dresser number two...and a pillow...

so dresser number two is finally done! yahoo!!! this week i finally got it off the back porch because i didn't want it to get dusty from our AZ dust storms that we have this time of year...

this is how it began it's life...$30 from goodwill...

imagine the drawers with straight, all the way across pulls...why am i not better about taking before pictures with "hardware" on????

same process as dresser number one, i sanded it using my orbital sander, primed it with Kilz latex primer (brushed on because i bought a quart size of it), and then sprayed the paint. Krylon Dark Gray in Gloss finish is what Ethan picked for his dresser. he actually picked it, i did not pick it for him! yahoo:) then i sanded the handles, but i didn't prime them. i painted them with a regular acrylic craft paint, because i loved the color! i sealed the handles with Minwax Polycrylic Sealer

and there is no bottom drawer...it was broken when i bought it and i didn't even bring the drawer home because i didn't want to mess with repairing it. so i bought some wrapping paper from Big Lots (love that store!)

it has grid lines on the back for easier measuring and cutting...

and i used some trusty mod podge to fix my lack of drawer...i'll get some containers/baskets from Ikea i think to go down there to help corral some toys...

{before mod podge}

{after mod podge}

i like the way it turned out a lot!

******************************************************

i finally got the tooth pillow made! last sunday while i was home with new baby christian and he was asleep i made this!

i used this pattern but i changed some of the shapes, i didn't like the rounded ears available in the pattern so i used the "horn" template for the ears, shrunk one of the teeth down to be smaller, and free-handed the hair because i liked the spiky hair on a different monster pillow she made. i used the same dimensions though. this pillow is made from a lot of the same fabrics as Christian's bedding, which i hope to have done soon, i'm about halfway through i'd say:) no hurry though because Blake's still using the crib!:)

(and if you made it to the end of this post, give yourself a pat on the back!)

this week...

it's been a week with baby and we are loving it still:) he's a good boy, and we are getting adjusted...one day at a time. that is my motto for integrating a new person...take it one day at a time. as long as we've kept everyone safe, fed and mostly happy...we are doing well.

three days old

we've been doing a whole lot of this..holding baby Christian (4 days old)

Blake discovered this gigantic bag and loved walking around the room with it on him...we just had to make sure he didn't hit the furniture!

in the swing...

sorry kendall...he just loves wearing the apron...he never wears it for long he just likes to put it on and take it off...

we have so enjoyed having my mom here with us this week...it's been awesome. she's leaving tomorrow morning and we will definitely miss her!!! (1 week old today!)

Christian Hartley

our little guy arrived! yahoo! Christian was born on Thurs. 18th, at 5:36 in the morning. he weighed 7lbs. 9oz and was 21 inches long! he is cute and snuggly and we just are loving having him here! the kids adore him and almost want to love and touch him too much...but what's new huh?

he looks thrilled no?

his weight

our little addition

we are both doing well, i feel good, i actually went into labor by myself, he didn't put his hands up when he came out (like the other three did) and i am glad to be home in our environs and in my own bed! yeah!

ready to go home from the hosptial!

where's the baby? can't even see him for all the love!

avery had her first day of preschool on the day i had him...i was sad to miss taking her but it sounds like she had a great time!

she's getting so old!

dresser number one...

(**questions are answered at the bottom of this post...)
dressers are always something we have to find more of whenever we have a new person come to our family. here is A's dresser before....this was after i sanded, i was too impatient to get a picture with the hardware on before sanding...



she's helping clean off the dust from sanding...


here's what the original hardware looked like, i didn't like how heavy and chunky they were and i didn't think they would be very easy to use for a small girl...

so we got these knobs at the Home Depot....




and here is the whole shebang! A picked out the color...but i like it bright and happy:) i did have to drill new holes for the knobs (and use wood filler to close up the other holes) because the original hardware were really awkwardly sized...there really aren't pulls made today that would be comparable in size. Kendall says it has to go in the closet in the room E and A will share because "no self-respecting boy is going to want to have friends over to play in a room with a pink dresser" which is probably true although i did remind him it's her room as well:) this dresser would look very nice roughed up and glazed i think...i just don't have the patience to do it right now...maybe one day. for now, i think it looks just fine:) ethan's dresser reveal will be forthcoming...i just have to paint the handles for his drawers...

(Questions Answered:)
Q: how long did it take?
A: i sanded it and primed it one day, then the next day i sprayed it, the next day i put the knobs on...so three days total

Q: Where did i find the dressers?
A: both dressers were found at different Goodwills in our area...after MUCH looking on Craigslist and various thrift stores.

