My Husband Rocks Fridays....and an update

My husband rocks because: he insisted that I go see my new nephew this week....He asked me if I was going on Monday morning like it was even a question...even though we really can't afford a trip like that right about now since I'm still a stay-at-home wife not using my very expensive degrees...He knows how important my family is to me and how close we are to one another.
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Here are some pictures of the baby:

We (my mom, younger sister, grandmother, and I) decorated the mailbox...We also printed some pictures from after he was born and filled some empty frames for when they got home and made my older sister's favorite meal so she didn't have to cook.

Here's a picture of my nephew, *Paul. As with all of my pictures, I'm not posting any pictures of faces for his privacy.

His feet are so small! (He is only a 6.5 lb baby!)

He had a head full of hair.


*I've also changed his name for the family's privacy.

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It's been quite a week, I'm sorry that I haven't really posted...It's crazy when you're last-minute traveling and don't have your own computer with you. I had planned on Menu Planning Monday along with some other stories. Fail. I need to get back on the creative blog train...My friend, Lexi, and her fiancee are visiting this weekend. I hope that I'll get some inspiration from the weekend.

Yay!

Today was Mr. H's day off. We had a wonderful day planned full of going to the mountains, hiking, and a great steak dinner to be followed by Shaun White on Wii.....what really happened? My sister called me at 8:00 and woke me up...not so happy, until she told me that her water broke! I hopped in the car, drove to my parents house, then to the hospital with my mom, other sister, and grandmother. We got there just in time....it was a little shaky for the first couple of minutes (his first apgar score was 1)...but he quickly improved and both mom and baby are doing wonderfully now. Not to brag, but I think he's a really cute baby (especially for a natural birth, hardly any cone headedness going on)....I am so excited for my sister and brother-in-law!

Baby Shower Photos....awhile later

I posted about ideas for my older sister's baby shower about a month ago. I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of decorations and the gifts that I gave her...sorry, I completely forgot to actually use my camera once the shower started so none of other gifts.
Here's a picture of the diaper cake that I made with the help of my dad and younger sister. I must say that I have the best father on the planet, and he was so into figuring out the more efficient way to tie the diapers and put everything together (he's very science-y).
Mr. Happily-ever-after priced out diapers and diapering supplies with me for weeks before we bought anything (seriously, those things are expensive!). He also had the brilliant idea to use diapering items, i.e. wipes, diaper genie cartridge, diaper ointment, in the center of each tier. That way it would cut down on the amount of tying and it was all usable. My sister is having a boy and the nursery is blues and greens...which are the colors that we used for everything that day.
My mom suggested that my younger sister and I use a tea party theme, which was amazing. The food was great! We had chicken salad in pastry shells, salad, fruit, cake, and tea (of course!).
We carried the idea of a diaper cake over to the centerpieces: diaper cupcakes. It's a smaller 1-tier version of the diaper cake. I've seen it done before with using a small stuffed animal as a topper and pacifiers/other small toys to decorate. We decided to use ribbon instead to make it similar to the large cake...plus it added color to the otherwise white table.


I made a basket full of 'SLP' items. What can I say, it's hard to get me out of speech therapist mode. It included: a variety of books, feeding items (SLPs work with dysphagia...aka feeding/swallowing), oral care items, a crib mirror, and other goodies (the monkey items match the nursery). Instead of putting newspaper in the bottom, Mr. H. suggested using diapers and covering them with a receiving blanket. She loved it, especially the diapers since she had not gotten any yet. She also liked the actual basket since he had not gotten a hamper either.
I also got a little creative and made some burp clothes. I used cloth diapers and added flair with fabric and ribbon. It's a great way to personalize a gift, plus it really does not take that long. (sorry about the lighting, I took these really quickly)
My younger sister made the most adorable onsies (I wish I had gotten pictures). She usually doesn't like to sew or do crafts, but is really artistically talented. Each onsie had a different item on it, frog, whale, etc. So cute, and really easy. She also made a memory box out of a wooden box that she stained and put pre-made jungle animals on the outside. Once again, so cute, wish I had gotten a picture.

Mr. Happily-ever-who?!

I thought that I would share one of my favorite stories/quotes from Mr. H:
We were in college, getting ready to go out one night when I asked him to get my coach wristlet out for me. His response was, "Who's Coach?" (and he was being dead serious)....really?! I am the girl that calls her purse by its proper name, Kate (it's a Kate Spade for those of you who are still in the dark), loves to shop, and is completely addicted to shows like The Girls Next Door and What Not to Wear. I could not believe that a guy with 2 sisters would not know 'who coach is.' I immediately called my sister to tell her (since I tell her everything)....needless to say he was introduced to a store the next time we went to Pittsburgh.

