About Nat

Back in {one} saddle again

Posted by Nat on Oct 21, 2011 in babies, dreams, exercising, move-away, ramblings | 1 comment

Right about the time I had my son, Jack (my second child), I remember thinking to myself, “I can’t wait to have my body back.”   I think that’s something that sneaks up on you in mothering and parenting in general- it’s a physically demanding task.  It’s one I love with all of my heart, but it’s taxing and strenuous, just the same.  Breastfeeding alone is enough to make me want to cup my hands over my chest and say, “Mine!” from time to time (though I haven’t acted on it…)

My wonderful husband, Michael, has really payed attention to me.  Well, he pays attention to me regardless of the situation- I’m lucky like that.  But he really listened when I would toss comments left and right, sprinkling them into conversations here and there.  I’d say things like, “When I’m done having kids, I want to set some fitness goals.”  Or, “How in the he** am I going to exercise when we have 3 kids?”  Recently, near our home, a new YMCA has opened up.  That alone is cool, but then we found out that the Y has FREE “child watch” with a family membership.  Meaning I can take my kids with me, drop them off in a cute playroom with an outdoor, fenced in playground attached, and waltz on over to the gym and workout.  Try a class.   Do some Zumba.  Run a 5K on the treadmill.  All things I can’t do quite yet because my rear is so out of shape.

Michael listened.  We signed up.  We can’t necessarily afford it 100%, but we’re doing it.

So I’ve started.  The mission has begun.  I am going to workout three times a week.  That’s my goal.  A hefty one for our lifestyle and what we’re used to.  It’s a total pain to get there- Jack cries when I drop them off, the Child Watch girls can already hear us coming and I can see them bracing for at least 10 minutes of crying, but once I hop on a machine and start sweating, feeling 3-babies-worth of belly jiggling and (hopefully) melting away (slowly, I’m sure), I’m happy knowing that I’m at least doing something active for myself.  Last week the schedule I tried did not work, so I’m going to try a different one this week- still some stuff to figure out, but I’m exercising.  Yay for me!

My goals?  I’m not one to get caught up in numbers.  It’s not so much how much do I weigh, it’s what clothes can I fit into next?  What (relative) size am I?  Can I put on my favorite old jeans?  That cute skirt?  Will my thighs stop rubbing together so I can wear skirts and be comfortable again?  Can I do without Spanx?  This is where I’d like to be. Aside from that, I’d like to start by running a 5K, and work up to a half marathon.  And I have always wanted to do a mud run.  We’ll see.  Yes indeed- we will see!

Microcrafts: Halloween Bunting

Posted by Nat on Oct 20, 2011 in crafting, DIY, home decor, move-away, paper, product review, sewing | 1 comment

I am so excited to tell you about a new book, “Microcrafts,” by Margaret McGuire, Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz, and Friends.  I was sent this book by Eric at Quirk Books, the publisher.  The book itself is very nice- quality paper, great photos and instructions.  If you Google it you’ll find lots of lovely reviews with photos from the book, but I’m more into showing you what I’ve made from the book.  I’m new to the world of microcrafting, and after looking at this book I’ll be trying several things from it.  Having a little girl obsessed with tiny things helps.

The first and most accessible project for me (given when it arrived with family and friends in town) was bunting.  I guess one would call it “micro-bunting” because the little flags are only 3/4″ across!  It was super easy to slice up the paper. I dug into my crafting stash and found an angle guide for my paper cutter (which is broken- I need a new one).

I decided to add to our Halloween decor, so I chose the paper, and cut it into a few 1-inch strips.

Then it was just time to make triangles:

 As I was slicing I gained an assistant.  Often I have to tell Anna that she can only watch with my projects, but she is totally into using scissors right now, so I just gave her a few strips and traced the triangles on for her- she loved helping, and she actually did a great job.  She also helped me sort the triangles after slicing them so that I could load them into the sewing machine in a pattern.

I got lots of “awesome mommy” points that afternoon- she was so happy.

The only problem I had (please share if you know a solution) is that they won’t lay flat like they do in the book.  My first attempt was too embarrassing to post, so I tried again, lengthening the stitch, and that helped a little.  I tried flattening them overnight with a magazine or two (hot doctors can always help, right?)…

…But they still don’t look as nice as in the book.  Oh well- they are still super cute.

