Designs by Stephie

Dirt Park

2012-02-02T17:59:00.001-08:00

5 months!

2012-01-28T07:21:00.001-08:00

5 months

2012-01-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

5 months ago I was in labor and my mid-wife was arriving. In a few hours I would be welcoming a wonderful and beautiful baby BOY into the world. At home. Incredible and amazing; I still get so excited thinking about it. I want to do it all over again. But I'm also okay waiting a tiny bit, too. I mean, as exhilarating as it was, it was also painful.

John Martin Luther Crews: incredible person; I love you. I think you are just about perfect and I am so thankful for you!

Current activities include:
*getting up on all fours with a rocking motion
*sitting up "tri-pod" style
*flipping from back to tummy ALWAYS
*sucking top two fingers for comfort and rest
*smiling at EVERYONE
*laughing hysterically when I kiss your neck
*nursing beautifully
*sporting wool/silk blend undergarments
*"dance-partying" with big sister
*loving the wool topper in the co-sleeper
*loving the co-sleeping
*not wanting to be swaddled
*wanting to engage with everything
*ergoing only for sleep
*showing an interest in food, but not yet taking any
*crying only when absolutely necessary

Color Effect

2012-01-26T06:52:00.001-08:00

Evenings

2012-01-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

In a few days our sweet boy will be five months old. His smile is contagious. Only I don't get to see it as much as I'd like because he sleeps SO much. So did his sister. But he is different in the way he sleeps. He no longer prefers to be swaddled. He likes to flip around and find his fingers. He does so happily and doesn't seem to need me in order to transition to sleep. Not like his sister.

It's luxurious and amazing. The start/stop time of sleep rotates so often I still bring him with me to evening activities, but there are also times that I am able to attend evening meetings solo while he dreams peacefully in his co-sleeper a top his soft wool topper. It may not always be this way, but lately, I have been able to enjoy a few opportunities to get out of the house.

On Saturday night, I was able to do a totally out of character late night dinner with a friend at an Indian Restaurant (with another friend's living social $30 coupon that was about to expire!) which was awesome. And last night I was able to attend a wonderful pre-homeschooling discussion group.

Today, I got my copy of the book about Charlotte Mason that we are reading in the discussion group and I am excited about it. In fact, I think I'm so excited that I'm going to stop writing and go read some of it now while the babe sleeps.

I just love her!

2012-01-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

Quick practical fix

2012-01-24T09:24:00.001-08:00

I bought a few used cloth diapers from a friend when she moved. Two of the six had worn out the elastic in them. I have been planning to fix these with new elastic for a while & finally got around to it this morning when Josh took cg grocery shopping. It only took a few minutes! Just turn the cloth diapers inside out, sew elastic up each side, cut, and turn back right side out and poof! All better! And they don't leak! Yay!

Lovely self. Die to self.

2012-01-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

Lovely self. Die to self.
Kill the ambition of this world.
Look not ahead nor behind, but rise.
Rise up your brow of furrowed doubt.
Relax the muscles of perfection sought.
Find internal achieving surrendered.
Bow and lay low your heart.

Killed for me and took on wrath.
Perfect in faith, perfect in life.
Perfect in life because of perfect faith.
Of complete oneness with the father
Begotten and not made.
Forsaken and made sin, though committed no sin.
For this weak child with furrowed brow.

Dear brow, release!
Humble thyself and find peace.
Rest in the light. Be transformed by the light.
You may now find peace.
You may now find peace.
And all your furrowing now may cease.

Other thrift store finds

2012-01-18T20:27:00.001-08:00

Mason jars, pouring jar, and vintage corningware.

Thrift finds

2012-01-18T20:23:00.001-08:00

If you read my blog or if you know me you probably know I like to shop at thrift stores. Southern Thrift, Goodwill, etc. It's so fun & the best "quick getaway" while my kids nap since these shops are just minutes away and full of treasures.
At Southern Thrift the colors
change daily so if I spot something I like, but don't want to pall "full price" for I might pass on it and then call back the next day or two to see if it's tag color has gone on sale and is now half price.
This past Monday I called and sure enough one of the colors was yellow and I was exited! It meant this cool 19 piece china set (6 dinner plates, 6 salad/dessert plates, and 7 bowls) i'd been admiring would be half price! I hoped it would still be there. Sure enough, it was there! Isn't it lovely?

Horses!

2012-01-17T16:56:00.001-08:00

Pardon the poor lighting in these smartphone pics, but I'm just so eager to share!

For Christmas cg got cool horses from my mom and got a cool set of natural blocks from us. The nature blocks were handmade by a friend from fallen branches around our the neighborhood -

some even from our very own street!

Together, alongside a basket that wasn't in use at my parents' house, we create LOTS of playful arrangements.

Cg loves to make the horses "climb" and "slide".

We also build caves and castles and bridges and tunnels.

So fun! The horses love it all :)

Wood and cloth

2012-01-17T11:33:00.001-08:00

We love wooden and cloth toys. Cg got a wooden tea set and wooden veggies (that "cut") for her birthday from my mom.

She LOVES to "make coffee" for us. She'll say "coffee?"..."cream?"..."cream?"..."coffee" and then get to work pouring and blending and then bringing us each a cup. She'll ask if we want more. We always say yes and she tots back over to the table and makes more.

The knit cloth foods were handed down from our friend's girls - also for cg's birthday.

The extra veggies that aren't knit or wooden were picked up at Ikea in years past. The table and chairs are also from Ikea.

The cool bean bags thrown in for good measure were handmade by a friend. We bought them from her booth at our local Waldorf school's Elves Fair this past fall. No clue where the baskets are from. No, wait. The one with the cloth lining was part of a gift of cards at a baby shower for cg. And the round one was in a stash of baskets at my mom's house.

Gluten Free Banana** bread

2012-01-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

This actually turned out really well! I made one large loaf of bread + 12 standard/medium sized "cupcakes" with these ingredients:

1/2 cup flax
1 cup rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
4 eggs
4 over ripe bananas
1 medium apple (cut up and blended into "sauce")
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup spinach
1 cup swiss chard (not stems, just leafs)

Blended all together (however you like to do it...I'm bad that those types of instructions) then baked on 350 for about 40-50 minutes. The cupcakes I took out about 10 minutes earlier than the loaf.

Buttercream frosting for the "cupcakes" was made with:

1 & 1/2 cup of organic confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup of organic raw butter
1 tsp of vanilla extract

**Banana was the main base, but I added several of other fairly healthy things like apple, swiss chard, spinach, flax seed, coconut oil, etc.

Children are a blessing from the Lord!

2012-01-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

I recently counted and I am friends or acquaintances with over 21 people that are currently pregnant.   I think often about how long it took us to get pregnant with our first child - 3 years. 3 years. Thankfully, I wasn't super aware of my lack of ability to get pregnant at first. For at least the first year off birth control we weren't trying to get pregnant. We had simply became convicted that taking pills was terrible for my body and was putting us in a position to try to "control" and not trust God. During the second year, we began to wonder...and in the third year we began to pray.   We prayed a lot. We asked friends and relatives to pray. And then we just sort of accepted we weren't going to get pregnant any time soon so we bought a GIANT fixer upper house and got to work. We worked on it for about 6 months and then, shockingly, I was pregnant. We were so thankful and excited. We got just about everything done on the upstairs of the house where we were living and we welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world on December 23rd, 2009. We were in love.

