I'm still here!

Definitely took a little bloggy break for the past two weeks....it's hard to find time to sit down and write out posts...specifically when I have a fussy little missy in the house.

We had started working on independent sleeping and she was doing great until two weeks ago. Our little lady has not been sleeping in the slightest. She has been taking 2-30 minute naps throughout the day and sleeps in 2-3 hour intervals at night. When she wakes up in the night she SCREAMS. At first it terrified me because nothing would console her...I would spend an hour walking circles around our room until she would calm down.

Since Noah has a crazy work day we originally had come up with a schedule of me taking over nightly duties during the week and him taking over helping me on the weekend....however, these past couple weeks have me at my breaking point. I feel like a walking zombie....and I'm not looking my best, friends. I need some serious manicure/pedicure, eye-brow waxin, jogging, "me" time (not to mention the handful of lb's I've gained since the wedding). So Noah has started taking some of the night time feedings....but we could not figure out what was going on.

She's been "teething" for MONTHS....so I don't know why I didn't put two and two together...until Friday afternoon, when I felt her first tooth! Even though she's been drooling and gumming on everything for the past few months, it still shocked me to feel that little shark tooth. Even more surprising, her second bottom tooth came in this morning! I honestly can't believe that this much time has gone by.

But.....I am hoping that since the first pair of teeth have come through that we can get back to a more regular sleeping routine (aka I can get a longer stretch of sleep than 3 hours!).

My little girl is growing up!

Sleeping with her mouth wide open for 4 hours today because she was so exhausted.

Trying to console my little teething pumpkin.

Love that pouty lip! 

So long story short...hopefully we are through the worst of it and I can return to a more normal schedule, and work on some wedding recap posts!

Saw it. Pinned it. Did it: Lilly Coasters

 

Linking up again with two of my daily must-read blogs (here and here) for Saw it. Pinned it. Did it.

I decided to steer away from the baby theme for this week's Pinterest project and found an idea that I pinned awhile ago; DIY coasters.

via

I loosely followed the instructions given, but mostly came up with my own. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to do this project.

Supplies needed:

8 4x4 tiles, wood pieces, or cork board

8 different printed paper

Royal Coat Decoupage Finish (or modge podge)

Enviro Tex Pour on High Gloss Finish

I ended up getting wood squares at a little over $1 at Ben Franklin crafts (however I have heard you can get ceramic tiles at Home Depot for 16 cents and those work just fine--but I would probably glue felt pieces on the bottom so they don't scratch furniture). I pulled out my old Lilly Pulitzer planner and tore out the monthly pages with the cute patterns and picked out my eight favorites.

My happy helpers

Cut the paper into 4x4 squares.

Apply a thin layer of Decoupage Finish on the wood, then place one of your cut out papers on top. Apply another thin layer of Decoupage Finish over that.

Let them completely dry.

Follow the instructions given to mix the Enviro Tex (it has a chemical reaction, so it's important to follow the directions on the box!)

Immediately after you are done mixing, pour the mixture evenly over a coaster. Use a Popsicle stick to push the gel to the edges of the wood (try to not let it go over the edge...trust me, you'll save yourself time later).

Make sure to look at the coaster at all angles to make sure the gel is pushed up to all corners of the coaster. (P.S. I would recommend removing any rings or expensive jewelry before doing this part...I didn't and am counting my lucky stars that I didn't get any of this stuff on them! It gets everywhere pretty easily).

Once you are satisfied, don't move or touch them.

If after 5 minutes you notice some air bubbles; lightly blow on them. They will start to pop.

Keep them covered with a bigger box lid for up to 72 hours, when they will be completely dry.

Then you are done!

24 hours later

72 hours later and done! 

Some tips I learned along the way:
-Make sure to apply a very thin layer of Decoupage Finish before you put your paper down....a couple of mine were a little thicker, which resulted in the paper buckling a little bit.

-When you put your top layer of Decoupage Finish, make sure you get ALL sides of the paper and are not missing any spots. Apparently, I didn't quite get enough of the glue on one side, and the Enviro Tex mixture was able to get up underneath the paper and made the pen marks on the other side (remember I used my old Lilly planner) bleed through.

-If you are using double sided paper, (or your old Lilly planner) don't pick a pattern with large white spots...once you apply the Decoupage Finish, the writing or designs on the other side will come through.

