Skirted Table

Amongst all of the baby/nursery preparations we have been doing some other rearranging to make room.  Now that our guest room is the nursery we had to move our guest room downstairs into what used to be the office/sewing room. 

When it was the office we had a desk that we used for the computer, files, and any other junk we could come up with.  There is nothing special about the desk...it is just your typical computer desk, but recently I have noticed people making box pleat skirts for various tables and desks.  We were needing a TV stand in this room and rather than go buy another piece of furniture I decided to try and make a skirt for the desk.

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about these are a few examples of skirts I was looking to mimic.

Great idea right???  I read on one blog that recommended lining the skirt with blackout lining to give it some weight and to help it hang properly.  So I took all the measurements, cut out the fabric (just a plain linen from Joann's), cut out my lining and started putting all 22 pieces together.  I know 22 pieces!  It was somewhat difficult to get on the sewing machine due to the size and weight but in the end it was well worth the effort.

This is how it turned out.

Before

After

I was so excited when my sister-in-law (she is an interior designer) came over and said that she really liked it!  I am always unsure of my decorating ability so when I have her approval I feel like I have done something right!!!

Come on Down! You're the next contestant on the.....

No I didn't get on the Price Is Right though I have always thought that would be so much fun.  Do any of you remember Supermarket Sweep?  Yeah I am the dork who really wanted to be on that show too!

Probably wont be getting on any game shows anytime soon, and I never really win anything.  My brother won a free cruise once, and Nick recently won a "closest to the pin contest" at a golf tournament and won a free round of golf in a contest he entered.  Well folks this past Saturday was my day!

It was a simple little giveaway on a blog and the prize was about a $12.00 value...but I WON!  Our cousin Katie Wilder recently told me about this blog which is written by a lady who writes a lot of sewing patterns that I use.  Last week she posted a question to her readers, "When do you find time to sew?"  She said that if you responded she would choose a person on Saturday and they would get their choice of any of her patterns.

I thought....why not.  This was my response to her question:

"I work full time so I sew the most in the evenings and on the weekends. But we are expecting our first baby so I have kicked the sewing into high gear and try to do as much as I can whenever I can!!!"

Much to my surprise when I woke up on Sunday morning I saw that I had been chosen as a winner out of 123 people who commented! 

I already own several of Michie's patterns, but I have had my eye on this one for a while so I should be receiving it in the mail this week!

Now I have even more reasons to keep the sewing machine humming!  It is so much fun to finally have a reason to sew!

Making of a Nursery - Part 2

Click here for Part 1.

We have been busy working away on the nursery and making other preparations for this little ones arrival.  In this post I am going to update you on the crib and crib bedding. 

There are so many beautiful cribs out there that it is difficult to choose, but in the end I decided to go with the classic white Jenny Lind.  This is the same style crib that both Nick and I had when we were babies, and I still love the timeless spindles and simplicity of it. Obviously there are a lot of other people who like this crib as well....it was out of stock most everywhere I tried.  But we did manage to find one
(what would we do without the internet), and it came in a few weeks ago.

Nick jumped right on it and began putting it together.

Not really.  Nick studied the directions while pregnant wife held together all 5 pieces.  He thought he was pretty funny snapping pictures of me like this.



But now that the sides don't raise and lower...cribs are pretty simple to put together as long as you have someone to hold everything together!

Crib Skirt

Next on the agenda was the crib skirt.  A while back I stumbled on this post at Urban Grace Interiors Blog.  Erika (the owner) was documenting her nursery transformation and mentioned how she prefers to make crib skirts.  I won't go into detail because you can read her post if you are interested, but the gist is that each panel is separate and adjustable so that the skirt will always hit the floor regardless of the mattress being raised or lowered. Love that!

So off I went and made the skirt panels.  



Bumper Pads

Before everyone starts emailing me and telling me that bumper pads are no longer being used or are considered unsafe...just know that I am aware of the concerns and we may end up removing them at some point, but for now we have them!  Again I went very simple on the bumper pads...white with blue cording and ties.  Don't worry I will be mixing in some fun colors with pillows, art, rocker, and basket liners!  I started off by ordering the bumper pad inserts from here.  I am really pleased with the quality and the height of these as opposed to the ones that you can purchase at Buy Buy Baby or fabric stores.  The kits comes with the inserts, zipper, elastic to make a crib sheet and instructions on how to put them all together.  Here is how they turned out.

