Aren't I cute?
Mixing bowls are so much fun
Wait, what just happened?
Did I do that?
I'm so embarrased. I just didn't know my own strength.
5.31.2013
5.29.2013
K-drama past and present
I haven't done a k-drama post in a while, mostly because between Craig being home in the evenings and Jonah not sleeping as well at night (required me to actually nap at naptime to survive) I haven't been watching too many. But Jonahs has slept marvelously the last two nights and Craig has been gone, so I do hope that's about to change as I'm in the middle of a couple and it would be nice to be able to keep up with them. But first, the few I did finish.
Secret Investigation Record/Joseon X-Files - 4 stars
I think there are two types of k-dramas. The ones that k-drama lovers love that are often full of tropes like evil mothers, super sweet second male leads, purposeless second female leads and lots of Korean culture tidbits. The second type are the shows that are just good tv and happen to be Korean. City Hunter is an example of the second, and since Craig enjoyed it he might agree, and I think Joseon X-Files falls into this category as well. If you liked X-Files, you would probable enjoy this. It's very similar in style and theme but the acting is better and with only 12 short episodes, it's a bit more purposeful. It even has it's owncigarette pipe smoking man. It's also a bit intense so if you are anything like me, you probably shouldn't watch it on a stormy night when you and your babies are home alone, at least not if you are hoping to sleep that night. But its great for nice sunny nap times.
It stars Kim Ji Hoon who is now in my top 5 Korean actors list. His characters in the three shows I've seen him in (Stars Falling From the Sky and Flower Boy Next Door being the other two) are pretty different but in each case, he totally becomes the character. And I was watching this at the same time as FBND so I think that's pretty impressive.
My one quibble is how loose the ending was. It fit the show and I don't suppose they could have done it any other way, I just prefer my endings tied up nice and tight, with a bow on top.
Best Love/Greatest Love - 5 stars
A Hong Sister's classic. After I watched, and loved, You're Beautiful I tried several other Hong Sister's dramas. They were good but none of them had quite the same magic as YB - until this one. I actually started this twice and stopped because I just wasn't into it yet I recognized that if I waited until I was in the right mood, I would love it. And when I was ready, I did! Quality wise, it's probably better than YB although that one will always have a special place in my heart. The writing is great and has the same zippy and quirky but still warm and fuzzy humor that YB did. I loved the main characters and I even thought the second female lead was a great character which is rare for me (of course, it doesn't hurt that that she was played by Yoo In-na who I happen to love)
The Headmistress over at The Common Room has done a great job of describing it so I won't totally reinvent the wheel here other than to say that I agree with her and I really loved the ending. If JXF was too loose, this one made up for it. Slight spoiler: Give me a ending with a cute korean baby and I'm happy girl!
The same female lead has been cast in the next Hong Sisters drama and while the premise sounds odd and I'm trying not to get my hopes up since Big was such a disaster I didn't even try to watch it, I don't think I can skip it because when they are good, they are good.
In progress: You're the best, Lee Soon Shin
This one isn't over but I'm talking about it anyway because it's a family drama. Family dramas are much longer (50+ episodes) which is the main reason I've never attempted one before but this one was getting such good reviews and has Yoo In-na who I mentioned above so I took a chance.
The description on dramafever is really not at all what the story is about so I'll briefly describe it. Lee Soon Shin is the youngest of three daughters, she's sweet but just not up to the standards of success the rest of the family holds - she's not as pretty, not as smart, not as successful. But she's determined to try and due to some unusual circumstances, she meets Shin Joon Ho, a talent agency president who isn't quite as cool and collected as he first appears to be. His hidden awkwardness is really his charm - he's adorable. But since it's a family drama, it's not really just about Soon Shin, nor is the heart of the show, and it has lots, going to be found in the plot. It's all about the families and the relationships.
And as you can see from the promo poster above, this show has a lot of characters (and only a couple are really really annoying which is pretty unusual for a k-drama!). Lots of characters means a lot of fun interactions. K-dramas often have relationship charts and I haven't seen one for this show but I hope I can find one later on (when all the relationships have been revealed) because I'm pretty sure it is gonna get crazy.
All of the fellows that are or will obviously be attached to the three sisters in the future are adorable and are the funniest part of the show. I'm really loving how a family drama means 3x the romantic comedy fun in this case. I'm also really loving the odd male sidekicks such as the waiter guy and Joon-Ho's assistant. I don't like Joon Ho's sister, his dad or the chicken lady but they aren't in it much.