Then, as soon as I began to wonder about having another child, I learned that I, too, was pregnant. It was just after our daughter's first birthday. I was having coffee with a friend and she shared that she was pregnant with her second (our firsts were exactly 3 months apart). We had a long conversation about pregnancy and how I didn't know if I'd be able to get pregnant easily, but hoped to be pregnant again, but was trying to trust God's timing. Upon leaving the coffee date I began to think to myself: "Hmm, you know..." and went home and took a pregnancy test. Positive! I called my friend and told her the news. This was January of 2011. Later that year, in August and just one day apart, we both welcomed our sweet second babies into world. One day apart. Hers a girl and mine a boy; both were VBACs with a midwife. That story always amazes me as I consider how our God is at work.

When we found out we would be welcoming a second child (and, oh yes, we were thrilled about it!) we got to thinking and decided that the giant, wonderful, potential-filled, two-story, double-balcony fixer-upper from 1890-1900 was just too much for our little, but burgeoning, soon-to-be family of four. Two kids under two and a blossoming computer programming business just didn't leave much space for home renovations; not to mention the two massive 70+ year old trees that fell (one of which clipped the back of our house). We barely had the time and energy to keep up with things like that, let alone oversee the rennovation of an entire first floor - nor did we have the money nor the will. So we said goodbye to our giant, wonderful, potential-filled, two-story, double-balcony fixer-upper from 1890-1910 and moved back into our little 3br/2ba 1100sqft cottage style house from the 1940s that we'd been renting out for the last two years.   We did some cosmetic work - painting cabinets, adding corner-round, added new cabinet hardware, replaced a back screen door, cut out some cabinets, moved a fridge, added at round table, and re-carpeted our bedroom. We moved into that house in July. And I birthed our second child, a boy, in that very house on August 28th 2011 at 3:40am.

The thing I most miss about the other house? My tub. My wonderful cast iron tub (and the fixtures that I personally ordered and installed myself). Sigh

But something valuable I am learning: I am not entitled to anything. My life, my husband, my children, my home, my mini van...these are all gifts. I do not own them - they belong completely to God and he has gifted me the privilege of being able to enjoy them. If one vanished, my God would still be good. I would still worship him. I would still trust him. I know that I would not because I trust myself to muster up the courage, but because I trust Him - that his spirit would enable me to do so in the darkest of hours.

Losing a house that I loved in a neighborhood I care deeply for is not something I can complain about. I have an incredible, self-sacrificing, loving, and faithful husband. I have two amazing, healthy, joy-filled children. And not only that, but, in truth, I deserve hell.   Everything I get that isn't hell, good or bad, blessing or suffering...is grace...pure grace.

Thank you, God, for grace.

Our daughter's middle name, Grace, is an intentional reminder that whilst we waited long for her, it was God, rich in mercy, that gave her to us as a grace.   An unmerited gift.

"Children are a gift from the Lord: they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior's hands. How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates." Psalm 137:3-5

Goodwill

2012-01-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

I like to shop at Goodwill.

In addition to it being my outlet in the "cheap shopping" sense of the word, it is also my emotional/mental "I must get out of the house" outlet. It's just a few blocks away so I can maximize the time I have while our infant is sleeping and my husband is working from home.

I especially love shopping at Goodwill on Wednesdays because articles of clothing with a price tag that matches that particular week's "color" are only 99 cents! Really great. So great, in fact, that I can get tons of clothes that don't even fit anyone in our house. Seriously! If it is a cool natural (wool, silk, cotton) material then I'll buy it in the hopes that I can turn it into something else. I've bought sweaters and used the sleeves to make wool pants for babies. I've turned shirts into toddler dresses, skirts into curtains and even leather mini skirts into journal covers. Somewhere I might have the pictures to prove it. I'll check later. The problem, though, is that I tend to have stacks of fabric lying around waiting to be used in a project and I don't always get around to using it as quickly as I'd hope. As winter settles in, though, perhaps I will.

But for now I'd just like to highlight today's (non-99-cent) purchase. I found these cute leather shoe s for $3.99 (and no tax - used clothing is tax free in TN) which I thought was pretty good for leather Mary Jane's. They are a size up from cg's current cute leather shoes (which we got at a boutique in Rosemary Beach, FL while on vacation!) which means one way or the other she's covered for Easter.

And she can even wear them now in a pinch. In fact, when I got home and had her try them on she was thrilled! She loved jumping around in them on our hardwoods because they were SO loud.

2012

2011-12-31T15:25:00.000-08:00

2011 is coming to a close. It has been an event filled year.

In January, we found out we were expecting baby #2.
In February, we started looking for a church where our children were welcome to stay with us.
In March, we celebrated the fact that we made in through another dark winter in Nashville.
In April, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus in NC with my extended family and then did a multi-stop camping trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC and VA.
In May, Josh turned 30 and giant tree fell on the back of our house (same day? Yes, it was).
In June, we moved houses to a more kid-friendly house.
In July, Josh's brother got married. We also began visiting the church that we are still attending.
In August, we had a healthy baby boy!
In September, we found ourselves continually thankful that our baby boy was healthy and growing!
In October, we had a blast outdoors visiting farms and festivals throughout middle TN.
In November, we spent some time of thankfulness with Josh's extended family.
In December, we celebrated seven years of marriage. We also traveled to NC where we celebrated both the birth of our daughter (two years prior) and the birth of Jesus with extended family.

Though sometimes things aren't great and there are definitely things that don't go the way we'd hoped (giant trees falling, exhaustion from parenting, weird extended family dynamics, etc) we are trying to take everything in stride and be thankful.

Our small family of four is very blessed with healthy minds and bodies and the ability to buy wholesome food and live in a warm/safe house. We pray that God, in his rich mercy, will continue to provide for our family in this way in 2012. We also have a few special prayer requests:

1. Wisdom in parenting and living.
2. Full restoration of relational brokenness in some extended family relationships.
3. Deeper friendships for each of us including more prayer and accountability.
4. Boldness to go/do whatever God is calling us to do.
5. That our Meridian house sells (soon! and for more $ than we expect!)

2012. Let's go!

Parenting Slowly

2011-12-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

This article is helpful for me in thinking through the American pressure-cooker culture of higher academics and success. Why are we so pushy with our children? Why so competitive?

For example: potty training. We practiced EC with our daughter from about 4 months old until potty training. I was so "proud of her" when she began to tell me when she needed to use the bathroom through sign language or words, but really, I was just proud of myself. What an awesome mom I must be - my daughter has really never had a diaper rash and she's already toilet trained at 16 months...blah blah blah. Of course, I was trying to feel humble, but in reality I felt proud. I felt like I was really accomplishing something and a that all my energy and efforts and choices were paying off.

Well, enter the birth of our second child. I just didn't have the ability to be right there to take our then 20 month old to the potty every time she was telling me she had to go. She has had a lot of "accidents" over the last 4 months since her baby brother was born and so often I feel really frustrated and defeated thinking "you used to tell me...why don't you tell me anymore?" But she's only two! Yes, maybe she was better at communicating her body's signals at 16 months than she is now at two, but she's still just two! Slow down, mama. Relax. She just turned two. Stop getting upset and putting pressure on her. I doubt she'll be in diapers 5 years from now. Relax.

So I'm trying to relax. I'm trying to get back to calm. I just get super sad when I feel like my parenting is "going nowhere" but then I remember "Where is it suppose to be going, again?" Am I seeking toilet trained heaven or am I seeking Jesus? Am I pointing my daughter to delight in early skill sets and accomplishments for identity or am I pointing her to the cross of Christ?

