clean up... clean up..

while we were in california, josh painted the inside of our garage and added a bunch of storage shelves. 

(pictures to come)

since then we have been on quite the cleaning/organizing kick.

there is nothing better than a closet where everything has a place, and everyone knows where things go.

i have been inspired a lot lately by this blog.

one post that really stood out to me was this one.

i am totally a check list person. i need something physical to remind me of the things i need to do, or they will never get done.

so i made a cleaning chart of my own for our family:

printed and laminated, this will go on our fridge and we will mark things off with a dry erase marker.

yay for a clean house.

randoms

what we've been up to lately:

crafting

 

organizing and rotating toys

 

 family reunion-ing

crawling through black stuff... (baby me in the first picture)

 

 farewell-ing uncle jared

 biking

 swinging

 climbing

and google hangout-ing with my lovely friends

c's nursery

so i have finally taken pictures of cal's nursery.

here it is:

i love his crib! we got it from jcpenny for a really great deal. 

i love the classic look. the solid ends keep things quiet and dark.

i am a sucker for white furniture, and overall, i have just been impressed.

 

yes, the la-z-boy chair takes up a lot of room, but it has been a must.

1. given to me by my mom / 2. / 3. heart sewn by c's cousin ashlee / 4. shadow box of hospital stuff / 5. / 6. me / 7. his grandpa cal as a boy / 8. / 9. 20 week ultra sound

 

i made the book sling before c was born, and had the hardest time figuring out how to store his smaller board books.. well thanks to pinterest, we now have a basket of board books.  

c seems to like the easy access to his favorite books.

sometimes, he like to relax and read...

 

 but most of the time, he prefers to make a mess

and have a snack.

 p.s i love all the natural light we get in his room...

it really is lovely.

things are getting rather spooky over here...

craft made last year with my mom and sharsti:

 pumpkins!

 bats flying over my sleeping baby?!?

 best halloween candy.

the nursery part 1

i have been spending much of my last days working on cal's nursery.

i know if i don't get it done before school starts, it will most likely never happen.

anyways, here it is so far:

 

remember when j and i stayed up way late painting this room?

well, there have been some late nights sitting in that rocker that i was regretting our bold decision... but the more i get it put together, the more i love it.

i am working on a colorful mobile that will go above the rocker (i figure he will look at it more when getting changed or being fed, then he will asleep in his bed)

also, i didn't show the side of the room with the crib because i haven't even started over there yet. i want to do a photo/frame/fabric-ed canvas mural on the wall, and i still need to sew a crib skirt.

 

here are two of my favorite things: the changing dresser, and the window chalkboard.

j found this changing dresser on KSL for way cheap... it was pretty beat up, with lots of scratches and it had a weird flip down piece (i found a pic of a brown one here). we took off that piece, and took it to lowes where they color matched the paint - because it was an old off white/almost yellowish color. we touched up the scratches.. j added the handles, and put contact paper in the drawers. and wah, lah! a very functional and visually appealing dresser.

second that lovely window frame came from a good friend kailee fitch. (see how she used it here). she just recently moved to california (sad face) and was so kind to pass this treasure on to me. i went to hobby lobby and got some chalkboard spray paint and carefully painted the glass. i love how it turned out and can't wait to write little love notes to my baby boy. calvin has definitely noticed it and stares at it every time i change his diaper. 

thanks again kailee for sharing!

 

last.. i got this fun play mat off of amazon. i used my amazon mom/ registry discount and free shipping, and i had a gift card, so i also got it for a great deal. i love the bright colors it adds to the room and want to sew a crib skirt to match. i am thinking of going with the striped fabric you can see in the first picture on the bottom left. - any ideas where to get some similar fabric?

anyways, most importantly, calvin loves it! it seriously is so fun to see him discover new things and smile about it. he has grabbed onto the dangling toys multiple times (proof below), coos at himself in the mirror, and kicks the ones by his feet. plus it is pretty nice that mom can shower uninterrupted now.

 so, in conclusion:

the nursery i was once worried about, i now really love.

and will continue to love more as i finish it with:

the mobile

wall decor above the crib

and 

the crib skirt.

to be continued as i finish those projects...

let them eat cake..

on a cake stand made out of a gold candlestick..

(p.s look how sweet the depth of field looks on my table mat above, i love my 50 fixed)
and an old china plate with a few lil chips in it.

i think it is lovely just the way it is.
the nicks add character.
now i just need to throw a party and bake something to put on top.

i got the plate and candle stick at d.i.
in total this beauty cost me 6 quarters.
yesterday j & i donated 2 quarters to primary children's hospital.
i love quarters,
but i think i like the new $1 coins with the presidents on them more.
did you know j & i are going to name a few of our baby boys after presidents?
presidents of the u.s and the lds. just fyi.

i will be doing my pediatric rotation this fall at primary children's and i am really excited. i think i am going to love it. i think it will remind me of romania.
working with the sickest of the sick in that poor nation was hard, but so rewarding.
i love the challenge of finding something good in even the hardest situations.
making a personal connection and creating smiles.
gaining trust through my competence and empathy.
reminding myself all along the way that we are all divine. we all have worth.
helping others to see the worth in them self = amazing.

'you treat a disease, you win, you loose. you treat a person, i guarantee you, you'll win, no matter what the outcome. '
love, patch adams

a belt and a purse

i drive past the d.i. at lease twice everyday. it is on my direct route to school, and is kiddie corner to the hospital. sometimes, if i have a few extra minutes on my way home, i stop in and look for treasures. i am not going to lie, i have brought home a few things with plans to fix them up and they never get touched... at least not until i gather them and bring them back for another someone's craft day.

a little while ago i came home with this:
a cute bag with awful wooden handles,

and it has been sitting around waiting for attention.
...

so today, after a rough morning of finals i decided to give this bag some love. i removed the handles and used an old belt to make a strap. and wah lah:

the braiding on the belt made it easy to hide most of the stitches on the outside...
this is the end of the belt that used to have the buckle attached.

i am still working on making my inside stitches pretty...

ooo, i love creating.
and i love this message from president uchtdorf!