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Friday, June 29, 2012

Doilie M Wall Hanging


A couple months back I scored a great deal at a garage sale - a paper grocery sack over half full with doilies of different sizes for only $5.  A lot of them were really small and I had a vision in of putting them on canvas in the shape of an M for Baby Whimsy's room.  Then about a month ago, I found a framed piece of canvas artwork that was the perfect size to re-purpose for my needs (don't worry, I googled the art before painted over it to make sure it was not a masterpiece.  It wasn't - in fact it was just printed on the canvas, not even really painted.). Even better, it cost the whopping total of $1.



My goal was to have the background to be pink but not to look perfectly painted.  I wanted different shades of pink and white to kind of streak through the piece (if that makes any sense).  I am not an artist and I do not paint so this was a foreign venture for me but I went into it with the mindset that there was not a right or wrong way to create art (plus it cost only $1 and I knew if I messed up I could have my sweet sister paint something for me).  

Supplies needed: 
old canvas
white craft paint
pink craft paint (different shades)
paint brush

The first step in the project was the paint over the existing art.  I first did a plain white coat because the piece was originally pretty dark and I did not want the dark colors to show through in the end.  

Once that dried I literally just randomly squirted out paint in shades of pink and white along the canvas.  I wanted the end product to be less bright pink and more baby pink so I adjusted my colors accordingly.  Then I just used a foam brush and painted in the same direction from top to bottom, until the piece was covered in paint.  At the top (my starting point), there were a few areas that were lacking paint so I went back and re-coated them.  I also added more white (and painted it in using the same direction)  where I thought it looked too pink and vice versa until I was satisfied.  It was really a super easy project and I am sure you guys did not need the above description on! 
(Side note, Mr. Whimsy was very impressed with the end result of just the painted canvas and has encouraged me to look for and buy (shocker) more framed canvases if I see them at garage sales to decorate other areas of the house on the cheap.  I love request to buy more when they come from the hubster!)


Then I just needed to add my doilies but again, I didn't so the project sat and waited another REALLY long time, until I made my nursery to do list.  For the doilie portion, I placed the doilies in a way I thought made the M look the prettiest, then starched them and glued them on the canvas.  The hardest part of the project was getting the M laid out so I was happy with it and the most time consuming was ironing the doilies.  



Overall I am really happy with the result, it was an easy breezy project (once I finally got started) and I think it will look nice in the nursery. 

Monday, June 25, 2012

To Do List Update 2


Its been 2 weeks since I originally posted my nursery to-do list in an effort to ridicule myself into getting on the ball.  So far the public pressure has helped and things are moving along nicely (kind of).  

Updates since last week

Overall Nursery
- Paint nursery (Mr. Whimsy) Mr. Whimsy has some touch ups to do... still
- Add woodwork to nursery (Mr. Whimsy) - I think this is totally done.  Whoop!
- Schedule deep cleaning for carpet - (Lindsey) - waiting on painting and wood work to be complete.  

Furniture, Decoration and Organization in Nursery and House (baby specific items)
- Redo furniture - dresser x 2, rocking chair, glider - paint portion (Mr. Whimsy)Quasi done.  Dresser #1 is done, glider is primed, rocking chair is inn the middle of being stained.  Dresser #2 is removed from the list for a while
- Redo furniture - dresser x 2, rocking chair, glider - glaze portion (Lindsey)Glazing is done on the dresser and I just need to get a coat of poly-acrylic on it.  Other furniture is waiting for the painting portion to be complete.
- Get/redo crib (Mr. Whimsy and Lindsey) - Still have to  schedule a time for pick up from Rowdy Ramsdens... 
- Set up nursery (Mr. Whimsy for muscles, Lindsey for "oversight")
- Hang up/organize baby clothes, blankets, figure out storage for baby stuff (Lindsey) - kind of done.  I have used every baby coat hanger I have but need the dresser to be completed and brought to the nursery before I can complete this task.
Ask Denise (Rowdy Ramsdens) about organza rosette fabric for lamp shades/curtains (Lindsey) Done.  
- Clean out cabinet in craft room to make room for things in Baby Whimsy's closet (Lindsey) basically done.  Still need Mr. Whimsy to put a shelf up so I have a place for baskets but that barely counts...
- Get pantry organized to make room for all new baby stuff (Lindsey) -zilch.  But I did add more goodies to the overflowing pantry

Random Must Do's- 
- Mow the lawn (Mr. Whimsy) Yea!  Lawn mower came back from the repair man yesterday and Mr. Whimsy spent his birthday afternoon mowing.  Still need to get to the fenced area but at least we are no longer "those neighbors"
Get last name officially changed, fill new name with insurance (Lindsey) Going to re-register at the hospital this week
- Mail belated graduation/baby/wedding gifts (Lindsey) - sorry folks, your gifts will be in the mail soon... 