Oddly enough, one of my favorite characters is the middle sister. And I promise I'm not saying that because she's played by Yoo In-na. I just find her character to be the most intriguing. I say that's odd because at the beginning, you peg her as the sister you always want to slap and even wonder how they are going to turn her character around so that you don't hate her by the end. But within a few episodes, you start to see her in a different light. Slight spoiler: She knows her sister is adopted (while her sister doesn't) but no matter how mad she gets at her, never even thinks about spilling the secret. There are several other cases where you find out that other motivations for her behavior. She doesn't always present herself in the best light, but I think her heart is in the right place - even if it is slightly damaged.
I was expecting the longer length would annoy me and I was worried about doing another show simulcast but I knew I wouldn't be able to commit to a long show unless I started with it but because it is a family drama, it has a much slower pace and I'm finding I can enjoy it at my leisure. And while there are definitely some makjang elements, mainly the birth secrets, but so far it's fun easy watching. There are only 18 episodes out so far so if you want to join in, it wouldn't be hard. I think I'm in the one for the long haul.
In progress: Appa, Eodiga? (Dad, Where Are We Going?)
Not a drama. It's my first korean reality show and it's ridiculously adorable. I'm having a hard time finding time for it since I can't watch it on the kindle very easily and I tend to spend laptop time trying to escape from the quicksand that is my email inbox but I can't give it up either. It's 5 celebrity dads taking one of their children of about 7-10 years old on overnight trips. Super super cute and a nice dose of korea "reality" (although to be honest, it seems pretty real in a fake "plot" but real reaction ways. You just can never anticipate how a kid will react to something). If you think you might be interested, go here and she'll convince you. I watch it here.
Secret Investigation Record/Joseon X-Files - 4 stars
I think there are two types of k-dramas. The ones that k-drama lovers love that are often full of tropes like evil mothers, super sweet second male leads, purposeless second female leads and lots of Korean culture tidbits. The second type are the shows that are just good tv and happen to be Korean. City Hunter is an example of the second, and since Craig enjoyed it he might agree, and I think Joseon X-Files falls into this category as well. If you liked X-Files, you would probable enjoy this. It's very similar in style and theme but the acting is better and with only 12 short episodes, it's a bit more purposeful. It even has it's own
It stars Kim Ji Hoon who is now in my top 5 Korean actors list. His characters in the three shows I've seen him in (Stars Falling From the Sky and Flower Boy Next Door being the other two) are pretty different but in each case, he totally becomes the character. And I was watching this at the same time as FBND so I think that's pretty impressive.
My one quibble is how loose the ending was. It fit the show and I don't suppose they could have done it any other way, I just prefer my endings tied up nice and tight, with a bow on top.
Best Love/Greatest Love - 5 stars
A Hong Sister's classic. After I watched, and loved, You're Beautiful I tried several other Hong Sister's dramas. They were good but none of them had quite the same magic as YB - until this one. I actually started this twice and stopped because I just wasn't into it yet I recognized that if I waited until I was in the right mood, I would love it. And when I was ready, I did! Quality wise, it's probably better than YB although that one will always have a special place in my heart. The writing is great and has the same zippy and quirky but still warm and fuzzy humor that YB did. I loved the main characters and I even thought the second female lead was a great character which is rare for me (of course, it doesn't hurt that that she was played by Yoo In-na who I happen to love)
The Headmistress over at The Common Room has done a great job of describing it so I won't totally reinvent the wheel here other than to say that I agree with her and I really loved the ending. If JXF was too loose, this one made up for it. Slight spoiler: Give me a ending with a cute korean baby and I'm happy girl!
The same female lead has been cast in the next Hong Sisters drama and while the premise sounds odd and I'm trying not to get my hopes up since Big was such a disaster I didn't even try to watch it, I don't think I can skip it because when they are good, they are good.
In progress: You're the best, Lee Soon Shin
This one isn't over but I'm talking about it anyway because it's a family drama. Family dramas are much longer (50+ episodes) which is the main reason I've never attempted one before but this one was getting such good reviews and has Yoo In-na who I mentioned above so I took a chance.
The description on dramafever is really not at all what the story is about so I'll briefly describe it. Lee Soon Shin is the youngest of three daughters, she's sweet but just not up to the standards of success the rest of the family holds - she's not as pretty, not as smart, not as successful. But she's determined to try and due to some unusual circumstances, she meets Shin Joon Ho, a talent agency president who isn't quite as cool and collected as he first appears to be. His hidden awkwardness is really his charm - he's adorable. But since it's a family drama, it's not really just about Soon Shin, nor is the heart of the show, and it has lots, going to be found in the plot. It's all about the families and the relationships.
And as you can see from the promo poster above, this show has a lot of characters (and only a couple are really really annoying which is pretty unusual for a k-drama!). Lots of characters means a lot of fun interactions. K-dramas often have relationship charts and I haven't seen one for this show but I hope I can find one later on (when all the relationships have been revealed) because I'm pretty sure it is gonna get crazy.