I’m going to make some more for our laundry room, which will be updated soon, so I’ll post more about them if I figure out what helps them lay flat. Maybe something to do with the tension in my thread…  There will definitely be more microcrafting posts coming up!

Disclosure:  While I was not paid for this post, I was sent the book for free with the expectation that I’d do a review.  Thanks, Quirkbooks!  If you’d like to get your own copy, it’s available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Wordless Wednesday #1

Posted by Nat on Oct 19, 2011 in Uncategorized | 1 comment

I’m going to start doing Wordless Wednesday- these flowers need no description- just look!

A Month of Easy Dinners at Crafting Crazy

Posted by Nat on Oct 18, 2011 in family, food, move-away, Real Simple Easy Meals | 1 comment

Dinner time.  Such a dreaded time for so many mothers out there- what to make, what to make?  It was never a challenge for us before kids- it was an adventure.  Stop at the store on the way home from work- grab amazing ingredients, and spend the evening cooking up a storm, making a mess in the kitchen, and enjoying the fruits (and meats and cheeses, maybe a few veggies) of our labor whilst watching the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy on DVR.  Those were the days…

Now we’re knee-deep in picky eaters who turn up their noses at the most awesome stuff.  We offer them home made mac’n’cheese and they dubiously push it away saying, “No, Mommy, no mac’n’teese.  No like it.”  (That would be Jack.)

A few things have helped me and Michael.  One is to plan our meals on the weekend for the upcoming week.  Even if we don’t stick to the plan, we can at least modify it and know that we have ingredients in the fridge to make something. But we get stuck in ruts left and right, staring at the list of the days of the week as if we’re grasping at straws.  We’re bored in the cuisine department.

Last month, however, Real Simple magazine came out with an issue that really caught my eye.  The cover boasts “A Month of Easy Dinners” (October) and shows some lovely shrimp tacos with black beans.  You had me at shrimp…

I was intrigued on many levels.  One is that even as a recipe-seeker I tend to stay in my comfort zone.  I do not wander from my box.  I think my box is pretty big, mind you- I like a variety of foods, and don’t consider myself picky.  I will try anything aside from the obvious cow brain, etc.  But I do tend to look at recipes I’ve never tried before that don’t sound amazing or delicious and I just skip them over.  I like the idea that Real Simple proposes- they give you a grocery list for everything you need for the week, and *pow* you head to the store once, get everything on the list, and you’re set for the week with 5 easy dinners to make for your family.

There are lots of things listed that I have either never tried to make or have never cooked at all.  For example: beets.  I have no idea if I like roasted beets, but I’ll be trying them soon.

So, next week I will let you know how Week 1 went.  Here’s what we’ll be eating for dinner:

Monday: Salmon with Gingery Green Beans and Bok Choy

Tuesday:  Tomato Soup with Roast Beef, Cheddar and Horseradish Panini

Wednesday: Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges

Thursday:  Chicken with Potatoes, Bacon and Cabbage

Friday:  Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms and Fontina

You can read about other people trying RS’s Month of Easy Dinners here.

Halloween Decor

Posted by Nat on Oct 17, 2011 in crafting, home, home decor, Mod Podge, move-away, paper | 2 comments

I am so excited for Halloween this year!  I really hate that it’s on a Monday.  I think that we should petition the powers-that-be and just make Halloween the last Saturday of October every year. So much easier.  Just sayin’.

Anyhoo, I thought I’d share our Halloween decorations that we have up.  I am not a “theme” person, nor do I have the time or money to invest in new decorations every year, but I do love to add a few things each year.  I’m an “orange & black with hints of green and purple” person for colors.  Someday I’ll get fancy, but for now, with three little ones, simple is best.

Here’s our mantel/mantle (I can never decide how to spell it).

(Oh, how I long for a new fireplace….)

I love the little pumpkins in our vase- they are the only thing I bought (at Vons!) aside from our squashes and one other thing below.  This is not my favorite part of our decor, but it’s fun to have in this room- we spend lots of time in here playing and (gasp!) watching TV.

This is our entryway.  I used the Martha Stewart transfers, purchased at Michael’s, for the pumpkins (they are fake). Unfortunately they are not holding up too well because the sun sets on this side of the house, so they are getting tired already- but maybe they’ll wash off and I can do something else next year.  I love all the pumpkins I’m seeing on Pinterest this year- just haven’t had time to do my own.

