Seven months.

The little one is now seven months old. She’s changing extraordinarily each week. This month we made it through her first long sickness – yuck! She’s showing some spunk – yelling aggressively at her toys {mainly the volleyball}, and she pulls my hair like it’s her job! She’s showing some serious stranger anxiety; she hasn’t made it through the church nursery in probably four weeks without me being paged to come get her. Despite her fussiness there, she really is still my happy & chill baby that she’s always been. She’s smart and active, not a great napper, but a fantastic hugger.

Oh, and she said her first word: “Mama.” Well, mainly she cries “Mama” rather than saying it, but still, I think that counts!

She knows her name well, and laughs like crazy at her cousin {typical} or when mommy or daddy pretend they’re going to get her.

She is oh so inquisitive lately…

…and sweet {as always.}

She chews on everything despite the fact that she still has zero teeth in yet {although the amount of drool she’s had over the last 3 months would make you assume otherwise.} She especially likes to chew on the zippers to her coats…

Each day I love her deeper. Makes me appreciate how much God must love us, His children. It’s truly too great for me to comprehend. If I can love this little being whom I didn’t even really create, oh how much more must He must love us.

Wondrous things calendar log.

First, I want to wish my mom a happy birthday! The little one and I just enjoyed a lunch with my mom. It was definitely my wondrous thing today. Last weekend I took salad bar fixings and a chocolate cake to my parents’ place to celebrate her birthday {also a wondrous thing.}

We enjoyed fresh food, chocolate, and family…all the fine things in life. :)

One of the gifts I gave my mom was what I’m calling a “wondrous things calendar log.” Probably one of the best things my mom ever taught me was to look for a daily wondrous thing from God. {See more about what that means in this post: Wondrous thing in full bloom}

My favorite blog to read is Ashley Ann’s Under the Sycamore Tree. She has such a heart for God and her family {not to mention that she is an amazing photographer and crafter.} Without sounding too creepy, she inspires me to love deeper through her blog. She posted a link to a free download of her “Best of my days calendar.”  Here’s her lovely version…

I simply printed the pages and used some cardboard, scrapbook paper, ribbon, and mod podge to create some fun covers for the little books.

I made 6 of these with different paper and ribbon for some special ladies in my life {including my mom.}

Feel free to make your own! I think it’s a fabulous daily habit to get into – makes me intentional about looking for the lovely in life, the precious gifts from God.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Hanging glass knobs and vases.

I’ve had this project in my head for probably every bit of a year now. In our living room, we have one blank wall that is perpendicular to our gallery wall so I’ve struggled with finding something that would work well on this wall while not competing with the busy photo wall in the same room. I thought these colorful glass knobs {all purchased at Hobby Lobby either on sale for 40% off or on clearance} would be a fun accent to the room.

Originally, I wanted to {somehow} affix the colored glass knobs straight to the wall as hooks; however, that “somehow” never quite worked out. I purchased these wooden plaques, spray painted them antique white, and nailed metal hangers onto the backs…

Next, I drilled a hole in the center of each plaque for the glass knobs…

Then I used my typical paper template method to determine where to place them on the wall {blurry cell pic, sorry}…

Anchors and screws and then I was done!

I used some basic twine and my $0.79 Ikea vases to finish it off…

I plan to use single flowers, leaves, wheat, etc. in the vases, and I may even hang stockings from these come Christmas time.

I think the glass pastel colors compliment my new vintage plate wall nicely…

I think it’s a bit too “out of the box” for Eugene’s tastes, but he’s nice enough to let me keep ‘em. :)

Bathroom floor.

Eugene spent one of his vacation days re-doing our main bathroom’s flooring. The original floor was fine, no damage and it looked “just okay.” He already fixed up the flooring in our small half-bath attached to the little one’s room, so we just used the same peel & stick tile. We know it’s not top-quality, nor will it last long, but we thought it’s worth the $45.00 to have the bathroom look much better and cleaner, even if we have to re-do it in a couple years.

So here’s the original pink-tiled, wallpapered bathroom in all its glory compared with today’s version…

{Painted tile post here and diy curtains here.}

The original flooring was one sheet of vinyl.

We have had a toilet in virtually every room we own – bedrooms, front yard, living room, you name it…

No matter how much I cleaned it, it was permanently stained…

This looks much better {and cleaner!}

 

The lighting is awful in the bathroom, and I took many of the pics at night after the little one went to bed, so I apologize for the poor quality. Here’s a couple more before & afters…

Not bad for the price of a tank of gas!

This bathroom’s come a loooong way with a little budget!