Maybe infant EC shouldn't be approached with the hope of early potty training, but as a way to simply spend joyful time together, to honor God by using our bodies rightly (protecting from rashes as much as possible), blessing the environment (using fewer diapers), etc. I feel like we did do that - even if the "results" aren't there in the form of checklists completed.

So instead of getting upset, I am trying to take every accident in stride and know that each time is an opportunity to love my daughter in her weakness just as Jesus loves me in mine. I mean how many times do I not do what Jesus tells me to do? How many times to I basically have a "poopy in my pants" that I don't want anyone to see and don't want to deal with?

I'm learning deep gospel stuff from my two year old.

Flu Prevention*

2011-10-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Eat a wide variety of raw fruits and vegetables (get your seven colors in daily)
Cleanse your digestive tract (colon cleanse) before the flu season hits
Include more probiotics in your diet now such as yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut
Don’t stay up late, de-stress your life and get plenty of sleep
Amp up your water intake by two extra glasses a day
Eat an organic apple with the skin on every night before bed (helps with constipation)
Start juicing today, organic fruits and veggies each morning on an empty stomach (don’t forget to add two or three cloves of natural antibiotic, garlic)
Get some sunshine on your skin
Exercise regularly even if its brisk walking a few miles every day (get outside and enjoy the fall weather)
Don’t let the media hype scare you into getting the flu shot

*http://www.draxe.com/why-flu-vaccines-dont-really-work/

I think I'm going to try to do some of these in conjunction with our new grocery budget and fatgrapher goals.

Once again, we are attempting a Fatgrapher challenge! -30lbs as a couple over 3 months. I've definitely got about 15lbs to lose and am looking forward to both cutting down on excess eating and excess spending. I'm also hoping to just be healthier and fight off all those winter bugs as naturally as possible.

Flea Market Find

2011-08-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

12 place setting silver plated flatware set + box. Rogers 1941: "Precious".

Letting go of stuff

2011-07-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I need to be better about "letting things go." And when I say "things" I really do mean things. I am realizing that I have a really hard time giving things up or giving things away or even selling things. I always think about the future "potential" of an item - either using it in the future for what it was made to be/do or perhaps re-purposing it into something else.

Recently, I have had to deal with this part of myself a lot. About a month ago we moved from our large unfinished house to a smaller finished house. We've had to make a lot of decisions about what to take with us and what to donate or sell or trash. It's been hard at times because my husband's nature tendency is to just box everything up for trash or goodwill and not even consider a yard sale or posting things on craigslist. Unless an item is worth several hundred dollars he just doesn't feel like it's worth all the time/energy that posting and selling requires. He's probably right. But for me, it's about the chase or the hunt or the feeling of selling something and making a bit of extra cash that can be spent on whatever I want because it's sort of like "free" money. But I'm also 36 week pregnant and I am caring for a 19 month old so it is hard for me to be the one to coordinate things.

We had talked about having a yard sale today, but instead we just moved more things over, gave some stuff away, and threw a bunch of stuff out.

As much as I would like to think that I've matured over this last month and have learned to "store up my treasures in heaven" and not on this earth by saying good-bye to my cast iron tub and my gorgeous ceiling fan in the master bedroom (they will be sold with the house, of course), I am still having the HARDEST time deciding what to do about this really cool wooden typeset dresser full of old typsetting drawers that we just don't have space for. Maybe just keep some of the drawers (they are super awesome for organizing small things) and sell the rest? Or perhaps just give it to someone that has the space for it that would really like it? I just can't seem to let go.

Why is it so much easier for me to support Josh writing checks towards missions work than it is to give away the whatever-item-it-is that I don't need anymore? Why can't I just let go of all the things that are just cluttering up my mind and my house? So weird.

It's as though writing a check reveals success and generosity so I'm happy to give it, but giving away "stuff" is like a failure or something. Like we shouldn't have bought it in the first place or we paid to much or something. I guess it's that I'm just so afraid of not being savvy or smart or thrifty or wise when it comes to the accumulation and re-sale of junk.

Josh always reminds me that it's ok to be a failure. He is always saying "Well, what if you actually didn't do that very well?" or "Yeah, what if you aren't actually that smart or savvy? Would that be ok? Is Jesus enough for you, then?"

If you think about it, pray for me. Pray that my heart would soften even more and I would be able to more freely give as I have been freely given. Pray that Jesus would be enough for me and that I wouldn't worry about being not savvy or perfectly thrifty or wise when it comes to bargain hunting or re-selling my stuff. Pray that I would be totally fine with just letting go!

Across the Street

2011-05-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

When we first moved into our Meridian Street house there was a private "gentleman's club" directly across the street. Supposedly it was a place where people gathered for discreet gambling & drinking.

You can see the building in the background of this old photo (not sure who's car that is, actually) from our yard here:

Last year, it got shut down or something and recently the property sold. In the last few weeks we have noticed trucks and workers coming and going. We have heard that the plan is to put in a "meat n' three" or "cafe"...something like that.

We are hopeful that this will be a positive change for our neighborhood. And, really, it could a HUGE answer to years of prayer. I'll try to keep posting as development continues.

Ribbon Dress

2011-05-03T08:18:00.001-07:00

I made this last year, but it was a couple sizes up at the time. It fits now!

Bonnie Blue

2011-03-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Holland House is building out a new (less expensive and more family friendly) restaurant for burgers and such at Chicamauga and Mcferrin.

Follow Bonnie Blue's twitter account for updates.

Proposed Council District Lines

2011-03-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

If you live in Nashville you may want to check out the newly proposed Metro Council district lines:

http://www.nashville.gov/mpc/redist.asp

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

~with Love~
Josh, Stephie,
Chanhassen & Baby on the way!

We made it to FL

2011-02-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

We rented a mid-sized SUV (because it's cheaper to rent a big car a few times a year than to own one permanently - for now anyway) with XM radio (fun & something different for us)!

We stopped in Auburn, AL to see Josh's mom for a few days. Then we headed to the beach for slight break from the Nashville Winter Blues.

When we come to FL we like to stay in Seagrove Beach (between Rosemary & Seaside) because you can stay affordably ON THE BEACH (which is huge when you have a baby that still takes naps) but just a moment's drive from Rosemary & Seaside's cool town centers & shops & restaurants.

When we come Josh does almost all the cooking & dishes (um, awesome) which means we eat a lot of shrimp & asparagus (for dinners) and eggs & toast for breakfast. It's pretty great.

Lately

2011-01-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

I haven't been doing anything creative lately. I've barely been doing basic household chores. We just recently found out that are expecting baby #2 at the end of August and I've definitely had varying levels of nausea each day. Some days are fine, but others are pretty rough. Sunday was particularly rough & I had a hard time keeping food down all morning. Tons of sickies followed by the stupidity of trying to move our large kerosene heater without bending my legs resulted in the straining of my lower back. I pulled muscles or something and have been on varying degrees of bed rest since.

Today I was able to get a few things done - and most days I can move around, but if I bend too much my back is spent after just a bit and I have to rest it. Josh has been extremely encouraging, though, to rest as much as I need to and he's basically done all the meal prep - either making waffles or salads or smoothies or going out for food. And today he even did the dishes. Very kind.