 Not Mandatory but Hope To Do:
- Fix up onsies y (Lindsey) - I wish but I did sort out the onsies that needed some cute added to them
- Add doilie "M" to painted canvas (Lindsey) - Done!
- Doily light shade (Lindsey, Mr. Whimsy for any electrical know how) -Project is back on the to do list.  I started it last night and just need to spend more time with my needle and thread 
- Deal with excess garden produce - steam, puree and freeze zucchini for baby food (Lindsey) - We are mostly just getting peppers and cherry tomatoes now - I guess its too hot for zucchini?  The tomatoes get eaten right way but picking them is an ongoing  (and hot) process
- Art with bird and Bible verse (Lindsey) - not yet
- Sleep (Lindsey) - Not sure I will catch up on this one for a few years...

And added on last week:
- Paint tree in corner of room (Mr. Whimsy) - Mr. Whimsy said we needed to do something big and fun to the wall so I found a whimsical (of course) looking tree and we are going to use a projector (borrowed from the library) to sketch it on the wall with some kind of shimmery paint.  Unfotunately, Mr. Whimsy and I did not discuss the scale of this project before he sweetly sketched it on the wall.  The big tree I was envisioning turned out to be only about 5-6 feet tall.  We decided instead of making this one bigger we would buy a vinyl tree that requires less work.  Now I just need to order one...
- Attempt to make button lampshade (Lindsey)- I have a very cool old lamp that I was going to make a doily lampshade for but then I saw a button one that is (of course) more work but oh so fun looking.  Hopefully I have enough white an pearl buttons to complete this one.  Project turned out to be a dud and now I am back to the doily lamp shade project.
- Make 3 doily lanterns to hang in corner of room (instead of bird houses and light shade (Lindsey) - this should be a quasi easy and fun project but it will be messy so I will probably save it for the weekend
- Do something with the furniture and stuff that is in the nursery (Lindsey and Mr. Whimsy - right now the center of the room is piled with the old furniture and baby gift we have gotten... this mess has to be cleaned out soon!

And onto this weeks to-do's:
I have a pretty heavy workload at my regular job this week and already have some social events on the calendar for the evening so I am not sure how productive this week will be.  This list is going to grow but so far I've only got a few items to add to the long list above:
- Pack hospital bag
- Install car seat
- Order crib mattress, baby monitor and play yard
- Do some couponing to rebuild my tiny "stockpile" so we have less shopping to do when Baby Whimsy comes
- Order needed products for LindseysWhimsys rentals.  Must do soon.

Thats a wrap!  Hope you all have a happy and productive week!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Fathers Day Update


Prior to Fathers Day this year I asked you guys if I should do something for Mr. Whimsy or not... I am almost 8 months preggers (gasps!) but without a baby to hold I was not sure what the appropriate actions would be.  You guys said to definitely mark the day so I heeded your advice - thanks!

For Fathers day 2012, Mr. Whimsy go (from Baby Whimsy of course!):

A Willie Wonka Exceptional candy bar with a "Dad" tag under the word "exceptional" (it made sense in person, describing it doesn't really amount to much)
A box of cigars (to be enjoyed and shared once the baby makes her debut)
A Daddy's Girl onsie*
* I actually made this sucker with a plain pink Hobby Lobby onsie, some scrap pink fabric, my Cricut, a sewing machine, etc. etc.  




It wasn't much but it marked the day as a little special and let Dad Whimsy know that I/Baby Whimsy appreciate him 

NOW onto another pressing matter...
Mr. Whimsy turns the big 3-0 this weekend!  I have been a slacker of a wife (especially the last month or so) and have not made special plans to make a new decade.  We have a June-bilee party to go to (we go every year and celebrate about 4 b-days at one time) but other than that I haven't planned anything.  Any suggestions on such short notice???

