Nursery Part 1: Mobile and Curtains

Hello! Guess what friends?!?! I worked my last day on Friday this past week!

WOOT WOOT! 

I'm officially on maternity leave. Thank goodness. It was getting overly exhausting and there are just so many things to get ready for Baby Brown! 

I can't wait to spend the next couple weeks finishing the nursery, washing tons of clothes, and perhaps a little organizing of K-mans room too! Oh yea, and resting. Let us not forget that part=). 

Yesterday was my shower and let me tell you, it was so special and amazing! 

My family and friends are so cool. My BIL planned most of everything and he did an amazing job (so did everyone else who pitched in to help things run smoothly!!). 

I was so busy with visiting and such that I didn't take hardly any pictures! My mom and some others did though, so as soon as I get my hands on them, I will post them here. 

On to the nursery! 

I'm going to try to post several times this week, with updates on the DIY (or not so) projects in the nursery. 

Remember these? 

My crafty friend, Jay, custom made these houndstooth circles for this mobile project! 

He does such amazing work. I keep telling him he needs to expand and get on Etsy! The man does a bunch of craft shows, though, with his It's Saw Good business, and that keeps him busy. 

Thanks Jay! These were so perfect!

I started a month or two later assembling the mobile...procrastinate much?!?

First, I cut a 1 inch strip of fabric from the nursery colors/theme I had purchased for the quilt, crib skirt, pillows, etc. 

Then, I used a glue gun to wrap/attach the fabric to the inner part of an embroidery hoop. I used a medium sized hoop, but I'm sure any old hoop would work for this. I tried to smooth down the frayed parts...although fray check would probably have worked better...I'm just always in a rush=)

I assembled my parts next. 

 Here is the finished hoop in the navy houndstooth fabric, with the houndstooth circles. 

 These are my supplies.....kind of. I told my husband what to get at the hardware store....and it wasn't exactly perfect. I tried to use it (honest!) but the gold just wasn't cutting it, and the invisible cording was too large. I ended up using silver screw eyes and super strong fishing line instead. But thanks anyways Honey!!

 This next photo is terrible. Sorry. 

But I (and Willie Nelson, the cat) wanted to show you how I attached each circle. 

I just eye balled how much fishing line to use...yea no exact measurements here. Jay so sweetly put a tiny hole in the top of each circle, so I threaded the fishing line through that and tied it off with a super good knot. Don't want this falling on baby's head in the middle of the night. 

I then attached the top of the line to the hoop by again, tying a good knot. I cut off excess and voile! 

Repeat with the other 2! 

I just eye balled where to attach them on the hoop by splitting it (in my head) into thirds. Luckily, the fishing line, once tied, still fairly easily slide around the fabric so I could position it better. 

I also left varying lengths for each circle, so they would hang and you can see them all at once. 

Here it is!

here is a better shot...

there we go!

I also made the curtains here! I used the old curtains for a template, added a hem allowance to all edges, and made the casing for the curtain rod. I used home dec. weight fabric, which is thicker and more substantial than a regular old quilting cotton.  Sorry, I didn't take any pics! I was on a roll. 

I simply tied them back with some white ribbon and hung on a nail on each side that was there previously. 

Turned out pretty nice eh? 

 Just wanted to include this sweet action shot of my K-man assembling a vibrating/rocking seat for Baby Brown. He is going to be such a great big brother. 

http://easylivingmom.com/

Weekend wrap up...in Photos!

What a week! 

Craziness has abounded this week as schedules were uprooted and rearranged, and every free moment was spent getting stuff done! 

I'm pushing hard to get everything ready (with the house, garden, chickens, etc) before baby decides to make his entrance. 

It is exhausting, but I really want a week or two before my due date to just chill out and not worry about things being unfinished. 

I guess my motto is HURRY UP SO I CAN RELAX! =)

Z was out of town for a few days, so I rearranged my schedule a bit (went into work late...thanks boss!) so I could get the K-man on the bus. I used to be in charge of this task kindergarten and 1st grade. But then my job changed and I had to go in earlier, so my husband took it over. 