We're also suppose to leave Saturday morning for Florida and I'm just hoping I can last in the car. I'm praying that everything is healed (enough) by then. We've already booked the place and the rental car and everything and I really WANT to go and get a break from the winter (not that it's that much warmer in Seagrove, but a little!) and a change of pace. Winter is so hard sometimes.

Our Neighborhood

2011-01-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

We live in East Nashville and as Josh puts it, "two blocks off Dickerson Road..." Basically, Josh doesn't mind owning up to the fact that our neighborhood is kind of rough. And, truthfully, it is.

I feel much safer living up on the 2nd floor despite the fact that I have to climb up and down some relatively steep outside stairs to get to and from the car (and we only have street parking) to inside the house.

But, things in the 'hood may be getting better. Recently, Josh attended a neighborhood meeting which talked about the plans for the Roxy Theater that sits diagonally across the street from us. And just yesterday an article was in the Tennessean concerning its renovation. Here's a link to the article.

2011

2011-01-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

It's January. It's 2011.

It's the time of year when I think about the goals for the year ahead. Perhaps even try to come up with a theme. But, really, themes are typically better discovered after the fact (ie: "hey, look what God did!" or "Oh, that's what He had planned for us- wow!").

For instance, in 2010 we survived the great Nashville Flood (yes - lots of repair $$ savings gone) and the giant tree falling in our yard (ripping out our electrical work, our back yard fence, some siding, and crashed our hvac unit & yes- more repair $$ savings gone). Both unforeseen events pushed back any plans of rennovating the meridian house, um, indefinitely? Maybe? We'll see. But we wouldn't have known that going into 2010.

We also suffered the loss of several family members. In January, Josh's grandmother (his dad's mom) died. In November (and this was a big one) Josh's dad died. And in December Josh's Aunt (his dad's sister-in-law) died. It was a hard year for the Crews' and we couldn't have known this going into the year.

But even amidst all the sorrow of 2010 I still consider it one of the best years we've had. Our daughter grew from 1 wk to 1 year and 1 wk and was never sick nor did she have any other issues. She's been a complete delight and joy. Seriously - she's been amazing. Josh got a new full time web development job which was a huge unexpected blessing (he wasn't even looking to take a full time job as his free-lance stuff was going great, but this just worked out). Josh and I celebrated 6 years of marriage - which, seriously, is an amazing accomplishment given how stubborn we both are. And we started shopping at Whole Foods. I know where we grocery shop sounds silly to list as a highlight, but it's been awesome. Plus, eating healthy organic real foods has been huge for us. We even lost a combined 30 pounds (thank you, CSA, and thank you www.fatgrapher.com!) and have actually kept most of it off. Um, except I'm not counting those four holiday pounds that I gained Nov-Dec. Besides, I've already lost 2 of them anyway.

I guess what I'm saying is that right now all I know about 2011 is that I have ideas of what I hope it's like, but only the Lord knows what will actually happen. He knows the plans He has for us and though we make our plans it won't happen if it's not what He has already decided to do or not do. So maybe that should be my theme this year: "It's the Lords to do or not do. I am eager for whatever He has in store..." Even if that meant loosing more family or loosing jobs or moving or more natural disasters or whatever. It's the Lords to do or not to do and I am eager for whatever He has in store.

Josh and I do, however, have another fatgrapher contest running. We, once again, are attempting to lost a combined 30 pounds over the course of 3 months. There are several incentives (we like incentives). If we complete the overall goal we get a vacation week in the mountains sometime in April or May. If at the end of January we are "on pace" to hit the final goal we get to spend a week in Seaside, FL in February (Josh would still be working during this week, but we'd be at the beach). If we weigh in everyday and don't miss a day we get an individual prize which can be won even if the other person fails win their individual prize for weighing in every day.

And I also hope/plan to actually use my ymca membership from jan-apr and take cg swimming at the indoor pool. It's really the only reason I have a membership and I have been slack. That, and do our math and word cards daily. I've been slack on that, too.

Snowy Christmas

2010-12-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

Photos courtesy of Josh Crews

Thankful

2010-11-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that Jerry Crews is with us for another day.

I am also thankful for handmade quilts, potted flowers, journals, pens from hotels, non-fluoridated drinking water and left over pumpkin pie.

I am also quite thankful for the wonderful wonderful weather we've had this past week and the ability to walk/nurse Chanhassen to sleep in the ergo. Such a blessing.

Slight additions

2010-10-25T18:19:00.001-07:00

A super cozy/plush rug recently purchased at Ikea and a mild furniture re-arrange have greatly enhanced our main room's multi-functionality and I am now even more excited to have friends come hang out here!

30A

2010-09-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we are headed to Auburn, AL to visit Josh's mom for two nights.

On Saturday we will be driving down one of our favorite beach areas for the week. Often, we refer to this vacation destination as "Destin" but what we really mean is the stretch of "emerald coast" beach communities off Hwy 30A called Watercolor, Seaside, Seagrove, Alys, and Rosemary.

30A is such a lovely stretch for walking, jogging, cycling, or driving. Everything is connected through trails and walk/bikeways and all the while you are just off the coastline.

I look forward to posting pictures when we return!

New fabrics

2010-09-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Train table

2010-09-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a book store to play at the train table while Josh did some computer work. We also went to hobby lobby where they have a new selection of apparel fabric marked 30% off.

House Update #5 - the tree

2010-09-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while.

Part of the issue has been a lack of picture emailing ability from my now unlocked iphone (which for some reason shuts down at the thought of emailing photos), but much of it has been due to the G-I-A-N-T tree that fell and wrecked our electrical system and fencing. Our power was out for five days. Our AC was out for seven days. Our internet was out for 10 days.

In the end, I am very thankful for the whole thing. What an excellent reminder of priorities and what is actually a necessity. We were also given the opportunity to talk to and love our neighbors. And we were given the opportunity to be loved quite well by our church family.

And thankfully we now have a beautiful new wooden/privacy fence, a new AC unit (internal and external), a new sprint 4g internet hotspot (said goodbye to Bellsouth), and all new electrical paneling and equipment attached to the house.

I am also quite thankful that no people or pets were hit by this tree and that it did not fall onto our house, but landed parallel.

2010 has been a hard year of unexpected financial hits due to quick and necessary house repairs - first for our rental house when Ellington Parkway (and much of Nashville) flooded and now with the tree - that have little to do with "actual renovation" plans.

Sometimes I get frustrated as we spend crazy money on repairs that don't bring us any closer to a finished house. I want so badly to be able to host playgroups and have people over and enjoy each part of the house in full, but we just aren't there yet.

Seriously, we might spend a lifetime trying to "fix" this house and it it still never be fully fixed - just like we could spend a lifetime trying to "fix" our hearts. More and more I am realizing that I can't fix myself, I can't fix my house, I can't fix my neighbors or my neighborhood. I can only hurl myself at Jesus - the one guy who actually was completely whole, but allowed himself to become broken. He was made undone. He received God's wrath in my place. He resurrected from the dead.

A prayer:
Jesus - you alone are worthy of any praise. My heart is so full of idols all day long. Please do not let me put my security in places that can be easily destroyed by falling trees and floods, but in you alone. You are mighty to save. You are God. Teach me your commandments. Walk with me. Rescue me from my own wicked wayward heart and give me a heart anew - fresh and thankful.

A hymn:
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee

Lisa's Birthday giveaway

2010-08-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Beautiful. Check out the giveaway here.