I also made this sign.  I got the idea from this post, which I found on Pinterest (oh, how I love me some Pinterest!).  I thought it would make a cute entry/welcome sign, so I got out the Mod Podge and got to work.  Turned out pretty cute, eh?

Also, here’s a quick tip:  whenever you need to paint a canvas on the edges, if it’s a wrap around canvas, it can be tricky.  I have started doing this, and I’m sure I’m not the first to think of it, but just in case… I put the canvas up on some books that are smaller than the canvas so that you have easy access to the edges, and they don’t stick to anything.  Make sense?

I find it a bit hilarious that I have “The Cake Bible” and “You- On a Diet” together on my bookshelf.

I found this garland and printed it out.  It was super easy to assemble and put together.  Definitely a keeper.  Here is where I found it (also via Pinterest).

In our hallway we have these things hanging.  I just love preschool decorations- they are too cute.  The bats are actually a Papyrus Halloween card.  I bought it a few years ago on clearance- I think it’s much cuter as a decoration.

My favorite part of our Halloween decor is in our kitchen.  I downloaded all of these prints FREE from different blogs (see below for links).  I printed them out on matte photo paper.  Usually these frames just have generic flower photos from IKEA in them, and it’s so nice to see something seasonal in them- I’m going to switch them out with Thanksgiving ones, too, I think.

(This is a tricky part of our house to photograph- it’s broken up by the kitchen cabinets and it’s a very narrow pass-through.  Sorry for the weird angle.)    Here they are straight on:

Download them for yourself:  Left, Middle, Right

Happy Halloween!  I’ll be doing another post about something else I made for these prints soon, so I’m not done yet. 🙂

If you’d like to see my Halloween board on Pinterest, click here.  If you follow me, I’ll follow you!

Shelf Makeover or… {flat surface angst}

Posted by Nat on Sep 21, 2011 in crafting, DIY, home, home decor, Mod Podge, move-away, paper | 1 comment

I have a love/hate relationship with flat surfaces.  What would we do without them?  Surely everything would end up on the floor.  But because of them, there is clutter in my house and there are times when I seriously want to just open the trash can and sweep my arm across the length of our counters and swoosh it all away, even if there is a gift card lurking in there somewhere.

I’m sure you also have a love/hate relationship with something in your house, whether it’s a room, a light fixture, a door, something.  Enter our shelf in the kitchen/eating area:

On the one hand, this thing is awesome because it stores much of Anna’s everyday art supplies (soon all the kids will use them, but for now, Anna rules the art roost here), and is a great place to throw our keys, a box of tissue, and because it’s where little hands can’t reach, I can put things up there and know that they are safe for the moment.  On the other hand….. it’s seriously fugly.  And tired.  And old.  Did I mention it was ugly?  Here’s a closeup of the bottom shelf.

I spoke to my husband about it several times, and he mentioned that he was worried it wouldn’t stay up if we took it down and put it back up.  For a while we were distracted with larger tasks with our house, so I just pondered what I would do, and finally the day arrived when I had to do something- I couldn’t take it anymore.  So I took it down and disassembled it.  I told my husband that if it didn’t go back up we could just hang some art in its place, and he agreed after seeing the look of desperation on my face.  Here’s the finished product:

The metal frame I spray painted with this stuff:

It worked really well- it really does look hammered, and now that the iron (?I think?) has a sheen to it it seems so much nicer.

The shelves I spray painted white.  I was going to use go ol’ 12×12 scrapbooking paper to cover it and give it some life, but the paper was too small, and I wanted a continuous pattern.  Then my little genius self remembered that I have a large format printer, so I scanned the paper I liked (I think from a stack of paper from Michael’s) and printed it on an 11×17 piece of paper.  I trimmed it up and used, of course, Mod Podge, to seal it on.

I ended up not really needing to do the top shelves because not very many people will be able to see them since they are so high, but oh well- they look nice even if only my 6’7″ brother-in-law can see them.  🙂

It looks so much better.  I don’t love it, but I like it a lot more.  It will definitely go when we remodel our kitchen someday (oh, how I dream of demo-ing the wood paneling), but for now it’s serving it’s purpose and it’s a lot cuter to look at.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

My parents are in town and we’re having lots of fun.  I’m going to post more when I can- I just added lots to our laundry room- but we have to soak up the grandparent fun while we can!