Here is dapper dan in all his coolness ready for a warm spring day at school! 

I'm totally not ready for this "swagger" that boys tend to try to pull off as preteens.....

Daffodils are blooming! I picked a bunch and decorated the table with my best chicken and owl wear. The table cloth is vintage and embroidered...picked it up at a yard sale for a buck!! 

I spent a good deal of time in the evenings this week putting together furniture in the nursery. 

A shelf, changing table, and crib! And almost all by myself! I was slightly impressed. 

Here is the changing table. 

 A sneak peek of the room! 

In case you didn't already know, the nursery is going to be in green, navy, and white. Geographic prints are the theme....I'm not much of a jungle, forest, baby color type theme. I wanted something that could easily grow with baby. 

Subtle stripes on the walls were created with the same white, just high gloss and flat paint finished. I am pretty pleased with the outcome...just wish Wal-fart was better at paint mixing....but thats another story.

My two fav things in the room...this print and monster! I picked up the monster at a craft show and the print, I've been eyeing the artist (click here to see her stuff!) for years on etsy....

After working hard at my job, then working hard putting together furniture....this is what my feet looked like.....

GROSS! Cankles galore and my actual feet were like marshmallows. 

I took this pic earlier in the week.

So proud that I can wear this dress because it is not maternity....lol. It's the little things. 

It is so hard for me to feel pretty and cute in maternity clothes, but this day, I loved my outfit!

We did take some breaks......

To visit with some dear friends!! 

It was so nice to hang and eat fried junk with two of my dearest friends, one who has moved very far away and out time together is so cherished! This photo shows K-man and Hud just chillin' and talking about cheese burgers....=)

Love you girls!

I'm off to pop some tags.

Happy Weekend! 

Babymoon

This past weekend we were so fortunate to be able to go on a retreat to seneca rocks! I've been calling this mini vaca our "babymoon". 

It was so relaxing and nice to be able to visit with my Aunt and Uncle who live this close!!

They are such wonderful people that I feel a special bond with for many reasons! 

Aunt Cindy made some A-mazing meals!! She was a rock star in the kitchen. 

Here is the river that runs beside the yard. The sounds of a river are good for the soul. My blood pressure went down several points these couple days=).

Here is a view of the house and the shed/building. I just love the rustic awesomeness and bright blue skys.

UB and AC are way into gardening, just like us! They have some cold frames and are in the process of setting up a hoop house, which is going to be so sweet!! 

I just love this quilt block painting that UB made and put on the building. Totally rad. 

We drove around and took in some sights while there. This is the view of Germany Valley from the overlook. Crazy Beautiful. Photos can not capture the feel and amazingness of this valley. 

I wanted atleast one pic of the both of us=). So my cuz, E snap some great ones. I am 33 weeks in these photos.

 I can't believe that is me in those pictures! My belly is huge!

And he is my super cool catbug cousin and his friend. 

Zach checking out the info at the overlook. 

Some other fun things we did (other than just chilling out, which was super fun in itself), was thrift shopping! We went to a few hardware stores and various places, but they thrift shops were my fav. 

I found these super cute wooden chickens! They were calling my name! 

Look what we found in the back room! UB was pumped about this.=)

Popping some tags.

Cool Cousin eating cheese puffs on a stick. Stay classy, that is our motto. 

We also shot some guns. I actually got a turn as well! The baby only jumped once=). 

It was such a fun trip with lots of visiting and resting involved! 

Thanks Aunt Cindy and Uncle Brian for having us! 

Chicks!

A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog and mentioned there was a lot more cheeping going on downstairs....I didn't mean to wait this long before I explained myself!

Here are our newest additions to the chicken flock.

We ordered 13 chicks, for a new total of 15 (I hatched 2 myself, 2 weeks prior to getting these babies).

We have the original 2 silkies: Marcelline (after the character on Adventure Time) and Lady Edith (Downton Abbey fans anyone?!?)

