The Best One

Here's the deal. I've been working each night, but I haven't actually been able to cross anything off the list. I've made tiny bits of progress though.

I contacted the manufacturer of my blinds about a bracket since they are weird and I can't just buy the standard replacement at a hardware store. I tried on Day 1 of this project without success. Turns out they don't sell parts so I have to find them myself. They suggested I check www.blindparts.com or www.fixmyblinds.com.

I also worked on cleaning off my enormous (we're talking roughly 3 1/2'x 9') dining room table.  Since only two of us currently eat at a table, the majority of the table is commonly used for random horizontal storage. I've gotten it down to about 40 percent or so of it's typical load, but it's still not even close to tablescape-able.

And that's are far as I've gotten. No pictures to report. No projects to cross off.


1. Buy a bracket and rehang the blinds in the bedroom
2. Plant the mum by friend Nancy gave me
3. Write something on my DIY Chalkboard
4. Finish my fall mantel
5. Take Norie's four month pictures before she's five months old
6. Finish the wedding plate wall art
7. Make some bunting for my office
8. Build a pallet bar/wall art to cover up the attic fan switch
9. Make a DIY ribbon chandelier for Norie's room
10. Do something with the shutters my aunt got me last year
11. Put the label plates back on the enormous drawer thing and label the drawers
12. Finish the wall art I started for the Song print I got for donating to Love Without Boundaries
13. Finish my desk
14. Finish the table scape for Campbell Family Thanksgiving 2012
15. Hang the awesome owl latch hook my sister gave me at Norie's baby shower
16. Clean up the porch
17. Finish the October page in my pregnancy scrapbook (yes, that would be last October)
18. Fix the leg on the coffee table and finish repainting it
19. Sell the coffee and end tables
20. Make a coffee table
21. Create a gift wrapping/gift wrap organizing space
22. Start working on fun holiday decorations
23. Finish the other Dream Dollhouse from last year's Make Two Challenge
24. Make some DIY cake stands from wedding plates and candlesticks.
25. Make map mats for vacation photos

I have to tell you this because it touched my heart. Hopefully, my husband is okay with that. He generally isn't into people knowing just how freaking amazingly sweet and endearing he is.

The other night I was getting dinner ready and Norie got hungry so I nursed her while Austin finished it. He asked which pork chop I wanted and when I said, "Whichever" he said, "I think you should get the best one."

I think I already did. :)

Instagramming Childhood

I had this (potentially crazy) idea that I would take pictures of Norie each moth to document her babyhood. Clearly, I did not yet have a baby when I came up with this idea.

You see, the thing about taking monthly baby pictures is you have to take the time once a month to take pictures of your kid. Like, not just whip out your fun while you're doing something fun or when they do something cute, but actually set aside time to focus on taking pictures of them.

I'm not good at that. We're too busy doing stuff and snuggling. Not that you should feel bad for actually doing it. More power to you if you actually get it done. its just not our thing. I am, however, really good at whipping out my phone and Instagram-ing our adventures.

I stressed about it a bit. Then I looked at the pictures I had taken of Norie this month. 

That is totally scrapbook worthy. Four month pictures: check.

Oh, and in case you're curious last Thursday I planted the mum by friend Nancy gave me in the dark just so I could claim another day of sticking to my 25 Things plan. I didn't take a pictures (because it was dark) and I didn't find time to post about it on Friday, but I did do something. :)

1. Buy a bracket and rehang the blinds in the bedroom
2. Plant the mum by friend Nancy gave me
3. Write something on my DIY Chalkboard
4. Finish my fall mantel
5. Take Norie's four month pictures before she's five months old
6. Finish the wedding plate wall art
7. Make some bunting for my office
8. Build a pallet bar/wall art to cover up the attic fan switch
9. Make a DIY ribbon chandelier for Norie's room
10. Do something with the shutters my aunt got me last year
11. Put the label plates back on the enormous drawer thing and label the drawers
12. Finish the wall art I started for the Song print I got for donating to Love Without Boundaries
13. Finish my desk
14. Finish the table scape for Campbell Family Thanksgiving 2012
15. Hang the awesome owl latch hook my sister gave me at Norie's baby shower
16. Clean up the porch
17. Finish the October page in my pregnancy scrapbook (yes, that would be last October)
18. Fix the leg on the coffee table and finish repainting it
19. Sell the coffee and end tables
20. Make a coffee table
21. Create a gift wrapping/gift wrap organizing space
22. Start working on fun holiday decorations
23. Finish the other Dream Dollhouse from last year's Make Two Challenge
24. Make some DIY cake stands from wedding plates and candlesticks.
25. Make map mats for vacation photos