Best. Swagbox. Ever.

Posted by Nat on Sep 15, 2011 in Blogging, BlogHer, family, home, house, product review, Uncategorized | 1 comment

Are you a brand person?  I’m a brand person.  My husband is not a brand person- he’s a “generic stuff is just fine” kind of guy.  The last time he bought me oatmeal at the grocery store he got the store brand instead of Quaker.  I sucked it up and tried it, but it wasn’t as good.  I’m very attached to a brand once I like it, and will buy it whether or not I have a coupon.  I think that makes me a typical female consumer- but I’m okay with that.  I stick with what works.

At BlogHer this summer one of the biggest pieces of real estate on the expo floor was Proctor & Gamble’s “booth.”  You can’t really say it was a booth- it was essentially a house that you could take a tour of.  Throughout the house you could see different products that were in the P&G family.  They also gave you a little questionnaire to fill out, and at the end you gave it to a guy with a bunch of raffle tickets.  I think the raffle was for a new washer & dryer- I didn’t win that.  However, turning in that questionnaire also allowed me to give them my address, and they promised to mail me a “swag box” that I wouldn’t have to lug around the conference- rad!  The guy I spoke with said, “Believe me- it’s a great box.”  He wasn’t lying.  It showed up on our porch a day or two ago and as soon as the kids were in bed, Michael and I opened it up.  It was sort of like “home product Christmas.”

I am amazed at how many of these products I will actually, honestly try and/or use.  Many of them I already use- score!  I also liked that they included a challenge to all of the BlogHer participants to save energy.  Thanks P&G!!!

Here’s a few photos of what was inside:

…and here’s a list of what was in my P&G Swag Box.  I’ve broken it into 2 lists, Health & Beauty, and Home.

Health & Beauty:

1 Box of Tampax Pearl tampons

1 Box of Always Infinity Maxi Pads

1 Jar of Vicks Vapo Rub

1 Bottle of Vicks Nature Fusion Cough Syrup, Honey flavored

1 Box of Vicks Nature Fusion Cold & Flu Relief

1 Bottle of Ivory Simple Clean Body Wash

1 Gillette Venus ProSkin Razor

2 Cover Girl NatureLuxe mascaras, 1 in black and 1 in very black (I’ve been wanting to try this- woo hoo!)

1 Box of Pantene Damage Repair for Curly Hair

2 Boxes of Pantene Damage Repair for Medium-Thick Hair

1 Box/2 Bars of Oil of Olay Body Bar

1 Box of Oil-of-Olay 2-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths

1 Bottle of Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex

Home:

1 roll of Bounty Paper Towels

1 bottle of Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher

1 Bottle of Febreze Fabric Refresher

1 Bottle of Downy In-Wash Scent Booster

1 Swiffer 360 Duster Kit

1 Sample of Tide Washing  Machine Cleaner

2 Samples of Cascade Complete Action Pacs

1 Thumb Drive, 1 GB; this also has some tools for conserving water & energy on it

I think this is an incredibly nice gift- can’t wait to try them all out- thanks again, P&G!

Project Runway…for Stuffed Animals?

Posted by Nat on Sep 13, 2011 in family, ideas, move-away, sewing | 2 comments

I’m sure this would never fly, but it was a funny thing to imagine- I’m sure there are many moms out there who make this and that for stuffed friends and dolls- we should be recognized.  Then my brain had visions of stuffed animals walking a runway, a la Project Runway…. but I digress…

A while ago I introduced you to Bear.   And, drum roll please…  Here are Bear’s finished overalls!

They turned out okay- I won’t be writing a tutorial because I totally rushed didn’t have time to take pictures amidst the naptime and night time sewing that must occur here these days at Crafting Crazy.  I can tell you that it was pretty easy to do, and I learned a few things:  1)  Plan better.  2)  I can do a buttonhole, even if it takes 9 tries.  Yep.  9.   3)  Bear is a tricky body shape to design for.  I liken him to the challenge on PR when they have to design for non-models.