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

To Do List Update


Well its been a week since I posted my to do list so that I would shame myself into getting to work.  A few of the items have been scratched off but I think we added a lot more to the list than scratched off.  I will not panic though and I will get this stuff done (Team Dashboard, you may just get taken up on your offer soon!).

I have taken a few liberties with my scratch outs, italicizing, etc.  I'm a glass half full type of gal!

Overall Nursery
- Paint nursery (Mr. Whimsy) This is almost done so it gets the scratch out
- Add woodwork to nursery (Mr. Whimsy) - beadboard has been painted and nails have been purchased so in honor of this, I am going to mark this item with italics... as in its about 25% complete
- Schedule deep cleaning for carpet - (Lindsey) - waiting on painting and wood work to be complete.  And nursery to be cleaned out (refer to "added this week" list)

Furniture, Decoration and Organization in Nursery and House (baby specific items)
- Redo furniture - dresser x 2, rocking chair, glider - paint portion (Mr. Whimsy) - nada... I take that back, we purchased primer and paint but still, pretty much not much has been done in this area
- Redo furniture - dresser x 2, rocking chair, glider - glaze portion (Lindsey) - nada
- Get/redo crib (Mr. Whimsy and Lindsey) - I talked with the Rowdy Ramdsdens and just have to schedule a time for pick up... but other than that, no change in status
- Set up nursery (Mr. Whimsy for muscles, Lindsey for "oversight")
- Hang up/organize baby clothes, blankets, figure out storage for baby stuff (Lindsey) - kind of done.  I have used every baby coat hanger I have but a lot of the folded items will go into the dresser... which has a nada status currently
- Ask Denise (Rowdy Ramsdens) about organza rosette fabric for lamp shades/curtains (Lindsey) - Done.  I am not going to get the fabric (but this resulted in a new item added to the list). Items that get taken off the list are by far the easiest to accomplish!
- Clean out cabinet in craft room to make room for things in Baby Whimsy's closet (Lindsey) - about 50% complete
- Get pantry organized to make room for all new baby stuff (Lindsey) - zilch 

Random Must Do's- 
- Mow the lawn (Mr. Whimsy) - grass/weeds are growing higher every day!
- Get last name officially changed, fill new name with insurance (Lindsey) - WOOHOO! I still nneed to re-register at the hospital but the big part is done!
- Mail belated graduation/baby/wedding gifts (Lindsey) - sorry folks, your gifts will be in the mail soon... 

 Not Mandatory but Hope To Do:
- Fix up onsies y (Lindsey) - I wish!
- Add doilie "M" to painted canvas (Lindsey) - not yet
- Doily light shade (Lindsey, Mr. Whimsy for any electrical know how) - project changed to doily lanterns (see added on this week list)
- Deal with excess garden produce - steam, puree and freeze zucchini for baby food (Lindsey) - Instead of making baby food I made dinner :) and passed some out to family/friends
- Art with bird and Bible verse (Lindsey) - not yet
- Sleep (Lindsey) - I am not sure 2 hour cat naps at night are worthy of a scratch off 

And added on this week:
- Paint tree in corner of room (Mr. Whimsy) - Mr. Whimsy said we needed to do something big and fun to the wall so I found a whimsical (of course) looking tree and we are going to use a projector (borrowed from the library) to sketch it on the wall with some kind of shimmery paint.  Pretty excited about this one!
- Attempt to make button lampshade (Lindsey)- I have a very cool old lamp that I was going to make a doily lampshade for but then I saw a button one that is (of course) more work but oh so fun looking.  Hopefully I have enough white an pearl buttons to complete this one
- Make 3 doily lanterns to hang in corner of room (instead of bird houses and light shade (Lindsey) - this should be a quasi easy and fun project but it will be messy so I will probably save it for the weekend
- Do something with the furniture and stuff that is in the nursery (Lindsey and Mr. Whimsy( - right now the center of the room is piled with the old furniture and baby gift we have gotten... this mess has to be cleaned out soon!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Painting/Beadboard Installation in Progress


Mr. Whimsy is making things happen!  (Please excuse the gigantic mess in the center of the room)


The color of the room is officially Fountain Mist but it pretty much looks like Tiffany's blue (this was unintentional).   It looks pretty dark here but in real life its much brighter and lighter.  I really love it.

