Ikea finds for the baby room

I always plan to get a trip in to Ikea at least once or twice a year. Twice if my husband doesn't mind! There are just so many things and deals there that you can't really find anywhere else. I have been waiting for quite a few months for the trip and had a little money saved up to go. It took a ton of self control to not fill a cart full of tons of things I could use. But, I knew I only had so much to spend, so I reluctantly walked past all the amazing items I wanted and found some things for our baby room. I had been looking online the week before we went so I could price check ahead and know what I needed to get.

For the most part, I kept with what I planned to get - and even found some additional items! I was spot on with the total price. I got a couple Christmas presents knocked off as well, though just small things. But still, it was such a fun day! We took my sister and two brothers with us and had a blast. We ate at the Ikea restaurant and that was really yummy.

Here are the things I got for the baby room. I am just dying to get this room set up! Just keeping waiting... just keep waiting...

These are just the things for the baby room. Again, another peak of the wall color. ;) Here, you can see where the floor is in pretty rough condition. That's what I'm waiting on... my dad is planning to re-sand and poly them at some point. 

This is a spice rack, but I am going to be using it for displaying books!

A new ceiling light - had such a hard time in the light section, because a lot of them are dangling lights that plug in. We are hoping this works out because it only allows a very low light bulb wattage. It basically looks like a lampshade. I love it!

This pillow may seem a bit sophisticated for a baby room, but it is so perfect for my theme. I just had to get it to throw on the twin bed that will be used for nursing and when guests come through.
The plant is a dragon tree?? I don't know - it looked cool, so I thought maybe it might add some color to the room. If not, I have a place for it on my plant stand. 

Aren't you just dying to see this room come together?

Baby Nursery Progress

While I don't have any sneak peaks for you, I thought I'd share the good news that the painting is completed in our little girl's room! I have had help from my siblings, mom and hubby with all the work that went into it, which has made it go so much quicker. We repainted the ceiling to give it a clean look, painted the walls my Light French Gray color, painted the trim and baseboard white... and today, I tackled the stripes.

I have never ever painted stripes on a wall before. I will admit I was very nervous to try it. After all the hard work that went into the walls, I didn't want to totally mess them up!

To start, I had to have something to keep me motivated. You can see clearly what that was. ;) This picture actually gives you a very small glimpse of the color on the wall. I only chose to paint stripes on one wall as a focal point.

I am no expert, but they did come out pretty good and at least the lines are all perfect! This took me hours. It is very time consuming to paint stripes, especially if you are on your own. But it is done (minus a couple touch-ups after it is completely dry), and I am happy. :)

I can't wait to finish working in this room so we can move all of the stuff in there!

More soon.

Autumn Chopped Salad

And we are back to posting something other than baby and crochet stuff! Here is a link to a recipe I made tonight for Autumn Chopped Salad  from Espresso and Cream. I am not quite sure if it is just meant to be a side dish, but I made it into a meal for us tonight and we really enjoyed it! I made a few changes, of course, due to things I had on hand and husband preferences. Hehe. I was quite surprised he wolfed it down!

I substituted the bacon for grilled chicken. That is mostly because my husband won't eat bacon (yes, I know, very strange!). It also made the salad pretty filling using the chicken - something I'm not sure the bacon would have done?

I added minced onion. I love onion on my salad!

Everything else I did as the recipe called for. Even the salad dressings. They seemed weird to combine together, but it came out delicious. The pears, cranberries and feta really are an amazing combination. Someday I will make it with the bacon, because I think that would add another fantastic component to this salad! And, well... I love bacon. ;)

I'm thinking that this would be a unique dish to bring to our Harvest Dinner at church next month. No one has ever brought something like this before (at least, I don't remember).

Enjoy!

Crochet Angel Wing Pinafore

I will admit, I am going a little crochet crazy these days. I keep whipping up these baby items, maybe in hopes that it speeds the time up for when I meet my little girl? I don't know. Here is another item hot off the crochet needle. I absolutely love this pattern, and it was very easy to follow.

Front. I just love the little angel wing sleeves. 

This is the back - my husband picked out the buttons! :)

To make this little dress from Bev's Country Cottage, go here for the pattern. I made this with Caron Simply Soft Gray Heather, with the top part being Caron Simply Soft (not sure what this creamy color is called). I also used a smaller hook - size G/4.00mm.

31.2 Weeks + Crochet Baby Outfit

Down to the single digits now (for weeks) with the countdown! Baby Hansen had a healthy heart rate at our last prenatal (150) and seems to be doing a lot of growing. Thankfully, she decided flip head down and enjoys making things more uncomfortable for mama. I am so glad she is cooperating though, and so far she has decided to stay that way. I can now feel her different limbs. That was strange at first, but it is just so amazing how much closer we are getting to being able to hold this precious gift! It is crazy how much love I have for this little one when I haven't even met her. I can only imagine what it will be like when I first lay eyes on her. <3 p="">

I have gone through a few tough days lately, and I would definitely say that this 3rd trimester has been like a roller coaster ride. Since the baby is getting heavier, it continues to put more pressure on my pelvis and back. I already carry low to begin with, so I am just praying God helps me get through the next 9 weeks. I have so much I want to get done, but I have to be careful not to overdo it... as I usually do. 

We still have not even gotten started on the nursery - I have been waiting for so long to work on it, but there's only so much I can do alone. I am hoping we can get it at least painted by my first baby shower on October 5th, so we can have a place to put all the gifts. My dining room and living room are acting as storage for all the stuff in the nursery until we can get it painted. It will be so nice to have everything in its place and I will feel soo much better! 