My Fall Mantel

You thought I wasn't going to post today, didn't you? Well you were wrong. I overslept this morning and didn't have time for coffee, breakfast or blogging. Then I realized 10 miles from home and midway through my commute that I had forgotten my wallet and couldn't buy coffee. I decided to feel blessed that I sleep in such a comfortable bed and am accustomed to having access to enough money to meet my needs.

Yes, of course coffee is a need. Don't be ridiculous.

Blogging about my work from last night had to wait until Norie went to bed tonight. Don't worry, I already finished my Day 4, but I'll wait until tomorrow to tell you about that one. Technically I'm cheating a bit on my 25 Things plan, but I'm okay with that since I'm cheating by using a project I got mostly done several days ago. I'm considering it over achieving since I've been meaning to work on one for years and I finally did. It's my fall mantel.

Every year there is a series of "It's Fall Y'all" Autumn Link Parties thrown by some of my favorite bloggers and one of the parties is about fall mantels. I've never had my mantel together to share one the day of the link party, but I thought I just might make it that year.

Yeah, that one. It was on Sept. 25th. I didn't quite make it. I did, however, finish my mantel for the first time ever (well, except for the writing on the DIY Chalkboard part).

This picture from the very first Whatever Craft Weekend was my inspiration.

Source: Whatever, http://megduerksen.typepad.com

I love absolutely everything about it. It's bright, it's cheery, it's colorful, it has pumpkins, and sunflowers, and bunting. It's fabulous.

I just noticed my version is lacking the white framed mirrors and I might have to do something about that. It has all the things I loved about the original though. I arranged some of the silk flowers I still have from our wedding with a fall arrangement I got last year and put them in vases I already had around the house. Austin sent me flowers in the striped vase way back in 2005. I added some fresh pumpkins (they might just be from the farm I worked on as a teenager) and hung a strand of paper bunting on sisal rope from the same nails we used for the bunting at the baby shower.

Can you tell bunting makes me really happy?

It's too late to add it to the fall mantel link party at Centsational Girl, but it makes me super happy every time I look at it.

Day 3 of my 25 Things plan and still going strong.

1. Buy a bracket and rehang the blinds in the bedroom
2. Plant the mum by friend Nancy gave me
3. Write something on my DIY Chalkboard
4. Finish my fall mantel
5. Take Norie's four month pictures before she's five months old
6. Finish the wedding plate wall art
7. Make some bunting for my office
8. Build a pallet bar/wall art to cover up the attic fan switch
9. Make a DIY ribbon chandelier for Norie's room
10. Do something with the shutters my aunt got me last year
11. Put the label plates back on the enormous drawer thing and label the drawers
12. Finish the wall art I started for the Song print I got for donating to Love Without Boundaries
13. Finish my desk
14. Finish the table scape for Campbell Family Thanksgiving 2012
15. Hang the awesome owl latch hook my sister gave me at Norie's baby shower
16. Clean up the porch
17. Finish the October page in my pregnancy scrapbook (yes, that would be last October)
18. Fix the leg on the coffee table and finish repainting it
19. Sell the coffee and end tables
20. Make a coffee table
21. Create a gift wrapping/gift wrap organizing space
22. Start working on fun holiday decorations
23. Finish the other Dream Dollhouse from last year's Make Two Challenge
24. Make some DIY cake stands from wedding plates and candlesticks.
25. Make map mats for vacation photos