All of the fellows that are or will obviously be attached to the three sisters in the future are adorable and are the funniest part of the show. I'm really loving how a family drama means 3x the romantic comedy fun in this case. I'm also really loving the odd male sidekicks such as the waiter guy and Joon-Ho's assistant. I don't like Joon Ho's sister, his dad or the chicken lady but they aren't in it much.
Oddly enough, one of my favorite characters is the middle sister. And I promise I'm not saying that because she's played by Yoo In-na. I just find her character to be the most intriguing. I say that's odd because at the beginning, you peg her as the sister you always want to slap and even wonder how they are going to turn her character around so that you don't hate her by the end. But within a few episodes, you start to see her in a different light. Slight spoiler: She knows her sister is adopted (while her sister doesn't) but no matter how mad she gets at her, never even thinks about spilling the secret. There are several other cases where you find out that other motivations for her behavior. She doesn't always present herself in the best light, but I think her heart is in the right place - even if it is slightly damaged.
I was expecting the longer length would annoy me and I was worried about doing another show simulcast but I knew I wouldn't be able to commit to a long show unless I started with it but because it is a family drama, it has a much slower pace and I'm finding I can enjoy it at my leisure. And while there are definitely some makjang elements, mainly the birth secrets, but so far it's fun easy watching. There are only 18 episodes out so far so if you want to join in, it wouldn't be hard. I think I'm in the one for the long haul.
In progress: Appa, Eodiga? (Dad, Where Are We Going?)
Not a drama. It's my first korean reality show and it's ridiculously adorable. I'm having a hard time finding time for it since I can't watch it on the kindle very easily and I tend to spend laptop time trying to escape from the quicksand that is my email inbox but I can't give it up either. It's 5 celebrity dads taking one of their children of about 7-10 years old on overnight trips. Super super cute and a nice dose of korea "reality" (although to be honest, it seems pretty real in a fake "plot" but real reaction ways. You just can never anticipate how a kid will react to something). If you think you might be interested, go here and she'll convince you. I watch it here.
5.28.2013
The things she says - birthday edition
I've seen this around the web several times and thought it would be fun. I combined different question sets and added a few. I think some of her answers were influenced by current events but I suppose that is part of the charm of being three.
What is your favorite color? Blue
What is your favorite toy? Horsey
What is your favorite game? Be a princess
What is your favorite song? Happy Birthday or Clean up, pick up, put away (the daniel tiger clean-up song)
What is your favorite animal? Giraffe but I'm just saying that because I see one right there. Really elephant.
What is your favorite book? Snow White
What do you like to snuggle with at night? Everything. Horsey
What is your favorite thing to eat? Pudding
Where is your favorite place to go? Grandma's house
What is your favorite outfit? Twirly dresses
What do you like to learn about? Math
What have you learned in the last year? Math
What is hard for you? Wait
What is your favorite thing to do as a family? Write
What do you like about Mommy? Hugging
What do you like about Daddy? Nothing. I don't like anything that is rough from daddy. For the record, he isn't abusing her. She likes to play and climb all over him but if he starts to tickle her or do anything, she shouts "no, too rough!" Grocery shopping.
What do you like about Jonah? Nothing. Taking baths with him. Tickling him and play with him. Play ball with him.
What do you like about yourself? Good mommy to animals
What do you want to be when you grow up? A daddy. No, I have to be a mommy because I'm a girl.
5.27.2013
Three!
Dear Lucy,
Three years old! Practically a grown-up. Or at least, that's how you look at it. I know in a few years I'll look back and think you look so little, but right now you look pretty big to me. Your baby plumpness has been replaced by long lanky legs. After 2+ years of baldness/baby mullets, your hair is actually long now. It causes both of us grief with it's propensity to tangle but once we do untangle it, it actually looks stylish and feminine.
It's not just your looks, you have very few baby needs or phrases left either. I still cherish the few times you do say things wrong. Dessert is tessert. You put off things you don't want to do until "talater," and last night you asked if daddy was almost done "weed wadding" but for the most part you use proper English. I love having conversations with you now though. You can talk about anything from cabbages to kings and always have something to say about it. But you're a polite conversationalist and are often asking "how are you today?" and "which is your favorite?"
You are so smart. The things you come up with blow me away. Right now you are into math. You like to come up with questions to ask me - and then answer yourself...how many people are on the carpet? What if Jonah crawled away? What if daddy comes home?What if I leave? What if I come back? We played that exact "game" for about 20 minutes yesterday before I told you I had to take a break at which point you just played it by yourself. You also love materials and like to go around telling me what things are made of and what phases things are in. Listening to you try to reason out whether ice cream is a liquid or a solid might have been the cutest thing ever.