Salvaged

2010-08-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

My wedding dress is pictured above. The top was a halter style around the neck with intricate bead work and the bottom was a large spread of material with a wide hoop underneath. It was quite wide. I even had a cape. Seriously, a cape. And a muff. It was December, after all, and I guess I was hoping for some outdoor photos or even a "wreak the dress" series or something.

Instead of taking more photos, the dress was haphazardly stored in a plastic container in the basement of a house which later flooded during the great Nashville flood of 2010.

We originally thought that dumping the dress was inevitable, but then I decided to CUT the dress apart and salvage it in pieces. I washed it in sections and have stored the material for future projects.

My current ideas for the bottom material include a pettiskirt and some sort of whimsical bed canopy, both for Chanhassen when she is older. I have also thought about using the beads from the bodice for a string of "pearls" or using the material for some sort of picture frame or treasure box. I am welcoming suggestions and ideas! I will also post the projects as they happen.

House Update #4- Getting organized

2010-08-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

I visited my parents in North Carolina a couple weeks ago.

My parents' house is not CRAZY full of junk everywhere, but the attic, the bonus room, the basement, and the separate storage house are FULL of "keepsakes", sporting equipment, good deals, future gifts, disassembled & stored furniture, etc and I ALWAYS find myself rummaging through everything to find things I want to pirate. I always seem to leave their house with several things I didn't show up with. Sigh.

Josh and I also went to IKEA (twice) and on one of the trips we bought some things to help me "organize" my computer/crafting desk and to help organize the drying of dishes in our utility* room. I would show you pictures, but my camera on my phone has been acting up.

So as I have been setting up ad organizing my computer/crafting desk (which is nestled quite nicely in the hallway between all the big rooms of our upstairs) I have been going through a lot of storage boxes from our back storage room and rearranging how we store stuff. I've gotten rid of some stuff and am hoping to sell some baby stuff, but mostly I've just been trying to make storage work better for things we still hope to use (like camping gear or the sails to our sail boat).

Ahh, there is still much to do. I just want things to be where they belong, but I feel like we really need to have a good yard sale. Anyone interested in doing a multi-family yard sale with us?

*our utility sink doubles as our kitchen sink because we still live in the upstairs of an unfinished house with a gutted downstairs.

House Update 3: Dorm Room

2010-07-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

We have a dorm room. Yes, and fits 3-4 adults or a family. Over the last six months we've hosted seven or eight individuals or couples (with a typical stay of one to three nights) through AirBnb, a great internet service that connects travelers to hosts. For more photos and descriptions of our dorm room, please check out our listing!

It's been great. We have been able to make a bit of extra money to use on groceries or baby supplies and our guests get a private room with an arsty & international feel, a simple breakfast (usually museli and yogurt or milk and some sort of fruit), and quick access to downtown Nashville or East Nashville's 5-points. Both 5-points and downtown Nashville are about a mile (in slightly different directions) from our house.

Also - check out this article from the New York Times' travel section which covers Airbnb and other sites like it.

House Update 2: 9ft x 16ft

2010-07-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

This long & narrow room is a "cut through" room between the hall & our
bedroom. We are currently using it as a den/babyroom. The only
problem is that we don't use the crib yet (though often our brunch or
dinner guests do) and I have only once actually rocked cg in the
rocking chair.

Um, I do use the futon & the yoga ball, though. And I do sew in here
A LOT. I have neglected to include a messy sewing shot so you'll just
have to imagine the table pulled up in front of the futon with a
sewing machine on it and fabric & thread thrown everywhere.

Question: does anyone have any suggestions on what creative/cool
thing to do with the white blank wall?! We are also considering
repainting the whole room and going montesorri style with no crib &
instead just having a mattress on the floor as cg learns to crawl/
walk. But then where would guests put their sleeping babies? And
wouldn't that mean not leaving anything not kid-proof in the room
during nap time. hmm... Thoughts? Ideas? Help? Please?

House Update

2010-07-22T05:43:00.001-07:00

"So, how's the house?" is a question we hear regularly. While there
is still MUCH to do, we don't exactly have many projects going at the
moment - with the exception of the occasional rearrange of furniture
or trim laying.

The downstairs is in need of the most work (because it is gutted &
completely unlivable). In the meantime, we are very much enjoying
our quite livable (for us, anyway) upstairs.

I will do a separate post for the other rooms, but these pictures give you an idea of the main living space.

Baby Doll

2010-07-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking lately about how Chanhassen needs a simple fabric doll.

I've got two American Girl dolls (Samantha and Kirsten; both of whom are no longer in production), but I plan to give them to her to play with when she's old enough to read and understand their stories and imagine and play along side of them. Between now and then a simple, handmade, fabric doll - for mothering, diapering and loving on - is ideal. I looked on Etsy, but the dolls I saw were not exactly what I was looking for. So I decided to just make one.

I didn't have a pattern or anything so I just cut a circle for a head, 4 thin rectangle for arms and legs and a wide rectangle for the torso. Sewed & stuffed and added a homemade cloth diaper:

Then I clothed her with a dress that was dress that my Grandmother had given my mom for me when I was born (and Chanhassen no longer fits in:

I'm still trying to figure out if I want to add a face or hair. And if so, how. I am also thinking about waiting until Chanhassen is older and let her either decide to keep the doll as is or what the hair & eye color should be. I would also let her pick out the shade of pink or red for the lips. I could see that being a really fun project when Chanhassen is two or three.

Also - I'm thinking about making a pattern and tutorial for this type of doll. If you are interested in seeing a tutorial or downloading a free pattern for something like this, please post a comment so I know if there is any interest.

Kimono: How it turned out

2010-07-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

The kimono turned out great (for the most part)! I made a fee
mistakes, but learned a lot and know way more about sewing from a
pattern than I did before (this was my first experienxe following a
pattern).

Meet Denyse Schmidt. Meet Amy Butler.

2010-07-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

The first time (I've been three times now) I picked out fabric during Textile's 50% off sale I had no idea what I was buying. Since then, I've seen one the fabrics on several other blogs and even a friend saw some of the fabric in my bag and asked if it was [enter name of designer here]'s fabric. Yes, it was. Enter: Denyse Schmidt. Apparently a well known fabric designer. If I ever need additional Hope Valley fabrics I can go here. Or that if I'm feeling Flea Market Fancy, I can go here. And I can direct others to it. W-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l:

Two yards each of two beautiful and complementing fabrics. What to do? Well, so far I have completed a draw string bag, a napkin set for a dear friend for her birthday, and a dress for Chanhasssen. I am working on another dress and a nursing cover.

But the most exciting project of all is one I just wrapped up (for the most part). It was a different & exciting stretch for me: the Kimono for Baby from the cover of Amy Butler's book: Little Stitches for Little Ones. (which, by the way, is currently a shockingly low $9.98 with free shipping and no tax on AMAZON!) L-o-v-e-l-y:

I will do a follow up post on how the Kimono turned out and am totally open to suggestions on ways to use the remaining fabric! You really can do A LOT with 4 yards.

India Dress pt 2

2010-07-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Ok - more shots from our mini photo session!

India Dress

2010-07-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, our MOMS club had it's end of year banquet and I spent
much of the week making an outfit for Chanhassen to wear given its
India or "Bollywood" theme. Then unexpectedly, I was able to leave
Chanhassen with Josh for the evening when his Thursday meeting was
cancelled. Thus, it has not been worn except in dressing up for a
photo session. Maybe there could be another event she could wear it
to before she outgrows it?!

Our CSA

2010-06-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today we are delighted with our CSA share! Potatoes, cabbage, squash,
zuchinni, cucumber, beans, mint, and BLUEBERRIES!! Yum!

