a long walk.

During the first weekend of this month, we enjoyed a nice long walk at a nearby park; we had fun throwing rocks in the lake and finding lots of bugs.  It was nice to see that the kiddo still enjoys his babypack.

Got to love summer and all its splendor, right? 

the kiddo's playroom

I recently submitted the kiddo's playroom to Ohdeedoh for their room tours because I'm so proud of how this little room came together given the now-hidden sump pump problem that existed when we first moved into our home.  Yes, oddly enough, the former owners created a "finished room" with a sump pit just hanging out in the middle of the floor. Thankfully, my husband's ingenuity produced a sturdy and rather well-camouflaged "sump box" equipped with an access door and a circulation vent, which led to the creation of budget-friendly playroom. 

My focus was to create a playroom on a budget with functional spaces, room for rough-housing, and incorporates my kiddo's most prized possessions as they evolve.

The train table was purchased for $20 at our neighborhood garage sale.  The chalkboard ($15), rug ($30), magnetic board ($20), 4-cube Expedit ($50), and Lack side tables ($7 each) are from Ikea. The crayola table was a gift from Grandma. The puzzle rack is Melissa and Doug ($19), the wall shelves are from West Elm ($19 each on sale-similar here), and the wall art is made from Ikea Malma mirrors.  The A-R-T art wall is a DIY project and the quilt was a gift from Grandma.  Lastly, the Bee Art is a DIY project out of Dollar Store document frames.

I see the playroom as a continuous work in progress, but, at the moment, I love it! I especially love my old Fisher Price farm from 1979, the year I was born.  I love seeing Connor play with the same little animals that I have such fond memories of!

Parties I'm Linking To Today: 

Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple
I'm Lovin It at Tidy Mom
Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge

on the nightstand...

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 My husband bought me this series of books by Michael Gurian.  I'm intrigued by the mind of "the boy", especially since I have one and I'm not one.  I've been reading this series in pieces as not all the information yet applies to my little man. Has anyone read these books? What do you think? Any other books you've turned to help you raise your son? 

I've been reading this one.  Not bad.  Not as good as the "Happiest Baby", but some useful information in here for sure.  My son is highly spirited and strong-willed, in addition to being a rather poor sleeper; so, I've been looking for some tools for my toolbox for creating a calming environment and for tempering tantrums. Any other recommendations?

And now for the fun...

My husband bought me these books for Mother's Day. I love them; I can't wait to get sewing!

What's on your nightstand?

i made my own window treatment!

It's no secret that I'm a novice seamstress, at best.  But, I'm slowly working my way up from pillow covers to window treatments! 

I had been wanting to make some new covers for the two small windows on the sides of our front door.  The goal was to create a semi-sheer, two-sided panel.  In order to do that in an easy and pain-free way, I decided to create a loop with two pieces of fabric attached via a french seam.  The french seam creates a "lip" that rests on the rods in order to prevent the loop from sliding around.  Clever, right?!?!  Well, at least for a newbie like me!

When we first moved in the windows were a bit too "peeping Tom" bare for my taste. 

Shortly thereafter, my aunt gave me a set of magnetic curtain rods that were perfect for the space.  The window is too small for the spring-loaded rods; so far, these magnetic ones are the only non-custom type that I've found to work.

My talented Mother-in-Law made me some quick sheers to cover the windows; however, because she's sewing from a distance, they ended up a little too short for the space.

I've had this task on my list of things to do for months, but I've been putting it off as I'm just not confident with the sewing machine.  But, practice makes...

perfect, right!?!

They really turned out exactly as I had hoped.

For more info, read on after the jump!

my little stinker...and a giveaway winner

Yep, he's pointing at you.  He truly is a little stinker.

This little guy would be reason numero uno regarding why I have been a little MIA lately.