You are absolutely the sweetest kid. You love to snuggle and hug and take care of everyone and everything you meet. I'm not saying I don't sometimes get frustrated when you cry over having to leave the animals at the zoo or the penguin balloon at the grocery store because you are going to miss them so much, but I do cherish your sweet heart. Of course, in you're pretend play, things have to get hurt in order for you to take care of them so we jokingly call you our little munchausen by proxy mommy because you'll often throw down horsey or green baby, only to cry that they are hurt and you need to wrap them up or tend to their wounds. It's not always you're fault though, horsey is so clumsy and steps on nails every time you turn around and we've had a really bad stuffed animal tummy bug going around for days now. It's a good thing they have you to check their temperature and tuck them into bed.
You and squirrel
Your best "friends" right now are horsey and squirrel. Horsey is a stuffed animal friend that you normally sleep with, play with and take on trips with you. Squirrel is a cement figurine that was in the backyard when we moved here. He isn't allowed inside or on trips but you love to play with him outside. He's a bit heavy for you but that doesn't stop you from carrying him all around the yard, fixing him mud suppers and putting him down for naps with your play silkies.
The "supper" you fixed for daddy - wood bread, wood bread, rock bread and sand pudding.
Your imagination is amazing. You've love pretend play for a while but the last month or two has added a new level. Whereas before most of your pretend play was based on your experiences (like being sick, cooking, gardening), your new love is princess. (If you aren't a princess, you're probably a horse or a bird. You're full of energy but you don't often run - you fly or gallop!) We've been reading fairly tales and you've taken them to heart. You love to wear your crown and cape and tuck your animal friends under your cape (because it's almost always "raining" on your adventures) and setting off on "princess ___ (boat, horse, climbing) adventures.
The Jonah shark circles your princess adventure boat (complete with mop and play silk flag) but you remain calm while you bravely protect green baby and horsey from the rain and storm in your sparkle princess cape!
I love watching you be so courageous on your adventures. You're a bit of a wallflower, you don't like crowded places or groups of kids. But despite being an introvert, you're coming out of your shell more and more and I love seeing you become bolder whether that is fighting Jonah shark in the living room ocean, talking about your show and tell items in front of the story time crowd or having a conversation with the next door neighbor.
Posing in your crown, your cape and your favorite "twirliest" dress
I was a bit of a tomboy growing up and always expected to have boys but when I was pregnant with you and started to feel like you were a girl, I started to really want a girl. And I'm so glad I had you. I love your girliness. Just yesterday you were picking out an outfit in true big kid fashion, looking over all your choices before saying "Mom, I just feel like wearing something twirly today." And if daddy is around when you get dresses, the first thing you do is run to him and ask him "how beautiful am I today?"
A girl just has to twirl sometimes!
Pink sparkly shoes that light up when you walk, twirly dresses, silver glittery capes that you insist on wearing everywhere - even to church. I love it all. But I love how unadulterated your girlishness is. You love princesses but your version of them is just what I want you to be - brave, kind, good and lovely.
Planting beans. I think you are inheriting your dad's green thumb and not my black one!
5.24.2013
Too many choices!
Craig is currently working on a project for me. He started it on Mother's Day but because I'm difficult and can't ask for something easy he can pick up from a store, I'll have to wait just a little while for the end product - this coffee table.
I'm really excited about having it for a number of reasons. The first being that I'd like to have a coffee table to put things on occasionally. We been without one for a couple months since our old one was a cheapo from Ikea. It held up fairly well to two moves and nice calm gently Lucy but stood no chance against Jonah. As soon as he started to pull up, it had to go.
The second reasons is also related to Jonah. That coffee table is also a play table and we are desperate for a Jonah-less place for Lucy to play. She loves to set up little worlds with her toys and people but Jonah is baby-zilla and only wants to be where she is. She tries so hard to be patient with him - she'll start to scream then stop herself, take deep breaths and say "mommy, please help me" But it's a never ending cycle and it is driving the four of us crazy. I'm not delusional enough to think this will solve all our problems, but it should help reduce my stress a bit.
But it's also bringing in a new stress. I have to decide how to finish it. It used to be simply, paint or stain? But no, Pinterest has mucked that up and now I have 5 million options. Stains, regular paint, chalk paint (Annie Sloan or DIY), whitewashing, stain with paint over top, paint with stain over top, paint with glaze, colored stain - ahhh! I can't take it.
I've narrowed it down to a few options. Just a few ;-)
1) Basic Stain similar to original image.
Pros: Easy. Craig would be willing to do it all for me. Would work in a large variety of spaces if it ends up moving to another room.
Cons: We already have several different colors of wood in the living room so adding another huge wooden piece might be a bit much. Not very interesting. Our table has two types of wood and exposed edges so it may not stain very evenly.
2) White/Cream Paint
Pros: Easy. Craig would be willing to do it all for me (partially). Would work in a large variety of spaces if it ends up moving to another room. Would brighten up the space.
