Tooting My Own Horn

I know it's frowned upon to brag about yourself but today I can't help it. I just finished refurbishing an ottoman my sister-in-law, Jana, found for me at a thrift store and it turned out so much better than I imagined! You see, my brother and sister-in-law generously offered us a wonderful rocking chair that they no longer needed. I love this chair and I pictured myself rocking and nursing our new little baby in it but being as short as I am I knew I would want a foot stool or an ottoman of some kind to go with it but I can't exactly throw down $200 for the one I want so...I bought an ottoman looking like this for a whopping $8:

The foam was ancient and two of the four springs were shot so when you sat on it you nearly fell to the ground.

I got new foam and Rob and I unhooked the springs underneath, re-stuffed it, re-covered the foam, and replaced the springs by putting the good two in the middle and the looser two on the sides so then it looked like this:

And you can actually sit on it now without falling through!

But wait -- there's more!!


Then I pulled out my trusty sewing machine and put together a slipcover. It took some work but there were surprisingly few cuss words which is rare when my sewing machine and I collaborate on a project.

Attaching the piping

My trusty go-to sewing guide (second only to my Mom)

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to sew and who doesn't have a Mom like mine who knows everything. I got this at a thrift store for $1.50 and it has been a great resource when my Mom isn't available.



The finished product! Isn't it lovely?



The ottoman and the rocking chair together like they were made for each other.
I think one of the reasons I am so excited about this whole thing (aside from the fact that it actually turned out like the picture I had in my head) is the fact that I finally finished something. I'm one of those people who accumulates various things with a grand plan for each and every one of them. The huge old grange doors that were supposed to be a table, the inherited Corain counter top and sink that were to become a part of a cozy potting shed, the cigar box that would become a sewing notions organizer. You name it, I probably have it in my garage just waiting to become something very stylish, useful, and/or awe inspiring. So if you're bored and looking for a project - feel free to come visit me and my stuff :)

Jellyfish, Toads, and Sharks - Oh My!

We went on a little family trip last weekend to Utah and we had so much fun! We went with Rob's brother and his family. We stayed at a great hotel and went swimming. We went to Ikea and Cabela's and to visit Rob's aunt and uncle in Spanish Fork. We also went to the aquarium in Sandy which Ellie just LOVED. She was so enthralled by everything she ran from tank to tank to see all the fish and frogs. We got to pet a sting ray and see sharks, jellysfish, starfish, and an octopus. She loved it so much we had to go through twice :) Now that we're home Ellie keeps asking to "go to da Salt Lake and see da jellyfish." It's so cute. I can't wait till it gets warmer and we can take her to the zoo to see the monkeys and elephants.

I love Ellie's cheeks in this picture - I just want to kiss 'em.

Ellie and her cousins Ali and Addie checking out the tropical fish.

Elliett and Addie counting toads.

Our favorite fish.

Who Stole My Happy Little Girl?

I've been asking myself this question quite often lately. Actually I ask nearly everyone who witnesses her newly found attitude. Where the heck does this stuff come from? She used to be the happiest most easy going kid and now she sulks, pouts, folds her arms and says, "Hmf!" When I ask her to take her muddy boots off in the kitchen she would rather sit on the rug for a half an hour than do what I ask. She knows pouting and disobedience and the like are not allowed in our house. I've tried time outs in her crib, on a chair, taking away privileges and toys. Nothing has been working lately. Anyone have any more ideas? Don't get me wrong, she's not always like this. Only a few times a day if that, but it still drives me crazy when I've been used to her being so obedient and eager to please.

Proof of the pout - if only I could get a picture of her face.

Proof that you should not allow your toddler dress herself in the winter. At least she remembered the hat and gloves - wouldn't want to get cold...

Family Picture

I just wanted to share our new family picture. I figured it was about time to get a professional one done. The quality is lacking a little because it is scanned from the original but you get the idea. Isn't Elliett a cute little stinker?

Christmas Fun!

We had such a fun Christmas! Ellie got just what she wanted from Santa: a dolly, bottle, and a blankie (I have a cute video of her asking for her dolly but it won't upload at the moment.) She was so much fun to watch on Christmas morning - she was so excited about everything she got.

Elliett's dolly, bottle, and blankie from Santa.

Toolbox from Grandma and Grandpa Hemsley. She asks to 'build tools' all the time now and loves to hammer the nails in.

The awesome lantern Ellie got from Grandma and Grandpa Maxwell - she has been asking to go camping nearly every day since she got the lantern.

The Hemsley family checking out the Winkflash album I made for Rob's mom and dad. It was great to sit and watch them react to all the pictures and see certain memories come flooding back. I made one for my parents too and it was a lot more work than I had anticipated but I could hardly stand how excited I was to give them to our families. :)

The best part of Christmas was spending time with our families. I know that sounds cliche but it's true. I would have given up all the presents and yummy food just to be able to be with our families.

Patiently Waiting

This is how I found Ellie when I got done doing the dishes this morning. She is so excited for Christmas she can hardly stand it. She wakes up in the morning saying, "It's Christmas time!" or "It's merry time!" I'm not exactly sure what merry time means but it sure is cute. She is at such a fun age right now. :)

Home Improvements

I have to say I have the most amazing, talented, hardest working husband ever! He is amazing :)
We have been working on our house a lot lately since we've decided to sell it so we're painting and sheet rocking and knocking down walls. By the time we're done it's going to be so hard to move because it will be exactly how we want it. Oh well - we feel good about selling and Rob has been working so hard every night and weekend to get the house ready to put on the market. He is so smart to figure out how to do a lot of the stuff himself to save us lots of money. For example, he decided we could put in our own egress window in the basement and he saved us about $1000. Here are the pictures:

We hired someone to cut the concrete and here is Rob after he pulled the huge slab out of the wall.
This is the window in the basement before Rob tore it out.
These are the after pictures. Rob's brother and brother-in-law, Rich and Matt, helped install the window. Rob did all the finishing and trim work. I think they did an amazing job! I can't believe what a difference it makes to have a big window in the basement. It lets in so much sunlight I just want to park my desk next to the window and work away. :)