Below is my latest project for our little girl. This should fit her by the Christmas season, which is what I made it for! Booties, hat and cardigan. The hat is supposed to be a bit large so it can be worn like a slouchie hat. Doesn't it all look so warm?! Pair this with a long sleeved onsie and some cute leggings and she will be so adorable. Yarn used for the outfit is Caron Simply Soft Autumn Red. Go to my older posts for a link to the bootie pattern. The hat was completely made up by yours truly. The cardigan can be found here. I had an incredibly hard time reading her instructions, but it came out okay, I think!

More crochet and other projects to come. :)

More Crochet Baby Booties

I have been a bit obsessed with making these booties. I made two more pairs this weekend and plan on making more! Not all for my own baby, but for others as well. I am guessing that it takes me about 2 hours to make these, give or take. They are so easy now and I love customizing them. The red booties will have a matching slouchie hat here soon. I just can't wait to start dressing my little girl in these adorable, handmade things! 

I did make an adjustment on these two pairs. You will notice that they are taller. I simply repeated two rounds and finished with the scalloped top. These pairs are also much smaller, so they will fit a newborn. Ahh, what a stylish baby. ;)

Again, this pattern is from Ashlee at I'mTopsyTurvy. 

Crochet Baby Booties

I have finally pulled out my crocheting again. It has been a busy summer, but I decided it was time to start making some baby stuff. I saw a tutorial for these and couldn't resist. Who wouldn't want to make these stylish, adorable little booties for their baby girl on-the-way?! I have never ever made anything like this before. I always stick to easier, straight-cut projects, so I went out on a limb here. They actually were pretty easy and the second bootie went a lot quicker than the first. They may be slightly imperfect, but that is the awesomeness of handmade, I think!

Go here for the tutorial Ashlee at I'mTopsyTurvy. Very easy instructions.

Loving the scalloped top. So feminine! 

Next pair I make will be smaller and taller, more similar to Uggs. Baby Hansen won't be able to wear these for a few months, but how cozy they will be this winter when she finally can fit into them!

Copycat Big Macs

A couple weeks ago I posted ideas for weeknight meals. Out of the four, I only really enjoyed two of them! One of them being the homemade copycat of the Big Mac. Of course! When you can take a basic burger and turn it into something a little extra special, it makes Big Mac night at our house something to look forward to.

While I don't exactly create the Big Mac to a T, it certainly tastes the same if not better than a McDonald's burger. Here's how to create:

1 lb. ground beef (or 4 burgers ready to grill)
1/2 lettuce head, shredded
1/4 cup minced onion
4 slices cheddar cheese
thousand island dressing
burger buns

Make burger patties. I make 4 patties out of a pound of meat. Grill burgers, adding a little salt and pepper to each side. While the meat is cooking, shred your lettuce as finely as you can with a knife. Mince onion (I like white onions because they aren't overwhelming). The last minute before the burger is done, add cheese on top of each to melt. Grill burger buns if desired.

To assemble, place burger on bun. Slather dressing on top bun and add minced onions and lettuce shreds. Put together, and there you have it.

A very delicious burger that tastes even better than McDonalds and has much fewer calories! If you wanted to cut calories even more, try using ground turkey or chicken for the burgers. Probably won't taste the same, but would still be delicious!

You could always make the double layer of a Big Mac to make it extra gigantic, but I like to stick to a regular sized burger. It is much easier to eat. :) Try these as a different twist on your burger night. They are so yummy. Make your own homemade fries and you've really got a treat.

Enjoy!

29 Weeks!

Baby Hansen is very active today! I really think she is becoming more responsive to sounds. Tomorrow is the prenatal visit. Hoping for more good news!

New thing: Hiccups! I felt her hiccuping a couple weeks ago, but it was very subtle. This week, she has had them almost every day and it is so cute. I love knowing more about what's going on with baby in there! 

More stretch marks have appeared very low in my belly. I am so ready to hoist this baby up a little to relieve all the pressure on my back and pelvis!

11 weeks until due date, 8 weeks until full term... and time is flying.

Big belly - getting really heavy! Going to purchase a support belt here soon.

Sewing Projects for Baby

I am not an expert sewer - I can assure you of that! But I can at least figure some things out and do a pretty good job. I used to have days in the past (years ago) where I would battle our sewing machine rather than actually getting much sewing done! Thankfully, I have somehow gotten past that and finished some special sewing projects for my baby girl. 

The bumper pads were actually really easy, even for a girl like me! I stretched that project out a bit since I ran out of ribbon. But it would have only taken at the max a few hours from start to finish! The best way to go (I think, at least) is buying the pads ready to go from JoAnn's, especially if you have a coupon! It cost me under $30 to make them, the majority of cost being the Nu-Foam pads themselves. They are pre-cut, ready to use and come with instructions. Easy-peasy!

The small quilting project - not as easy, but more time consuming than anything. Who knows if I did any of it right, but it feels soft (the backing is flannel) and looks okay! All my corners came out awesome except for one. Go figure, right?

I had just a tiny bit left from my quilting strips, so I made a little burp cloth out of it to match. And then two more burp cloths from flannel material.

My nautical theme with a pop of coral!

I just love the whale fabric. It is so adorable! I didn't know what I would use it for when I spent hours picking out fabric last week, but it seems to work well in this quilt. I have lots more that I think I will use to recover my boppy nursing pillow. 

Bumper pad with light coral ties.

The picture is a little too dark, but I did different stitching along the edges. These burp cloths were so quick and easy. I love that I can personalize my baby stuff!