you're on the floor, you immediately begin chasing after her. Sometimes she'll let you get close enough to touch her, but other times she scurries away and leaves you feeling hurt. You are very offended when she doesn't want to stay and play with you.
You also love to try and eat my shoes. It doesn't matter what kind of shoes I'm wearing, you chase my feet around and try to eat the toes of my shoes. For some reason you've decided Mommy's shoes are surely delicious but Daddy says you never touch his. Crazy kid. I'm never going to figure you out.
Sylvie you are surely the light of my life. Your sweet spunky personality always makes me so happy. I'll never get tired of kissing your little chubby cheeks and giving you hugs and seeing your beautiful smile. I love you so so much.
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