And Baby Makes Three

Congratulations Julie and Jeremy!!!!!!

Today we welcome our first grandson.  We really don't know any details, as of yet, other than his name is Mack.  Julie had a long labor and gave birth around 7:00 tonight, so Mama and baby are recovering.  We are thankful everything went well, although maybe not according to Julie's very detailed birth plan.  :@  Tomorrow we get to visit the new family and hopefully snap a few pictures.

Since Julie ( and Jeremy, I think) chose not to find out the sex of baby beforehand, or share the names they had chosen, we didn't get to splurge on any gender specific items.  First stop tomorrow:  Babies R Us!

For the newest Twinkie .

xxoo, Grandma and Grandpa

Sweet Dreams

Here she is, the newest addition to the Studio 911 sock monkey line.  I'm sure she'll be quite popular among new mommies craving a good night's sleep.

The Fairy Godmonkey.

Just place her in the nursery where she can watch over your little one and you can catch up on that much needed beauty rest.

She wears a silver crown (metallic pipe cleaners) and gossamer wings fashioned from a clothes hanger and toddler tights.  Her flowing dress is made from strips of tulle looped over an elastic band and dotted with glittery diamonds.  These fairies do like their bling!  She casts a spell with her sparkly wand to magically lull even the fussiest babies to sleep.

When mommy and daddy are in the room, she will sit quietly and let them soothe their little babe.  But don't be surprised if you hear the fluttering of wings when you close the door behind you.

Don't worry, she's just doing her job.  Sweet dreams little one.

Apple Blossoms

The cloudy sky finally cleared when I got home from work, so I was able to spend a beautiful evening puttering around in the yard.  I snapped a few pictures of the apple blossoms on the trees before the wind and rain take them away.  Last year none of the trees had any blossoms and this year they are covered in flowers.  I guess that means there will be a bumper crop of apples for the evil squirrels to destroy.

Mmmmm, better than any air freshener you can buy.  I wish I could bottle the sweet smell.

Got Milk?

Knock, knock. 

Who's there?

Moo.

Moo who?

Moo aren't very good at making up knock, knock jokes.

This is the silliness that occupied our girls during long car rides when they were little.  We had no such thing as portable DVD players in the 80's and 90's.  The girls would take turns making up knock, knock jokes until they made absolutely no sense at all, but at least it kept them from fighting and whining.

How many udders does a cow have?  No, it's not a riddle.

The answer is 4.

Yesterday I attended a baby shower for my Kathy Griffin-Jenny McCarthy-like niece Ashley.  I bought a gift from her registry, of course, but also wanted to create something truly unique for her baby girl due in July.  Since I've been in a knitting mode, I thought a funky newborn hat would be fun.  You know, something not too sweet, not too pink, and a little mod.

Here it is.  A Studio 911 udderly original noggin' topper.

( Playlist song chosen for this post courtesy Weird Al.) 

I had to create my own pattern, so I randomly chose to add 4 udders.  I was later informed by a "country farm gal" that yes indeedy, COWS HAVE 4 UDDERS!  Who knew?!  Certainly not me.  I get my milk from the supermarket.

Slightly confused Ashley.

Just in case there was any doubt as to what the pink thing-a-ma-jigs are on top of the hat, I ironed a familiar logo onto a cotton knit baby cardigan from Target.

There it is.  The perfect ensemble for her first outing with Mommy and Daddy to..... oh, I don't know.  Country Trough perhaps?

Happy Birthday tomorrow, Jeremy!

Addendum:  I stand corrected.  I have just been informed by my son-in-law (whose parents owned dairy cows when he was growing up) that cows have only ONE udder!  Yes folks, one udder and 4 teats.  I guess I'm never too old to learn something moo.   :@

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Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special



Spring Cleaning

It's time to do a little spring cleaning.....so to speak.  I have so many pictures haphazardly stored on our computer that I need to organize, put in folders, or delete altogether.  Here are some before and after photos I found of pieces we rehabbed last fall.

Before.

This baby wardrobe was pretty darn cute already, but Megan really wanted white furniture for Finley's room.  So, I removed the old drawer pulls and dog panel (woof,woof) and replaced the broken backer piece with beadboard.  The whole thing got a good sanding and a coat of Zinsser primer.  I painted it with Benjamin Moore Impervo paint which dries to hard washable finish.  I used Impervo on my kitchen cabinets, so I know it holds up well.  I added new drawer pulls and found some window screen in the garage to replace the dog panel ( glass would just be too dangerous for a child ).  Megan attached a wire basket on the side to hold diaper paraphernalia and topped it off with a changing cushion.

After.

The wardrobe already had the pole for hanging baby things.  We added the shelf and brackets inside for two more shelves if needed.  Hopefully it will fit in Finley's new room in Beaverville.  :@

This next piece didn't undergo a huge transformation, just a little spiffing up.  Excuse the poor picture quality. 

Before. 

When I found this cupboard, the doors wouldn't close, the glass was adhered with cheap white bathroom caulk, it wore lovely brass handles with 80's country blue and white porcelain and it was STINKY. 

We removed the doors and gave the whole piece a good cleaning, sanding and two coats of primer to seal in the stink and possible lead paint.  Bill ground down the edges of the doors and I repositioned them using the old hinges.  It was painted with the same paint as the wardrobe above and finished with 2 old cabinet latches I found in my stash.  Here it is in Finley's room ( photos taken quietly in the wee morning hours ). 