Slowly things are getting crossed off the list (meanwhile, the list keeps growing... more on that next time.)

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Cheers! A legal name change has take place!

Yesterday was a big day in the Whimsy household...  I officially - as in recognized by the United States Government - took Mr. Whimsys last name... finally.  

I know, I know, its been a long time coming.  We have been married for well over a year and I have had plenty of reminders from friends that this was long over due.  As in, it has been lingering on my post wedding to-do list since last March.  In my defense, I feel like I had some valid excuses - i.e. travelling and did not want to get a new passport, hadn't gotten a new license, etc.  It honestly did not seem like a pressing matter.  On non-legal things, I always signed with my new last name, my work uses my new last name, etc. 

I realized the impending need of getting the name changed when I registered for Baby Whimsy's birth at the hospital.  I had to fill out the forms with the name on my insurance - which is my maiden name  (because the name on the insurance card is the same name on the Social Security office uses).  It occurred to me as Mr. Whimsy and I sat in the cubicle that I was setting everything up so that on Baby Whimsy's birth certificate, her parents would have two different last names at the time of her birth.  Not exactly the ideal situation for our very nuclear family.  

So as of 1pm yesterday, the ball was set in motion to rectify the situation.  I marched myself (err, waddled my way) into the Social Security administration office, took a number and waited to be called to the window.  I diligently answered all the questions in order to prove that I was who I said I was.  And less than an hour later I left with a crisp sheet of 80# printer paper stating that my new Social Security card would be in the mail in 2-3 weeks.  Scratch that item off the list!

Today I made a copy of proof of my name change for HR and now I just have to wait for insurance to be changed over, then I have to re-preregister with my correct name at the hospital and with my doctor.  And then wala: Baby Whimsy's parents have the same last name!

So please, friends and family, have 2 glasses of champagne (one for me and one for you) to celebrate.  This item, a carry over from my wedding to do list and top item on my "we are going to have a baby and this stuff needs to get done asap" has finally been taken care of.  Cheers!

NOTE: Despite the delayed name change, I have been legally married according to Washington County since my and Mr. Whimsy's wedding on March 26.  Don't let my sister try and convince you otherwise.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Pre-Baby To Do List


Mr. Whimsy and I have a bunch to do before Baby Whimsy makes her appearance.  I am 33 weeks pregnant so the time is really getting critical.  I am going to try the accountability thing again and post my list here... Will update next week to see how many things are getting done - and hopefully some items will be scratched off the list (fingers crossed)

Things to do before baby:

Overall Nursery
- Paint nursery (Mr. Whimsy)
- Add woodwork to nursery (Mr. Whimsy)
- Schedule deep cleaning for carpet - wait until after painting and woodwork is complete (Lindsey)
Furniture, Decoration and Organization in Nursery and House (baby specific items)
- Redo furniture - dresser x 2, rocking chair, glider - paint portion (Mr. Whimsy)
- Redo furniture - dresser x 2, rocking chair, glider - glaze portion (Lindsey)
- Get/redo crib (Mr. Whimsy and Lindsey)
- Set up nursery (Mr. Whimsy for muscles, Lindsey for "oversight")
- Hang up/organize baby clothes, blankets, figure out storage for baby stuff (Lindsey)
- Ask Denise (Rowdy Ramsdens) about organza rosette fabric for lamp shades/curtains (Lindsey)
- Clean out cabinet in craft room to make room for things in Baby Whimsy's closet (Lindsey)
- Get pantry organized to make room for all new baby stuff (Lindsey)

Random Must Do's- 
- Mow the lawn (Mr. Whimsy)
- Get last name officially changed, fill new name with insurance (Lindsey)
- Mail belated graduation/baby/wedding gifts (Lindsey)

 Not Mandatory but Hope To Do:
- Fix up onsies y (Lindsey)
- Add doilie "M" to painted canvas (Lindsey)
- Doilie light shade (Lindsey, Mr. Whimsy for any electrical know how)
- Deal with excess garden produce - steam, puree and freeze zucchini for baby food (Lindsey)
- Art with bird and Bible verse (Lindsey)
- Sleep (Lindsey)

Friday, June 8, 2012

Fathers Day???

Fathers Day is around the corner and while Baby Whimsy is not expected to make an appearance until the end of July I am debating what, if anything, to do for Mr. Whimsy for this First Fathers Day of sorts.  What say you?  Would love suggestions and ideas if you have any!  NOTE: Mr. Whimsy celebrates his birthday the following Sunday if you have any, um, bigger, ideas!