These two are about 5 weeks old. 

All the "new" chicks are about 3 weeks old. They are all currently in that weird teenager stage of feathering.

3 Buff Orpingtons: Still in need of names. I would like 3 old timey names names that rhyme. Or maybe sweet garden names...like ButterCup, Daisy, and Rose......

4 Speckled Sussex's: No names yet.....suggestions welcomed. I have a hard time telling the difference between the Ameracaunas and SS.

3 Ameracauna: One is chipmunk, because of her coloring on her head and back. The other two don't have names yet either....These chicks can come in all different kinds of coloring....I can't tell who is who yet with some....

and 3 Cuckoo Marans: K-man has names one Pelican, because of her large beak. The other two still need naming.

We have a bunch of naming to do!! I love old timey names, but have let K-man do the naming in the past, so we have a random assortment of names going on with our big girls.

The BIG girls:

Francine (a Barred Rock) was named after the farmer (Frank) from whom we got her. She is queen of the roost.

Patricia (a white leghorn): One of the first two chickens from our first go at chicken keeping...so she is at least 4 years old. Kman said this was the most beautiful name he had ever heard....=) I felt as though we rescued her from her previous owner. It was a terribly kept farm with sick and dying animals everywhere!! Very traumatic to visit.

Red (white leghorn?) stumbled into our lives randomly one day by just showing up in our yard. Seriously. We tried to find her owners but no one claimed her. She was named Red because her comb was so vibrant!

Goldie (a Golden Phoenix Bantam), was named for her breed and because she is "golden" when it comes to being around people. I used to rock her to sleep on the porch last summer!

And lastly, Jersey Girl (White Jersey Giant), is a big but gentle spirited chicken.

Isn't it funny how these girls have personalities all their own?!? I can't wait to see what the babies personalities will turn out to be. We are going to have to start selling eggs once they all start laying!!


K-man snapped a pic of me while handling chicks last week. Not the best quality, but I wanted to share my ever growing belly with those of you that read my blog=). I always feel like I have to put my hand there for viewers of the pic to get the full effect. lol.

Please don't pay attention to my gross basement=). 

There is snow in the forecast! Perhaps one last snow day!??! I'd be totally ok with that. 

Random Photo Update

Hello All! Here is a "snapshot" of what has been going on at Brown Acre!!

New woodstove!

We finally got the new stove installed! After a couple leaks and revisits from the contractor, it is working so wonderful!! We have really enjoyed sitting in front of the fire in the evenings....so relaxing.

 I hatched some chicks!!! 

These are two silkies that made it through the hatch. One other hatched, a black copper maran, but she died due to a weird leg ailment (not splayed leg, more like walking on her knees and scooting on her belly). It was very sad that she died, but I figured it was survival of the fittest. Still, not a fun moment. 

The two silkies are thriving! They are already so big! 2 weeks old and getting to that weird adolescent stage with funky half feathers and down. 

 Here is a quilt project that I was working on. A friend requested a baby quilt with her son's name embroidered on it. Sorry about the bad lighting! 

Here is 27 weeks! I am currently 28 weeks along, but I wanted to share this picture anyways. I swear, if my butt or thighs get any bigger, I might lose my mind. Seriously. 

 Big Girls! Just wanted to show off the girls since I haven't posted a picture of them in a while. 

 Tulips are coming up!! How exciting!!! I'm ready for spring.

I actually worked in the garden for several hours the other day because it was so beautiful outside. 

I fixed a raised bed that was falling apart (yes, i used a shovel, rake, and hammer thingy all while being hugely gigantic.)

Check out the birdhouse gourd that climb my pear tree and I left to dry! Looks kinda funny.

Planting okra this year!! 

Garlic is coming up! 

Here is the raised bed that I fixed. I was super proud of myself for being so physical with my SPD ailment=). 

KMan with the chicks.

If we get a snow day tomorrow....I'm posting again!! I have a ton more photos to share.....and just as a sneak peak, there is a lot more cheeping going on downstairs right now!!