Fun with paint

2010-06-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Washcloth stack

2010-05-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

These are some of the washcloths I made from a towel. I did this in
part because we have many bath towels and no washcloths (because they
always seem to end up becoming dish drying towels or paint towels?!)
and in part because this particular towel had a stain on part of it
that I could just cut around when repurposing the towel. Notice the
light blue thread I used for the edges - for some reasoning think the
blue makes the washcloths feel more tidy & intentional.

New Sewing Material

2010-05-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

I usually use scrap material from whatever clothing or sheets we
aren't using or whatever thrift clothing store purchases I've made
recently for sewing new things. Part of today was even spent cutting
up a towel that had a Chanhassen poopy stain on it to make wash cloths
out of the parts that weren't poopy.

But for my Birthday Josh got me a pack of fat quarter squares from Anna Maria Horner! I really am starting to feel quite spoiled by it and seriously wish I could order roll after roll after roll.

First project: super easy pouches for sunglasses:

Practical Pieces

2010-05-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

I've completed my first attempts at baby blanket quilting.

I would like to say this, especially: it's not actual quilting. I
mean, yes, there are squares sewn together. And, yes, there is
backing. But, no, there is not a middle. And, no, these pieces are
certainly not symmetric. But they are practical and quite fun!

MOTHER's Day Giveaway - winners!

2010-05-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I was going to surprise everyone and choose TWO winners for the journal giveaway which means BOTH Nala and Janna will be receiving Piccadilly journals! I will be dropping them to you guys tomorrow!

Mother's Day GIVEAWAY

2010-05-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 9th. It will be my FIRST true mother's day. I was already pregnant last Mother's Day, but I just didn't know it yet. I think I found out the friday after mother's day. I think.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about it this year and am thankful the MY momma just got into town last night and will be here until Saturday. She will even be able to hang at the house while cg naps so that I can help Josh with our house that was FLOODED this past weekend by the Nashville's HUGE Rain/Flood.

Despite all the damages to our house and so many neighboring houses, I am still excited to celebrate MOTHERHOOD with all of you by doing a super fast giveaway for a chance to win a ORANGE, medium sized, lined, 288 page Primo Piccadilly Journal.

Why a Journal?

It's important to have journals - for moms, it's great to have a place to write to your baby or write down all the new things your kids are doing or the funny things they say. For those of us in Nashville & affected by the flood - it's great to have a place to write down how you're feeling.

Not a mom? Not in Nashville?
That's ok. Enter anyway. You can use it to write about whatever.

To ENTER the contest, please leave a comment on this post by 10pm EST TONIGHT - Thursday, May 6th for a chance to win. The winner will be drawn at random in the morning and *hopefully* shipped by 5pm tomorrow!

Not sure what to say in your comment? How about answering this question: What is something you've always appreciated or admired about your momma.

Beloved Shelby

2010-05-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

Shelby Bottoms Nature Center after the Cumberland River flooded Nashville:

Shelby Park's Nature Center on a regular day (atop 9ft pilings):

After a full day of receding the water has only gone down slightly:

The water may have not actually penetrated the nature center building (constructed just in the last couple years), but until further notice all Shelby Park events have been canceled and the park & greenway are closed.

Water water

2010-05-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

If you just saw a few of these pictures you might think, "Oh, what a beautiful lake in front of downtown Nashville." But the reality is this: That "lake" is suppose to be a parking lot and green space overlooking the Cumberland River which is suppose to separate East Nashville from Downtown. But it's all flooded. And not just the parking lot. Downtown Nashville is flooded, too. Several feet of water and still rising since a dam has now been released upstream. Much is ruined and will take a long time to mend.

As for us, this is a photo of our basement entrance after the flood waters retreated. The water level had been much higher during the rain storm and our back yard had been a lake. Crazy.

Thrift Project

2010-05-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Amidst flooding in Nashville and Josh's day spent *trying* to keep our
houses dry, I have managed to turn one of the shirts I bought at
yesterday's rummage sale into a cute top/dress for Chanhassen.

As you can see in the photos I cut off the top of the shirt then used
1/2 of the bottom to make a sundress then added tying (adjustable)
straps. Very cute.

Thrift finds

2010-05-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

This morning, Josh and I jumped over to a neighborhood rummage sale
while our 4 month-old napped under the oversight of our friends/house
guests. We picked up a pair of birkenstocks for me for $1 & a pair of
sketchers for Josh for $3. I also got two shirts with awesome
stitching for $1 each. That might seem expensive for a rummage sale,
but the fabric is so fun & I'm *hoping* to turn at least one of the
shirts into a cute dress for our sweet baby daughter! I'll definitely
blog about it if that happens!

Latest

2010-04-29T14:06:00.001-07:00

Taste of the Amish

2010-04-17T18:05:00.001-07:00

We were recently in Marion, KY for several days for a country church
revival to hear the preaching of one of our favorite missionary/
preachers: Paul Washer. Outside of Marion, we toured several Amish
farms & stopped at their awesome grocery store, bakery and houses to
get these provisions:

2 lbs homemade peanut butter
1 pt local honey
5 lbs all purpose flour
20 oz homemade pasta noodles
2 dozen home grown eggs
1 pt blackberry jam
1 loaf sourdough bread
3 cups pumpkin seeds
2 oz dried Basil
1 qt coconut oil
1.16 lbs cheese
1 qt homemade liquid soap
Not pictured: 1 oz handmade tea tree lip balm & 3 cups of wasabi (!!)
trail mix.

Everything listed above was less than $40. My estimate is that a
similar assortment at the Turnip Truck would be about $70 or more (for
similar quanities of local & homegrown items).

Cool ideas

2010-04-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of cool things I've learned about recently:

1. VERY BABY is an awesome website for ordering cloth diaper sewing supplies including PUL fabric and more. Very awesome & currently a SOULEMAMA sponsor which means if you order something type in Soule10 for a 10% discount at checkout (through May 10th).

2. Sandpaper letters. Let your child learn his/her letters by following the sandpaper feel with his/her finger. You can make your own using this tutorial or buy them on Etsy.

Liberty of London

2010-03-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Starting March 14th, 2010 Target is launching a Libery of London line which I believe will be quite quite popular.
Currently, there is a "pop-up" store in New York until the release of this line at stores around the country.

Reminder to Self

2010-03-05T12:42:00.001-08:00

Make. More. Art. It's been too long. These 2ft x 4ft paintings were
done in 2006. It's been TOO long. If you are reading this post,
please ask me if I've painted lately and hold me to it.

To: Stephie

2010-02-15T15:59:00.001-08:00

Love: Josh

Crema

2010-01-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

Today we ventured out to Crema: a hip coffee shop in the southern part
of downtown Nashville that's full of white 20 & 30 somethings and
freelancers. We fit both categories.

Josh works on web projects (yay for good work that he enjoys and that
pays for expenses). I read a book. Chanhassen sleeps.

Floral fabrics

2010-01-19T13:43:00.001-08:00

Today I added floral patches to a few whitw 6-9 month onesies that
Josh's mom got us. Can't wait to see them on Chanhassen one day!

Be Mine

2010-01-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

Chanhassen became 3 weeks old last night at 10:44pm, which made me
realize it had been at least a month or more since I'd done anything
crafty.

So today I pulled out my sewing machine & got to work on some
Valentine's Day Onesies.

Super cute.

NEW BLOG!