Cons: We personally have not had a lot of a luck with paint and durability despite our using well recommended paints and primers and following all the tips/tricks with sanding and wait times and whatnot. Light color would show "distress" fairly easily. I'd probably want to tone it down a bit with glaze which Craig would not want to do himself.
3) Yellow colored stain - I'm thinking the harvest grain yellow seen here) and while I can't find a yellow stained table, I do like these painted yellow tables here.
Pros: Easy. Craig would be willing to do it all for me. Different and fun.
Cons: Our table has two types of wood and exposed edges so it may not stain very evenly. Yellow color is somewhat limiting, design wise. (although I think we are well invested with yellow in our house at this point considering ~ 1/3 of the walls in our house and our new front door are yellow). Yellow overload.
4) Whitewashing/Pickling (either alone or with one coat stain underneath)
Pros: Different and fun. Would brighten up the space. Should still be fairly versatile. Variety of wood and expose edges shouldn't be an issue. Rustic charm might cover up toddler abuse that will surely occur over the next year or two.
Cons: Trendy (would look dated in a couple years?). Perhaps too rustic/shabby chic for our style although look can vary depending on how much of a coat it gets. Craig's not sure he likes the look. I'm pretty sure Craig would make me do it myself.
5) Combination: Cream bottom with wood top. Or painted/colored stain (probably yellow or green) and wood combo.
Pros: Different and fun. Would cover up wood/edges issue. Have been meaning to sneak some green in the room and this would be a way.
Cons. More work. Craig would most definitely make me do it myself. Some combinations might be more country than I want (although style of table helps prevent that). Too many options and I'd never be able to pick one.
Here is a picture of our living room currently.
I'm really excited about having it for a number of reasons. The first being that I'd like to have a coffee table to put things on occasionally. We been without one for a couple months since our old one was a cheapo from Ikea. It held up fairly well to two moves and nice calm gently Lucy but stood no chance against Jonah. As soon as he started to pull up, it had to go.
The second reasons is also related to Jonah. That coffee table is also a play table and we are desperate for a Jonah-less place for Lucy to play. She loves to set up little worlds with her toys and people but Jonah is baby-zilla and only wants to be where she is. She tries so hard to be patient with him - she'll start to scream then stop herself, take deep breaths and say "mommy, please help me" But it's a never ending cycle and it is driving the four of us crazy. I'm not delusional enough to think this will solve all our problems, but it should help reduce my stress a bit.
But it's also bringing in a new stress. I have to decide how to finish it. It used to be simply, paint or stain? But no, Pinterest has mucked that up and now I have 5 million options. Stains, regular paint, chalk paint (Annie Sloan or DIY), whitewashing, stain with paint over top, paint with stain over top, paint with glaze, colored stain - ahhh! I can't take it.
I've narrowed it down to a few options. Just a few ;-)
1) Basic Stain similar to original image.
Pros: Easy. Craig would be willing to do it all for me. Would work in a large variety of spaces if it ends up moving to another room.
Cons: We already have several different colors of wood in the living room so adding another huge wooden piece might be a bit much. Not very interesting. Our table has two types of wood and exposed edges so it may not stain very evenly.
2) White/Cream Paint
Pros: Easy. Craig would be willing to do it all for me (partially). Would work in a large variety of spaces if it ends up moving to another room. Would brighten up the space.
Cons: We personally have not had a lot of a luck with paint and durability despite our using well recommended paints and primers and following all the tips/tricks with sanding and wait times and whatnot. Light color would show "distress" fairly easily. I'd probably want to tone it down a bit with glaze which Craig would not want to do himself.
3) Yellow colored stain - I'm thinking the harvest grain yellow seen here) and while I can't find a yellow stained table, I do like these painted yellow tables here.
Cons: Our table has two types of wood and exposed edges so it may not stain very evenly. Yellow color is somewhat limiting, design wise. (although I think we are well invested with yellow in our house at this point considering ~ 1/3 of the walls in our house and our new front door are yellow). Yellow overload.
4) Whitewashing/Pickling (either alone or with one coat stain underneath)
Cons: Trendy (would look dated in a couple years?). Perhaps too rustic/shabby chic for our style although look can vary depending on how much of a coat it gets. Craig's not sure he likes the look. I'm pretty sure Craig would make me do it myself.
5) Combination: Cream bottom with wood top. Or painted/colored stain (probably yellow or green) and wood combo.
Pros: Different and fun. Would cover up wood/edges issue. Have been meaning to sneak some green in the room and this would be a way.
Cons. More work. Craig would most definitely make me do it myself. Some combinations might be more country than I want (although style of table helps prevent that). Too many options and I'd never be able to pick one.
Here is a picture of our living room currently.