This is what I started with:

Here is the back view (the straps cross, just like Corduroy’s in the book):

And here are a few details:

This was my first sewing venture in a long time, and I’m glad that it wasn’t anything with too much pressure.   My next sewing project, however, is going to be Anna’s part of this costume.  That has lots of pressure because I want her to be able to wear it all winter.  Yikes!  More to come, soon!  My parents are in town at the end of the week- I’m not sure if that means I’ll be posting more because I’ll have some extra hands, or if I’ll be posting less because we’ll be off having fun, but I do have lots of posts to write- it’s a matter of finding a time when I can sit down and stay awake to write!

I’m linking up to

The Story That I Love You

Posted by Nat on Sep 6, 2011 in move-away, Pinterest, printable, Uncategorized | 1 comment

I’ve been seeing so many lovely things via Pinterest that are free downloads to print.  Check out my favorites on my “Don’t You Know” board, here.  I have a big project in mind for them, but in the meantime, I wanted to throw something out there as a thank you for everyone giving me so many free downloads.  So, here’s your freebie.  I made it on Picnik, and it’s not super fancy, but I like it.  You can read below for the background, as you should, or you can just download and move on.  If you do download this, please do the nice thing and leave a comment– I love comments, as all bloggers do. 🙂  You should be able to click on the one you want and then save to your computer.  Please let me know if it doesn’t work!

And with a frame:

So the background…

Do you have songs you sing to your kids?  Songs you think no one else knows, not because everyone else is ignorant, but because no one else could possibly be as in love with their kids as you are with yours?  Perhaps my background as a music teacher gives me a different take on singing to my kids, too- we sing constantly in our house and in the car (which feels like an extension of our house these days).  I’ve been blessed with a husband who loves to sing (and is good at it) and kids who love to listen to us- at least for now.  Someday soon it will be embarrassing, I’m sure.

Anna requests songs at naptime and bedtime.  It’s pretty cute.   She has a pretty standard set list- her “Anna Song” which I made up in a hazy, sleep-deprived, exhausted state just hours after she was born, “All the Pretty Little Horses,”  and a few others.  A few days ago, however, she wanted something different.  I’d been waiting for something new- while I love singing to her, I like variety, and we’d been singing the same songs for a long time.

Being a former music teacher, I have a plethora of songs in my brain to pull from.  For some reason, “The Riddle Song” came to mind.  I first heard it when I was training for some music teaching stuff- my mentor and amazing Goddess of folk music, Jill Trinka, sings a beautiful version, my favorite, which you can hear here .  It’s also from the 15th century, and was in a National Lampoon’s movie, too, which you can read more about here (the lyrics on this link are different from mine, as is the way of the folk song).  I sang it to Anna and she has been requesting it ever since, which is a good sign that she loves it.  Many other versions are so. Very. Cheesy.  So when you hear Carly Simon or Joan Baez warbling it away, that’s not what the song sounds like to me.  The line I made into the freebie is what makes the song for me- I just love the thought of someone’s love never ending, whether it’s love between parent and child or between two grown adults.  Or two kids.  Or two animals.  I’m a sap- can you tell?

I plan on putting this up in our house somewhere soon- not sure where.  I hope you enjoy it!

Flower Obsession

Posted by Nat on Sep 1, 2011 in Uncategorized | 1 comment

I’m trying to find the balance.  I’m making tons of stuff but finding the time to get it on this blog- crazy hard!  In the meantime…

Flowers make me happy.  Every once in a while I will take pictures of them.  I’m sure they are not award-winning, and I’m dreaming of a new camera, but I love remembering something that was only around for a week or so.

I buy my flowers at Trader Joe’s.  I love TJs.  You can get a little bouquet of daisies for about $5 and it lasts nearly a whole week.

You can also see that I use them in posts sometimes- they help add color to pictures.

This bunch of sunflowers was only $2.99!!!  Happiness for $3.  Who can beat that?

Someday we’ll have a garden window over our sink and I can have lots of little bouquets and mini plants growing in the sunshine.  Until then, these will definitely fit the bill.

And lastly, while I’m trying to find balance, manage my Pinterest addiction, blog, sleep, and mother 3 beautiful children, I’m also so happy.   School has started, and I’m not any part of it.  I’m with my kids, playing, running errands, and worrying about what matters most- my family.  Life is crazy, but it couldn’t be better.