Q: What materials did i use?
A: I used an orbital palm sander to sand it, Kilz 2 primer (which is latex/water based), and Krylon spray paint in Berry Pink, Gloss finish. The knobs came from Home Depot.

party wrap up...

here are a couple more pics from avery's party...just some decorational items:) my new favorite thing to make for baby showers or parties for the girl are these tissue paper ball/flower things....they are simple, inexpensive and end up making a large impact! i think the original idea may have come from martha, but it has been reincarnated many places...so cute...

we made pink, yellow and turquoise pom poms...

and my other new favorite thing to make that is festive is bunting...typically i make the triangular variety, like on my lockers...but then i decided that the half circle shape is more "girly" and so i tried it out, and it is very fun to do as well! i think it turned out cute!

and the take home bags for the girls...you can get colored lunch sack type bags (just made of paper) in the card/stationary/wrapping paper dept. of walmart for $.25 each and so we got two different shades of pink, got some hello kitty images from the web (love that!) and added each girl's name to them...ribbon is from michael's...cute cute:) inside we put a box of hello kitty bandaids (small boxes of 10 you can find at Target), a hello kitty pencil, small hello kitty note pad, hello kitty stickers...(are you sensing a theme here?) and a hello kitty pez dispenser...

10 days...

(there are some pictures of avery's party today at the bottom of this post if you can make it through my late night rambling:))

i find myself looking at the ticker at the top of my blog.

it counts how many weeks/days pregnant i am and how many are left to go. as i write this it says "about 10 days to go."

which means tomorrow will be a SINGLE DIGIT NUMBER.

i find that i might want to shed some tears at this juncture. this pregnancy has gone fast (and slow but mostly fast) and i have painted dressers on my back porch...we just had avery's friend party today, the last birthday i am in charge of for a while....

am i ready for this? are you ever ready for this?

i think the answer is no. but we do know more about babies and children than we did when we had ethan...that's for sure. so in some ways i feel prepared, and in other ways, not so much. i think i always feel this way...and then i just read a blog post by a friend that she is having twins. TWINS!!! bless them...and they are boys, how fun, that will boys 3 and 4 for their family with a princess in the mix...

and my ticker is about to click over to "about 9 days to go" (which, as we know doesn't mean anything because no one has told Christian he only has about 9 days left...he'll come whenever he darn well pleases i imagine...)

this is one of those rambling, late at night, crazy-pregnant-lady-cold-feet posts...if you can have cold feet about pushing another human out of your body...

i'm just saying....

avery's party went well...all but two of the 6 little girls invited had names that started with "A" which i find very interesting....

we colored hello kitty pictures, ate pizza and fruit, played pin the bow on hello kitty, made glow in the dark bead bracelets, painted fingernails and opened presents and had cupcakes....and a fine time was had by all! it was fun, it was pink, it is over and i am pooped!

the giggly, silly girls!

pin the bow on hello kitty

the birthday girl...i made the skirt minutes before she arrived back from camping...i might be in love with knit skirts that only take about 10 minutes to sew together! it's a little long but i was guessing and wanted to make it so she could wear it for longer...so i'm glad actually:) the shirt was a present from us for her party today...

the cuppy cakes...who doesn't like cup cakes?

Happy Birthday Avery!

{just born}

Today our sweet little Avery turns 4!!!! Happy Birthday! Seems like not that long ago she was tiny...and had bad reflux:) Once we got some medicine for that she was much happier!

{going home from the hospital}

{first birthday}

{second birthday}

{third birthday}

{TODAY: SHE'S FOUR!!!!}

{blake and avery sitting on one of Avery's birthday presents from mom and dad...she got a tinkerbell sleeping bag because today is the ward camp out...dad is taking the birthday girl and the eldest...mom and blake will be staying behind...too pregnant to go:)}

happy birthday sweet avery, we love your spunk, your loving, caring ways, how you forgive easily and how you love your brothers and your family so much!!! you are beautiful and sweet and smart and we couldn't ask for a better girl!!!!

busy busy bee...

Yesterday AM:

Target

Walmart

Michael's

Dollar Store

break for lunch, take E to school, naps for A and B

Yesterday PM:

Take E to a friend's house to play

while he's there:

go to another Target and a different Michael's

all in search of Hello Kitty paraphernalia for A's birthday party.

Today:

out on the back porch sanding and priming....hopefully painting later today....

this nesting thing is tiring:)

hello august...

hi august,

it's nice to meet you this year. we have a lot of things to do together...a husband birthday, a daughter birthday, a father birthday, a friend nikki's birthday (and friend Audrey and Jacks who already had birthdays:)), a sister in law baby shower, the birth of a new person....not to mention volunteering in first son's classroom, scout pack meeting, 2 dressers to refinish, children to move into bunk beds, a little daughter starting preschool....and some sewing and...other things...

one day at at time august...one day at a time

i am excited for all we have to do! yahoo! at least first son is already in school and that routine is going well...:)

The Mortal Instruments...

i just finished the first three books in this series of books (isn't everything a series these days????)

i liked them...interesting concept...werewolves, vampires, warlocks and the like in these books, but i enjoyed them. i have to confess though, in the last one, i skipped about 100 pages and then read the last 100 pages...just so i could find out the answers to my questions! don't worry, i went back and read the 100 pages i skipped so i wouldn't miss anything...and marisa, that issue we were talking about, does get resolved, so yahoo!!!!

(***i hadn't realized when i originally posted this that there was a new fourth book in this series, i'm now on the list at the library so hopefully i'll get it soon!)