#56: Try 3 new, green cleaning methods

I've been working on my 85 in 850, but this is the first I've posted about completing something from that list. One of my personal goals is to become more 'green.' Not only will I be helping the planet, I will also be helping my bank account. You see, I've researched ways to use ordinary household items to clean. I won't have to waste, I mean spend money on the over priced products at the store.

One thing that can be found in (almost) any house is baking soda. It not only deodorizes the refrigerator, it can be used with some water to clean the oven, and in my case the kitchen counter. You see, we still live in an apartment that has laminate counter tops. It is always getting stains, always. This picture doesn't do the situation justice. You can barely see the spot here. Believe me, it is obvious in person.

I sprinkled a little baking soda on the spot and used a wet dishcloth to clean. Viola! No more stain. (Sorry I didn't post an after picture, but it would have just been white)

I've also found the power of vinegar. I know, I know, the smell isn't the most pleasant, but it isn't too bad. You can add essential oils to help with the smell (recommended especially if you're cleaning before company comes over). I use a mixture of 1/2 vinegar 1/2 water in a spray bottle. It's a great surface cleaner for hard surfaces (mostly the counter top). My dad said that it should kill germs, too, because the vinegar is acidic (I'll do more research on this). It also worked to clean the hard water spots on a shower curtain in our guest bathroom.


I also use white vinegar to clean our towels. That musty smell that you never can seem to get rid of vanishes when vinegar is used. I use a cup of vinegar (sometimes 1.5 cups) and hot water. That's it. It doesn't work if you use detergent, etc. It's better for the environment, and colored towels than bleach. The combo of hot water and the acidity of the vinegar is sufficient enough to fully clean, and oust the smell. The best part is, the rinse cycle rids the towels of the vinegar smell. No additional washing necessary. I use fabric sheets when drying, but that's it. One of our friends does this and doesn't use the fabric sheet in the dryer and her towels do not smell.
I was told that this washing only needs to be done once a month or so (whenever you think your towels are starting to smell), the rest of washes can be done normally. We've gotten into the habit of using hot water and vinegar every time.


The best part of these methods is that they don't take extra effort/time. I love being able to help the environment and save money (which is always a plus in this economy). Just because I've checked this off of my list does not mean that I'm finished being 'green.' I plan on continuing to find better, more efficient ways to clean the house.

My Husband Rocks!

After a small hiatus from MHR Fridays (not because he doesn't rock...more like I don't rock for not posting), it's back. My husband rocks because he constantly challenges me to try new things that normally I would not even consider. Socially, he’s a definite extrovert. He’s always talking to someone and is ‘Mr. Advice’ to so many people; he’s always been like this. In college he would stay up all night sometimes helping someone who was feeling down. Me? While I love people and am generally considered to be outgoing, I much prefer to be a home body. I am so happy on our date nights when we get a movie from redbox, sit on the living room floor, and hang out. Mr. Happily-ever-after is always encouraging me to go and hang out with people. I end up having a blast most of the time, and am glad that I went. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably be a hermit by now.
Mr. Happily-ever-after is also a huge thrill-seeker. I like to play it safe; the less risk, the better. He has gotten me to try all sorts of things since we have been together. I now love snowboarding; whereas before I was terrified by the thought of going down a mountain at high speeds in which other people would only be there to break my fall. We also tried scuba diving on our cruise last summer. I was a swimmer in high school, but hate the idea of being trapped underwater and of getting bitten by fish/sharks/octopus, etc (I think I’ve seen Jaws a few too many times). But, he wanted to do this excursion, so I compromised and went. It was so much fun.
Mr. Happily-ever-after is always encouraging me to try new foods, ideas, ways of living, and I love it!

Okay, don't judge me for this, I'm an old woman on the inside. I wear reading glasses, have hip pains, take lots of naps, and absolutely love quilting/sewing (which is what I've been doing a lot of lately). So my life is extremely boring at the moment. I've resorted to doing all of the sit-down patient things that I have put off/not been patient enough to finish.
Here are some pictures of a quilt that I made for a friend in my program that had a baby. It's not perfect, but the 1st one that I've made completely on my own (my mom usually helps at least a little).






I have a few more projects that I'm working on at the moment, to be posted later.