I think I'm leaning whitewash - if I can try it out on some scrap pine to see if Craig and I can get something we both like and agree on. But then again, I've changed my mind 3 times already so by the time you're reading this, I could have moved on. Any thoughts?
5.21.2013
8 months!
Dear Jonah,
Bigger, better, faster. That's what this month has been about. You're into everything! You're crawling a fair amount and can now climb up stairs, into the dishwasher, on and off your floor bed (and notable Lucy's as well - she does not appreciate that new skill of yours).
But like to be upright even more -
walking with your walker wagon or whatever box or basket you can find and this past week, you've started cruising around the furniture.
You also really love Lucy. You just want to be right where she is. Luckily you are also starting to get old enough for her to play with you a bit and I'm guessing it won't be long before you true partners in crime.
But everything else - still goes in your mouth. Oh well, good for your immunity :-)
Speaking of eating, you finally really like eating food. Overnight you went from enjoying food for playing to really really liking to eat. Blueberries and salmon have been two of your favorites but that bagel you grabbed at church seemed to be well received as well.
All that playing really wears you out (unless you are sick like you were the last few days in which case you decide to skip sleeping and napping, thank goodness you decided today was a good day to start up again). And unlike your sister, your becoming a daddy's boy when it comes to bedtime. Sometimes you want me to nurse you to sleep, other times you prefer him to hold you on the front porch.
5.20.2013
New Pillows!
It really is the little things that make a differnence, isn't it. I've been meaning to get new throw pillows for a while and earlier this week, I finally got around to it when T.J. Maxx happened be right next door the the restaurant Craig took us to for Mother's Day. And T.J. Maxx is the place to go for pillows.
First up is the bedroom. I scored this guy on sale for $13.00.!
I know, I can hear you all now "It's so you, MacKenzie, you love polyester so much and that pattern just contains all the bright colors and geometric patterns you are so fond of." Okay, not so much. But I know the secret to good pillow and that's feathers. A feather pillow is a plump and squishy ball of wonderfulness. Once you're used to it, a fiber pillow is worthless. Try it but beware, you'll never go back. Unless you're allergic to feathers and then well, I'm sorry, that stinks. So to repeat:
In this case I already had the fabric picked out (it had actually been sitting on my dresser since I made those curtains - both fabrics are Amy Butler) so I found the cheapest one that was the shape I wanted. And boy was it ugly. So ugly I wanted to tell the cashier that I was only buying it for the insides, I had better taste than that but I didn't because that seemed weird.
But 10 seconds later I had zipped off that cover and trashed it. And 15 minutes later, my bed looked like this
except darker and sans horse because I did this 9pm when the kids (and horsey) were safely tucked in bed but took the pictures this morning when they were awake.
I also picked up pillows for our couch. I had two pillows on it originally that had come as hand me downs with the couch. They were nice pottery barn covers and they actually matched the room fairly well but I happen to know that they were one of Kip's (you know, that dog) favorite spots to rest. He would jump up on the couch then sit on them and wiggle his butt on them until he was comfortable, then spin around and rest his head on them. I had washed them several times but the memories lingered and nothing inspires me to relax like lying down on a butt pillow. They had to go.
I took one form to use for the dark blue pillow above and was thinking I would just find another one the same size and make new covers for the couch but I found really cute ones, down filled of course, so I didn't even have to bother.
The teal and tan pillows are from T.J. Maxx and the other is original left over. I was determined to use it so I rummaged around in my fabric bin and found a burlap sack from my brother's wedding. It happened to be just the width of the pillow so I stuck in in there and tucked the extra flap inside. No sewing necessary! I've seen a lot of people use a sharpie to embellish their burlap pillow but I would only be allowed to do that if I could come up with something Craig would approve of. Nothing cute or sentimental like "Live Laugh Love" or "L Established 2007" would pass muster.
The couch ended up matching the red in our rug pretty well and I'm glad to be rid of the $50 saggy striped monstrosity we had been living with but the red leather is a bit dark. I think the pillows help cover that up a bit, more so in real life than in the picture.
Of course, seeing this picture reminds me that the new couch is also quite a bit longer than the old one so I really need to add something to the wall. Luckily, I just read through handmade walls and have found the perfect project to go on either side of the shelves. Just don't tell Craig it requires a saw. He's still working on another project for me and I might have a mutiny on my hands if that gets out ;-)
All together the three pillows and fabric cost just over $50 which I think is pretty good for 5 non-butt feather pillows.
First up is the bedroom. I scored this guy on sale for $13.00.!