2010-01-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

OK, so I've been meaning to do this and now I have. I have a new blog at it's for photos of Chanhassen and thoughts on motherhood, etc. DesignsbyStephie.com will be returning to a creative blog as soon as I get creative again.

Meanwhile, check out: http://ChanhassenGrace.blogspot.com!

Top 10 baby items

2010-01-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been a mom for about 10 days and I've discovered several
"must haves" when it comes to caring for sweet Chanhassen. In no
particlular order these are the top ten products/things I recommend
for all new parents:

1. Moby Wrap or some other baby wearing sling - great for venturing out of the house.
2. Lots of LONG SLEEVE onesies with mittens to keep hands from being
chapped & face from getting scratched and pants with footies that cover the feet.
3. Pre-fold cloth diapers with snappis and thirsties covers

4.Baby scale - awesome for monitoring weight gain with out having to go to the doctor.

5. Bassinet or mini-crib or co-sleeper beside the bed. We use a bassinet/mini-crib that we borrowed from a neighbor and it's awesome. We also keep all diaper supplies in our room, too. It's just easier to have everything in one place.

6. Flannel receiving/wrapping blankets that are larger than your average receiving blanket. The best ones are at least 30 inches x 30 inches. I use the "dwell studio" from Target that cost about $12 for a 3 pack.

7. Baby potty for peeing whenever we do a diaper change. Basically, Chanhassen pees every time we change her diaper anyway so she might as well start learning to do it on a potty.

8. Lots of newborn caps/hats.

9. The "notes" application on my phone for tracking all feedings & diaper changes. If you don't have a phone where you can track these things use a tiny/pocket-size notebook.

10. The Jesus Story Book Bible - the most God exhaulting children's bible on the planet. It's incredible and makes me cry every morning when I read Chanhassen a chapter from it.

Sweet scrunch

2010-01-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

Time with daddy

2010-01-03T16:29:00.001-08:00

Sweet moments

2010-01-02T19:56:00.001-08:00

Baby blog takes over

2010-01-02T11:23:00.001-08:00

Ok - so I realize that this craft/rennovation blog has been completely
hijacked by baby pictures. Well, that's basically because my life has
been completely highjacked by a baby - a perfect, lovely, beautiful
baby. Definitely the best I've ever met.

Anyway, I will eventually sew/craft again, but for now this blog
pretty much a blog about one thing: Chanhassen Grace Crews.

With momma

2010-01-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

All wrapped up

2010-01-01T13:49:00.001-08:00

Chanhassen LOVES getting wrapped up tight to go to sleep! The last
two nights I've had to wake her up to change/feed her! We've been so
thankful!

Sweet pictures with Daddy

2010-01-01T03:52:00.000-08:00

Wearable baby :)

2010-01-01T03:47:00.000-08:00

Let the cloth diaper adventure begin!

2009-12-31T11:59:00.001-08:00

Blue eyes

2009-12-31T11:38:00.001-08:00

Baby scale!

2009-12-30T01:36:00.000-08:00

We delivered a baby for Christmas so it totally makes sense for the
UPS guy to deliver a baby scale for New Years! It'll be awesome for tracking Chanhassen's growth and development without having to go to the pediatrician constantly.

Sweet Papa

2009-12-28T19:08:00.001-08:00

Driving back to Nashville!

2009-12-26T08:35:00.001-08:00

Discharged from the hospital & all is well!

Chanhassen Grace Crews!

2009-12-25T01:08:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 10:44pm God blessed us with the
unexpected delivery of our daughter, Chanhassen Grace Crews!

Amazingly, Chanhassen weighed in at 8lbs 10 oz & 21 inches long though
in our minds she was coming to us four weeks early!

Despite being transferred to the the
hospital & not getting the natural delivery we had hoped
for, we are super thankful that Chanhassen is super healthy, eating & sleeping great and gets to come home
tomorrow!

Re-arrange

2009-12-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to get more seating in our "main room" for a while. The big table that we've had as the central point is awesome, but it's not really that great for visiting unless you're eating. I've wanted a more cozy place for people to sit and talk.

A few months ago, I was able to put two wing back chairs in front of our windows, but they only allow for two people to sit - which isn't that helpful when people visit. Finally, this past weekend I realized that if I moved some of our kitchen equipment to beside the fire place and next to our utility room door (and closer to where the sink is) it would open up enough space for a couch to sit perpendicular to the wing back chairs creating a sitting area.

I went ahead and moved the kitchen stuff (which meant moving my craft/printing station to the hallway which wasn't a big deal) opening up a spot for a couch and started looking for one online.

I knew I didn't want anything too bulky or heavy, because it would need to travel up a narrow and steep set of stairs. I was hoping for something "period" that could eventually be used in our downstairs once we renovate. After a bit of browsing, I found the most incredible Victorian sofa on craigslist for a really good price.

On Saturday, we drove down to Murfreesboro to buy it. It's beautiful and in impeccable condition and I can't believe it was so affordable. Yesterday, I got a rug to tie the furniture together a bit and add some warmth. It'll be great to have this spot for the baby to sit and play on the floor during the pre-crawling stages - but we might need to move the kerosene heater first.

34 weeks!

2009-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

33 weeks!

2009-12-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

We're at 33 weeks today, which is exciting! Just 7 more weeks until the due date and technically just 4 more weeks until the baby is considered full term!

I've recently posted several baby updates at www.babycrews.com so check those out!

31 week photo

2009-11-17T15:54:00.000-08:00

First public pregnancy shot! 31 weeks along with just 9 weeks to go! For previous & future updates check out: www.babycrews.com/updates.

Old doors

2009-11-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

Today we're in the middle of hanging two antique doors in our house - one for our bedroom and one for our bathroom. The trim work isn't done, but will hopefully be finished this afternoon. This project, I must say, is not something we are doing ourselves - we hired a guy that knows how to build trim and hang doors.

Originally, we thought we would just buy a few solid wood pre-hung doors from home depot because those usually run about $175 + tax which is less expensive than buying old doors and hiring someone to build out the trim and hang them.

But when we got to home depot, we learned that the sizes and widths that we needed were not industry standards so we'd have to special order the doors and pay extra to widen the frames and alter the door widths. Once the extra costs were assessed, it made more sense switch to old doors and hire someone to build the frames/jams and hang them.

This past Tuesday we found a 6 panel 30" solid wood door at Architectural Elements on Lebanon Pike for $40. This price included the hinges, the plates, internal turning mechanisms and glass knobs! Unfortunately, we were unable to find a 28" door for the bathroom.

Wednesday morning, I headed over to Preservation Station (which is known to be more expensive than other salvage places) but might have what we were looking for. Fortunately, a 3 panel 28" door (which included the internal turning mechanisms) that had just come in and was priced in budget at $45. With tax and and hinges the total came to $60. At Preservation Station they don't just "throw in" knobs and plates like they do at Architectual Elements so buying that stuff would have been another $35-40. I postponed this purchase and as it turns out, the guy hanging our doors was able to connect us to a few plates and knobs at a lower cost.

More updates and pictures to follow as the project is completed.

My funky spot

2009-11-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is where I get stuff organized, crafted, emailed, printed, etc. It's where I keep craft paper, a few fabrics, stamps/ink, sewing supplies, markers, pens, tape, rulers, etc.

Often, I'll work on my laptop at our super-sized table, but when the table is being used for bigger sewing projects, it stays right here.