I do realize that we are missing a key component...the mattress.  That is on the list and hopefully we will be getting one soon, but for now you get the idea.  I am still not settled on the ties either.  I made them long so that I would have the option of doing bows, but the knots seem to be more appropriate for a boy.  Who knows I may change my mind.

There are several other pieces of the nursery that are coming together, and I hope to be able to post about those soon.

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Jersey Shore. OK…this is definitely a guilty pleasure. This show is truly the equivalent of watching a car wreck. The cast of Jersey Shore is amazing in that the women actually have fewer morals than the guys – and that’s saying a lot! My sister introduced me to this show. I watched the first season on DVD (uncensored!!!) and I’m watching the current season on MTV. I’ll probably catch the other seasons on DVD as well but each episode is basically the same. Think about the wildest, most dramatic, party-crazed night you ever had in college and that’s pretty much a mild Tuesday night for these people! Before ever watching an episode, I read a lot about the cast and the episodes. So, I know how much these kids are getting paid – which only adds to the shock and awe factor. Despite all of the craziness, you can always count on a lover’s quarrel between Ronnie and Sam, the only couple in the group.

Get More: Jersey Shore (Season 2), MTV Shows

This week, I love gator season. In 1938, Alabama became the first state to take action to protect alligators after years of unregulated hunting almost eliminated the killer lizards. An alligator hunting season was instituted in 2006 in south Alabama to help curb complaints about alligators. A few years later, the season was expanded to other areas in the state, including my home county of Wilcox. The season is limited to a few weeks in August and only a small amount of tags (or rights to hunt) are issued by the state each year. The 2011 season produced some MONSTER gators and our waterways are safer for it. Check out some photos here.

Now the only thing about gator season that I don’t like is the manner in which hunters must harvest their gator. First, an alligator must be hooked with a fishing line and reeled to your boat. While the gator IS STILL ALIVE, the hunter must secure the gator to the side of his boat. Once the gator is secured, a kill shot can be fired through the base of the alligator’s skull. I’m not brave enough to follow these requirements but I’m sure glad that some people are! It’s quite scary to think about how close these huge man-eaters are to our homes and recreation spots. Thank you hunters!

This week, I don’t like pre-video advertisements. When trying to find the above Jersey Shore clip, I was reminded of a very frustrating topic that I’ve been meaning to address for several weeks: the advertisements that play before online videos. Are these ads not the most aggravating things ever? They come in various lengths – fortunately, most are only :15 seconds. News websites like USA Today and MSNBC are the worst. In order to watch any type video on these sites, you must first sit through a brief commercial. There’s nothing you can do about it and that sense of helplessness does not mix well with the “instant” mentality we have all developed thanks to our microwaves and DVRs. But you know what? I get it. As a marketer, I recognize why some many companies are choosing to spend their dollars on what is called “pre-roll advertising”. It’s because Americans don’t (or can’t) read anymore. Reading about the new Ford F150 just doesn’t happen these days. But watching a video about the new Ford F150 sure does. And even then, companies must force you to watch. So the next time your “video will resume in :23 seconds”, blame your microwave for raising your expectations to an unachievable level.

33

So as with most everything these days...I am behind! Nick celebrated his 33rd birthday a few weeks ago, and I am just now getting around to posting about it.  We were able to make a long overdue trip to Camden that weekend and celebrated the event with my in-laws.  My mother-in-law made sure to have caramel cake...Nick's favorite.

After eating too much cake it was time for presents.  Now Nick may lead you to believe otherwise, but the boy did alright!  He got some new golf apparel (shocker), an official Buddy's t-shirt, and a video camera to document all of baby Baggett's milestones (and I am sure some golf footage as well).  Now he was somewhat upset that he didn't have anything to open on his ACTUAL birthday which was on Tuesday, but nonetheless he got some great gifts.  We loved being in Camden and spending time with the Baggetts.

The next weekend my sister came in town to visit (she is moving to D.C. later this month...so she squeezed in one last trip before she leaves us for good).  Nick yet again made out alright when Ellen gave him her gift.

Baby Baggett has his first Auburn outfit.  A cute little onesie with matching socks and hat!  Way to go Ellen!!!  



This is the 5th birthday I have celebrated with Nick, and I can honestly say that I love and respect him more and more with each year that passes.  He is the most amazing husband, friend, and companion that I could have ever asked for. 

Nick I love you, and I love our life together....Happy Birthday (albeit a little late)!