I know, I can hear you all now "It's so you, MacKenzie, you love polyester so much and that pattern just contains all the bright colors and geometric patterns you are so fond of." Okay, not so much. But I know the secret to good pillow and that's feathers. A feather pillow is a plump and squishy ball of wonderfulness. Once you're used to it, a fiber pillow is worthless. Try it but beware, you'll never go back. Unless you're allergic to feathers and then well, I'm sorry, that stinks. So to repeat:
In this case I already had the fabric picked out (it had actually been sitting on my dresser since I made those curtains - both fabrics are Amy Butler) so I found the cheapest one that was the shape I wanted. And boy was it ugly. So ugly I wanted to tell the cashier that I was only buying it for the insides, I had better taste than that but I didn't because that seemed weird.
But 10 seconds later I had zipped off that cover and trashed it. And 15 minutes later, my bed looked like this
except darker and sans horse because I did this 9pm when the kids (and horsey) were safely tucked in bed but took the pictures this morning when they were awake.
I also picked up pillows for our couch. I had two pillows on it originally that had come as hand me downs with the couch. They were nice pottery barn covers and they actually matched the room fairly well but I happen to know that they were one of Kip's (you know, that dog) favorite spots to rest. He would jump up on the couch then sit on them and wiggle his butt on them until he was comfortable, then spin around and rest his head on them. I had washed them several times but the memories lingered and nothing inspires me to relax like lying down on a butt pillow. They had to go.
I took one form to use for the dark blue pillow above and was thinking I would just find another one the same size and make new covers for the couch but I found really cute ones, down filled of course, so I didn't even have to bother.
The couch ended up matching the red in our rug pretty well and I'm glad to be rid of the $50 saggy striped monstrosity we had been living with but the red leather is a bit dark. I think the pillows help cover that up a bit, more so in real life than in the picture.
Of course, seeing this picture reminds me that the new couch is also quite a bit longer than the old one so I really need to add something to the wall. Luckily, I just read through handmade walls and have found the perfect project to go on either side of the shelves. Just don't tell Craig it requires a saw. He's still working on another project for me and I might have a mutiny on my hands if that gets out ;-)
All together the three pillows and fabric cost just over $50 which I think is pretty good for 5 non-butt feather pillows.
5.17.2013
Joyful Learning in April
April was all about birds. Technically, it was supposed to be about birds for half the month and baking for the other half but we never got around to baking. We do a lot of baking on our own so having Lucy help me make bread or pizza would be similar to asking her to help me fold laundry or put away dishes - she likes to help me do those things but would not consider them to be special fun school projects. It worked out since we were sick a lot of April anyway.
But don't feel bad for us, we had a great time learning about birds! In fact, I was a bit sad looking over the pictures because I did a really bad job capturing all the fun we had. A lot of our bird fun involved talking, watching and imagining and those don't always make good pictures. I'd rather have good memories than good pictures but it makes it a bit harder to blog about.
We started by talking about the parts of a bird and colored in a little booklet. Talking about the parts of the bird led to a discussion about how we could describe birds and identify them. We then did this matching game. Our printer was out of color ink and it ended up being much harder if printed in black and white, oops!
I had a neat birds of Missouri poster from our conservation department and I actually cut it up and laminated the individual birds so that I could put them on a ring. I only put a few on to start with, ones I had seen in our yard before. As we've seen new ones, we've added them to our ring. It makes it easy for Lucy to flip through and find the right one and I can read her the name. It's been less than 6 weeks since we started this and she can already identify 4-5 by sight.
To encourage us to remember to actually watch for birds, I picked four birds from this printable that were easy to identify and that I knew we saw fairly consistently and she pasted them on top of a large piece of paper. For a whole week we marked what birds we saw everyday, counted them and talked about more and less.
We also learned that you can identify birds by their sounds. I am not very good at this but we had a fun time listening to the different sounds here. This activity was even more fun once we realized the cat didn't know the birds weren't actually in the room and would search frantically for them every time we played one. Apparently she is better at bird song identification than we are :-)
Then she decided she just wanted to draw some birds by herself.
I know I'm biased but I think she did a great job and I even took my favorite to be a cover for a binder. Nothing brightens up my organizational supplies like kid's art. In case you are wondering, it is a harrier hawk and its nest. She told me it was but I didn't know what a harrier hawk was so I had to google it because I kept asking if she was saying "carrier hawk" (which isn't really a type of hawk but I don't know hawks and I guess I was thinking about carrier pigeons) and she was getting upset with me. I have no idea how she knows what a harrier hawk is but there you go!
Another day we sorted feathers and made patterns.
And we even made two types of nests. The first was made out of yarn and mod podge using a balloon as a base (we popped it once everything was dry).
I was really impressed at Lucy's cutting skills. We haven't done much cutting lately because her scissors got lost but I recently found them and thought she might be able to handle cutting the yarn if I held it for her. But then I turned around to get something and when I turned back, she had already cut some all by herself. I guess I should also be thankful that she only cut the yarn!