After.

Just right for a future collector.

It's still a little crooked, but that's the charm of this piece crafted by an old farmer out of scrap lumber he had on hand.  Well, that's the story as told to me by the antique dealer, but I like it.

This next table only has a before, since I just found it last weekend.  It replaced a rather unsubstantial table in our living room and was on sale for $20!!!

It has a leather top and one drawer in the front and a secret drawer in the back.  For my candy stash?

This next piece won't need an after photo, and it didn't cost me $20.  That's all I'm saying.

And Goldilocks said, "This chair is just right."

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My Bleeding Heart

Finally!  Here they are, my first flowers of the year.  I planted this chartreuse green bleeding heart plant 2 years ago and it seems to like its spot in the partial shade under a birch tree.  The bright green glows in the shade once the tree has all its leaves.

The bench was a gift made for Bill by a former crew member that retired last year.  A lovely spot to read ......if one could train the birds to poo elsewhere.

Robin's Egg Blue

After a whole week of battling a nasty cold we are passing around at work, I finally felt somewhat human this afternoon.  As I was walking around in my shade garden, I spotted something on the ground that I thought was a marble.  When I got closer, I realized it was a robin egg that had fallen to the ground. 

Isn't it a beautiful shade of blue?  I usually don't see the whole egg, just the remains after the eggs have hatched.  So there it is, the perfect robin's egg blue.

A Coming of Age

This month we celebrate a BIG 21st birthday in our house.  Confused ? .............................

YES, the unthinkable has happened!  Our living room furniture is still with us after 21 years!!  Oh, the stories it would tell if couches could talk.

It has seen our girls grow up and fly the coop.  Julie was only 7 years old and just had a tonsillectomy the same week our carpet was installed and furniture delivered to our former house.  I can clearly remember blotting up chocolate pudding pop drips from the new carpet.  Yikes!

Our beloved Fergie had a favorite perch on the upper corner of the couch where she would guard us from the oh-so dangerous mailman, paper boy, and pizza delivery guy. She excavated many treasures (peanut  M&M's) from beneath the cushions and God forbid Bill should try to move her when she was settled in.  Hehehe.  Come on!  A grown man afraid of a 14 pound, large-toothed Yorkie Poo!

We had a very small living room in our old house, so that's why I chose small scale furniture.  It's fairly lightweight, so occasionally we would move the loveseat in front of the couch (theater style) and have family movie nights complete with popcorn , and yes, sippy cups.  Just wait you new mothers with white couches.

Navy was not a trendy color in 1990, but has proven to be a very forgiving color over the years.  Since I still love French Country, I have never really tired of the look.  But, on the other hand, it is definitely NOT the most comfortable style.  Pillows are a necessity.

I started a "Christmas" account 2 years ago, so when I decide on the furniture I will have for the next several decades, the funding will be there.  What style will I choose.........

  Bright and casual.  I wonder how much those windows would cost to install?

Oooo, what a happy room!  Maybe not with grubby fingered grandbabies.

Mmmmm, hmmmmm.

Could I possibly be brave enough to paint our fireplace?

 

I even found a tutorial for painting the alphabet art featured here.

Yes.  The dining room chair cushions are also circa 1990.  Think leggings and slouch socks.



So, couch and loveseat, here's to you:

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to you....

and many not too many more.

The Mad Hatter

I'm having so much fun knitting up these funky little baby hats!  Now that I'm working more, this is a creative outlet ( mental therapy ) from which I get instant gratification since each hat only takes a few hours from start to finish.  Knitting is also a very portable hobby for car trips, coffee/lunch breaks at work, or whilst watching the many "Housewives" episodes.

I've knit up a few samples, but wanted to size them on a baby head before I got too carried away.  Bill refused to wear these particular hats to the golf course.

I was in luck since Finley ( and Mama ) spent the weekend with us, so little Finley was subjected given the opportunity to ham it up for the camera.

The red and white striped number was actually knit for a newborn, so I think my gauge is correct.

I think I'll call this one "Dr. Seuss".

In the picture on the left she is practicing her new found skill of sticking her tongue out.  Somebody out of range of the camera is prompting her by sticking his tongue out at her.  On the right, she is ready to get the too-tight newborn hat off her head.

Next up is our little mademoiselle in oo la la "Raspberry Beret".



Looking ahead to Halloween, this may be the topper to a gnome costume.  Some little elf shoes....

My Momma gets to eat the candy.

"Blueberry Pie"

The patterns for these hats, and many more, came from this fantastic book I purchased at Michael's.

Photo courtesy of Amanda Keeys.

It was written by a child photographer from England who taught herself to knit and created these hats to use as props in her photo shoots.  As you can see by the cover, her photography is as charming as the hat patterns she dreamed up for us.

After fulfilling all of her social engagements and modeling assignments, Finley and her Mama got to spend some time outside enjoying the sunshine while trying out the new swing.

Weeeeee!

What's this funny green stuff?

Sweetness.

All packed up and ready to go home.

In closing, I hope all the mothers, mothers-to-be, grammies, and daughters had a wonderful Mother's Day!

A sweet surprise delivered to me at work by my sweet daughters.

xxoo, mom