On another note, I have been pursuing the blogosphere and am pretty much obsessed with super cute DIY onsies.  Hopefully will make (and post some) this weekend!  Look for photo's soon my friends!

Friday, June 1, 2012

24 Hour Virus + 31 weeks Pregnant = New Low

Sorry in advance if the below is too graphic and/or disgusting for you... but I have been told I should try and chronicle my pregnancy, and unfortunately, this tale is one for the books.

I sank to a new, desperate, low this week.  In a (not so) fun experiment, I combined the loveliness of a nasty 24 hour virus with the mobility of being a 31 week pregnant person.  The results were pretty disastrous and I would not recommend it to anyone.  

Without going into the ugly details (too much), I am pretty sure, had I not lived it myself, I could probably find humor in some of the situations so here goes...

Tuesday (also knows as night of doom for me personally) in Texas were the primary elections.  I have always been interested in things political so all day I was very excited and anxious about the results.  After work and house/animal chores, I decided to meet Mr. Whimsy and one of his colleagues at a local pub to see the early results of voting then we would proceed to an election night party.   As soon as I arrived at the pub, I told Mr. Whimsy that I was so anxious my way over I almost had to pull over to get sick.  We both laughed this off as an extreme pregnancy side effect... if we only knew...  and I ordered a coke and fries to settle my stomach (carbs have been my friend anytime I have felt sick since getting pregnant).

We headed to the election night party and I kept telling Mr. Whimsys that I must have had too many fries because I felt really full.  As soon as we got to the party I got a little "normal" pregnancy sick - no big deal, I have that 3-4 times a week.  I tried to enjoy the party and less then 5 minutes later, I was in the bathroom getting really sick.  Thankfully I was the only person in the restroom at the time so this was not big issue.  I cleaned myself up and tried to rejoin the party because I knew Mr. Whimsy really wanted to be there (and I was his ride).  I'm a pretty sweet wife huh? :)

Another 5 minutes went by of my trying to be friendly, visit with folks and put up a good front of being a happy normal pregnant person.  Then, the gurgling in my stomach began again and I made a mad dash to the restroom... until I was stopped on the way by some more of Mr. Whimsys colleagues.  I put on the most genuine smile I could muster, said hello and exchanged pleasantries as quickly as possible then darted off before I made a huge disgusting spectacle of myself.  

I (barely) made it to a restroom stall in time to get sick in a more appropriate place.  I knew I was in it for the long hall so I had some decisions to make during the few seconds I had between losing the contents of my stomach... do I kneel on the floor or just hover over the toilet and try the best I can to avoid getting my dress dirty?  Is kneeling on the floor even an option (I was in a public - albeit clean - restroom for goodness sake)? If I were to squat would people see me under the door when they walked by, if they saw me (which they of course would), how much of my butt would I be exposing? My vanity was long gone but I decided to go the standing/hovering route (for the sake of others that my come into the restroom) and tried my best to simultaneously not touch anything and not pee my pants.  It was quite the challenge - but it got worse.

As I stood/hovered over the toilet, I heard two ladies come into the restroom, talking about the election results.  Thankfully around this time my stomach decided to call a time out and let me have a few seconds to recover.  I made the split decision to be quiet and let the ladies think they were the only people in the restroom at the time.  Fatal mistake.  The two obviously thought they were in private and proceeded to have a LONG conversation about the election results, their opinions, etc.  Halfway into hearing what they thought about the potential for an election run-off, my stomach called halftime over.  

Now I was challenged with being 1. hovering/standing while getting sick, 2. not touching anything, 3. not peeing my pants, 4. being silent.  Fun huh?  

Thankfully as the second half kicked in, the ladies finished up their business, which in turn, let me finish up my business and get the heck out of town (literally, I told Mr. Whimsy he had to find another ride home and I was outta there).

The next 24 hours were filled with a misery I have only dreamed about in my worst nightmares.  Thankfully, that misery is behind me and today is a new, healthy day.  I had my regularly schedule doctors appointment Thursday and she gave me a clean bill of health - so long as I would get some fluids into me.

My advice to pregnant women everywhere is pretty simple: avoid virus' like the plague.  Trust me.