The second type of nest was made out of chow mein noodles, chocolate chips and jelly beans leftover from Easter. Not a particularly healthy snack but I was trying to use up things I had on hand. This is another cute nest snack if you are hoping for something healthier. We also watched a bird hatch out of an egg and hung up some pretty birds in the window (and a chance for threading and more cutting practice).
The best parts of the bird unit were the unplanned ones. She did a lot of pretending this month. She started to pick out outfits so that she could be specific birds (her favorite was red shirt = robin) and call us different birds according to what colors were were wearing. Then she would find whatever empty basket or box she could, fill it with her silkies and plastic Easter eggs and sit on "her nest." Even when I thought she wasn't pretending to be a bird, she probably was because everytime she got hurt, she would start crying "cheep cheep, mommy, the baby bird hurt her toe, tripped, etc."
I did get these pictures of her being a robin in the rain. She sings the song "Robin in the rain, what a saucy devil" which in case you are unaware, is not quite how it is supposed to go but there is no changing her mind once she's decided. And yes, I'm the mom who buys her kid awesome rain pants but completely forgets that she doesn't have a rain jacket or rain boots.
And that's what we did last month.
But don't feel bad for us, we had a great time learning about birds! In fact, I was a bit sad looking over the pictures because I did a really bad job capturing all the fun we had. A lot of our bird fun involved talking, watching and imagining and those don't always make good pictures. I'd rather have good memories than good pictures but it makes it a bit harder to blog about.
We started by talking about the parts of a bird and colored in a little booklet. Talking about the parts of the bird led to a discussion about how we could describe birds and identify them. We then did this matching game. Our printer was out of color ink and it ended up being much harder if printed in black and white, oops!
I had a neat birds of Missouri poster from our conservation department and I actually cut it up and laminated the individual birds so that I could put them on a ring. I only put a few on to start with, ones I had seen in our yard before. As we've seen new ones, we've added them to our ring. It makes it easy for Lucy to flip through and find the right one and I can read her the name. It's been less than 6 weeks since we started this and she can already identify 4-5 by sight.
To encourage us to remember to actually watch for birds, I picked four birds from this printable that were easy to identify and that I knew we saw fairly consistently and she pasted them on top of a large piece of paper. For a whole week we marked what birds we saw everyday, counted them and talked about more and less.
We also learned that you can identify birds by their sounds. I am not very good at this but we had a fun time listening to the different sounds here. This activity was even more fun once we realized the cat didn't know the birds weren't actually in the room and would search frantically for them every time we played one. Apparently she is better at bird song identification than we are :-)
Then she decided she just wanted to draw some birds by herself.
I know I'm biased but I think she did a great job and I even took my favorite to be a cover for a binder. Nothing brightens up my organizational supplies like kid's art. In case you are wondering, it is a harrier hawk and its nest. She told me it was but I didn't know what a harrier hawk was so I had to google it because I kept asking if she was saying "carrier hawk" (which isn't really a type of hawk but I don't know hawks and I guess I was thinking about carrier pigeons) and she was getting upset with me. I have no idea how she knows what a harrier hawk is but there you go!
Another day we sorted feathers and made patterns.
And we even made two types of nests. The first was made out of yarn and mod podge using a balloon as a base (we popped it once everything was dry).
I was really impressed at Lucy's cutting skills. We haven't done much cutting lately because her scissors got lost but I recently found them and thought she might be able to handle cutting the yarn if I held it for her. But then I turned around to get something and when I turned back, she had already cut some all by herself. I guess I should also be thankful that she only cut the yarn!
The second type of nest was made out of chow mein noodles, chocolate chips and jelly beans leftover from Easter. Not a particularly healthy snack but I was trying to use up things I had on hand. This is another cute nest snack if you are hoping for something healthier. We also watched a bird hatch out of an egg and hung up some pretty birds in the window (and a chance for threading and more cutting practice).
The best parts of the bird unit were the unplanned ones. She did a lot of pretending this month. She started to pick out outfits so that she could be specific birds (her favorite was red shirt = robin) and call us different birds according to what colors were were wearing. Then she would find whatever empty basket or box she could, fill it with her silkies and plastic Easter eggs and sit on "her nest." Even when I thought she wasn't pretending to be a bird, she probably was because everytime she got hurt, she would start crying "cheep cheep, mommy, the baby bird hurt her toe, tripped, etc."
I did get these pictures of her being a robin in the rain. She sings the song "Robin in the rain, what a saucy devil" which in case you are unaware, is not quite how it is supposed to go but there is no changing her mind once she's decided. And yes, I'm the mom who buys her kid awesome rain pants but completely forgets that she doesn't have a rain jacket or rain boots.
At first she wouldn't go out in the rain but this was also the day our new furnace was being installed and she saw the penguins on the truck and had to go give them a hug. Once she was out there, she had no trouble splashing away,
And that's what we did last month.
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