Baby Crews

2009-11-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

I am 30 weeks along this week! This means we're just 10 weeks away from welcoming Baby Crews into the world! For birth plan info, registry ideas, photos, updates and more please check out: www.BabyCrews.com

Design*Sponge post

2009-11-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

I love the blog: Design*Sponge and find this recent post inspiring! It's just a matter of picking the prints and picking the wall!

Dorm Room

2009-10-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

We've officially listed our guest/dorm room on AirBnB as an affordable place for people to stay when traveling to Nashville.

Check out our listing!

High thread count

2009-10-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

So here's the thing - for bedding - Josh and I typically only use the fitted sheet and pillow cases from a bedding pack and don't really mess with the straight sheets. They always get tangled and end up at the foot of the bed because we have down comforters inside duvet covers that work as the sheet (because it's easy to take off and wash) and blanket (because it's super warm).

But, unfortunately, we only have 2 duvet covers for the 2 down comforters that we use in the winter and are lacking a cover for the guest room comforter. All the high thread duvets I've seen that aren't super ugly are like $70 or more.

Well, despite not really using straight sheets, we actually own several from the bedding packs I bought when we first moved to Nashville (in 2005!). I went through this phase where I loved snagging super high thread count bedding packs from TJ Maxx or Marshalls at a fraction of the department store price. Unfortunately, we've only really utlized half of each pack...until now...

So, tonight, instead of spending $70 on another duvet cover, I finally sewed two of these awesome sheets together to make a duvet cover for the guest room. It took about 20 minutes.

What a sweet victory. I mean, really... I've been meaning to do this for over a year. In fact, the idea of it was one of the main motivations for me in learning how to use a sewing machine. I always knew that the under utilized straight sheets would serve a beautiful purpose in becoming the all incredible duvet, but just kept putting it off.

I highly recommend this as an option for anyone that sews and likes duvet covers/down comforters. Even if you don't have extra straight sheets, it's often cheaper to buy two high thread count straight sheets (from Marshalls or TJ Maxx or even Goodwill) then sew them together than to buy a duvet in the same thread count.

Quick & Simple: "Draft Dodgers"

2009-10-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ok - today's project was making "draft dodgers" for the thresholds in our 100 year old house where the floors don't exactly match up and heat is lost.

These things are great even for doors that are set a bit high or windows that aren't super efficient. Seems like most houses could use these helpful draft dodgers somewhere.

Basically, it's like making a bean bag - but, much longer and more narrow. And instead of using beans it's great to use rice as it makes for a smoother surface on the final product.

Here's the quick how to:

1. Cut your fabric.
2. Fold so that the "inside" is out.
3. Trim as necessary:
4. Sew it into a cylinder along the length.
5. Peel it "right side" out.
6. Fold in and sew one end shut.
7. Fill with rice, but not completely full. (It's nice it it has some room for molding it as needed.)
8. Fold in and sew up the other end.
9. Place in doorway or window seal or wherever there are drafts in your house.

Baby Crews updates

2009-10-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

For updates on Baby Crews, please visit our new baby site!

Etsy shop!

2009-10-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Lots of baby onesies have been posted in my Etsy Store!

Cloth Diapers

2009-10-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last week, I spent a LOT of time making cloth diaper covers out of 100% wool sweaters that I bought at goodwill (all @ 50% off, so $3 each) as well as inserts to set inside the diaper covers for soaking/etc. I definitely learned a lot over the course of the week - especially once I discovered two big things.

First - it's not a great idea to make an "all in one" diaper with a wool cover. You can do it, but the wool won't be cared for as well if it's hitting the wash every time you use it and have to wash the inside. You also won't be able to wash on hot & with diapers you really should be able to wash on hot. It also deteriorates the Velcro tabs quicker. It's much better to have a separate wool cover so that you only wash the inserts each time and only wash the cover every few weeks (after lots and lots of uses).

Second - even small babies are rounder than they seem. Basically, after the production of about 10-12 diaper covers (made for 9lbs and under) I discovered that I needed to make the tabs/velro section wider in proportion to the bum part because the diapers were fitting everywhere except the latching/catching part.

So, after lots of trial and error, trying the diapers on a few actual babies, and a bit of examining of a few manufactured "one size" diaper covers, I've made serious progress on the diaper cover front and have made several covers that I believe are more appropriate sizes AND will grow with a child much better as a result of pattern size/proportion adjustments and velcro placement improvements.

Diaper open:

Diaper closed to fit larger baby:

Diaper closed to fit smaller baby:

First Eggs

2009-09-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ok - so last Monday, I FINALLY wrapped up stage 2 of the chicken coops which meant a larger "run" and a place for laying eggs. I was very excited and anticipated eggs to begin arriving any day. After all, my friend Flo has had lots of eggs popping up lately and we got our chicks at the same time.

Well, on Thursday (just three days after finishing the coop/laying box) our dog had a play date with his best friend Luther. Forgetting that they sometimes get into way more mischief together than apart I neglected to close the gate to the backyard. Needless to say, an hour into their fun we were informed by our neighbor that the dogs had broken into the chicken coop/run and all the chickens were dead.

I was certainly a bit frustrated that after having put so much work into the chickens and the coops, etc. over the last 4-5 months (while pregnant, no less!) I had no eggs and six dead chickens to show for it. It made me want to give up on the notion of having chickens at all - at least for a while. But my friend Christen called yesterday & she said could get a few that were already laying from the farm where she gets her raw milk in Kentucky so I decided to give it a shot with three new hens.

Well - they were dropped off yesterday and seemed to have settled in just fine since I have already found 2 eggs in the nesting box! One was discovered this morning and one this afternoon. It has absolutely made my day. It's amazing how new eggs just appear (seemingly from thin air!) throughout the day. It's like magic.

I am SO glad that I've given having chickens another shot. So, thank you, Christen Paige, for being persistent in asking if I wanted more chickens and for getting them for me. I appreciate you!

Sew what?!

2009-09-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally starting learning how to use a sewing machine. It has been a long time coming and I'm very excited about it. So far, I've made several small draw string bags/purses, a few pillows, tons (like 50+) thick baby wipes/wash cloths (for cloth diapering), and have added cool prints/swatches (my newly learned sewing word = scrap fabric) to several onesies.

I'm still do not FULLY know what I'm doing. In fact, I'm kind of making it all up as I go along, but I'm having so much fun being both creative and practical. The big project that's looming like a giant dark cloud is to sew 2 sheets into a duvet cover. The intimidating parts is that they are QUEEN sheets and hard to keep straight while not dragging the floor. I'm a bit nervous about it, but I'll try to post when it's complete.

Baby preparation

2009-09-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

I must say that Craigslist is just about the coolest thing to hit the internet and probably more than pays for the cost of our wifi. Recently, I was able to stock up on most of the "big" stuff that we'll need for our January baby. It might seem like early planning, but for just $60 I got:

1 bumbo seat & tray (retail = $50)
1 folding/portable swing (retail = $50)
1 infant carseat and stroller combo (retail = $100+)
1 bouncer & extra cover that you lay your baby in (retail $35)
1 play center/bouncer that your baby sits in (retail $65)

That's about $300+ worth of stuff (retail) for just $60! And all of it in MINT condition. I'm very excited.

Between these items and a pack n' play & dresser given to us by a dear friend we are feeling relatively prepared on the bigger stuff which frees us up to register for the smaller stuff - which I've been working on. Our Target registery is up and most things should be listed by now. But suggestions of things to "not leave out!" are welcome.