-I would recommend using Decoupage Finish as opposed to Modge Podge...the latter takes a while to completely dry and leaves kind of a tacky finish, which may result in the Enviro Tex not sticking as well. The Decoupage Finish dries very fast and smooth.

-Don't rush the Enviro Tex......the instructions in the box kind of make you anxious that you need to move quick. They tell you to "IMMEDIATELY USE YOUR MIXTURE AFTER STIRRING"....when in reality, you have about 30 minutes before it starts to harden. I think they just mean not to mix it and then come back to it later. I didn't know better and really rushed it...which led to a lot of spillage over the side of the coaster....after they dried, I literally had to cut them off the cardboard and sand down the edges.

-A little goes a long way with the Enviro Tex...the instructions on the box said to use 8 ounces for an 8 coaster project....so I poured all 8 ounces. I probably used half of that...and then had to toss the rest.

-This is kind of a given; make sure your coasters are on a level surface and remain covered until they are dry. Dust, pet hair, etc can land on them and be there forever.

I think that's everything I learned during this project! I'm happy how they turned out; they will be fun for summery girl weekends! My husband has already requested I make him a set with "beer images" (whatever that is) for him and his friends.

2012 Ornament Swap matches

Hi loves...I have the matches for our first annual ornament swap! First here, again, are the rules for the swap...


1) Anyone who would like to participate in the swap should respond by Wednesday, November 7th in the comments section. Those that have already let me know they want to participate on the Facebook message, don't need to let me know again :)
2) I will post everyone's "match" on Friday, November 9th
3) Ornaments should be between $5 and $15....they can be funny, nice, inside joke, etc...just make them something that you would be proud to have on your friends tree (aka...not something broken or made out of cardboard and feathers---I definitely used to make ornaments like this when I was younger)
4) Ornaments should be new
5) Ornaments should be mailed to the recipient BEFORE OR ON Monday, November 26th. This means that ornaments should be IN THE MAIL by the 26th.
6) When you receive your ornament, post a picture on instagram and send it to me, so I can post the swap results on here (that way everyone can see the ornaments....including those that don't have insta)

Here is the swap order:

Heather gives to Lisa
Lisa gives to Kacy
Kacy gives to Kari
Kari gives to Alysha
Alysha gives to Jessica
Jessica gives to Jillian
Jillian gives to Kirby
Kirby gives to Kacey
Kacey gives to Kristen
Kristen gives to Emily
Emily gives to Kiley
Kiley gives to Kortney
Kortney gives to Kelly
Kelly gives to Amy
Amy gives to Shannon
and last Shannon gives to Heather (at the top)

So start ornament shopping for your match and make sure to send it before or on November 26th. When you receive your ornament, text me a picture so I can post all the ornaments on the blog for everyone to see!

Happy shopping, loves!

P.S. If you need contact information for your match, just let me know. :)
P.S.S. New email address is shannon.cavanah@gmail.com Update your address books, please!

Saw it. Pinned it. Did it: Baby Legs

I decided to link up with two of my favorite blogs (here and here) to share some of the Pinterest inspired projects that I have been working on since the wedding. 

With the wedding and honeymoon planning over, I've had a lot of free time on my hands. I'm not one for just sitting around, so as soon as Hannah went down for her first nap I headed to Pinterest to see what I could find to fill my time.

I found these adorable Baby Legs!

I LOVE Baby Legs....but they run about $10 a pair. That doesn't seem like a whole lot of money...but when you see how tiny they are and realize that you can get 4 undershirts for the same price....it's almost not worth it (especially when your baby grows like a weed!). 

So I decided to make my own. The tutorial I found on Pinterest is super easy to follow, but I came up with my own instructions as well.

First I headed to Target to take a look at their knee high socks. I found some cute knee high socks and crew length socks. I figured the crew socks would still be fine on little baby legs, and the knee high socks would make longer ones to go over the heels. Each pair of socks were around $3 and I even found some on clearance for $1.75. 

I laid out the socks and "matched" them up with a different sock that kind of went together to get the mismatched look I wanted. 

Next I cut off the foot of the sock.

I set my sewing machine to a tight zig-zag stitch.

I set my machine to a 0.5 for a super tight stitch, but it would probably be fine at a 1 or 1.5. 

I stitched right up along the edge of the fabric, going all the way around, and being sure to pull tight as I went. Stretching the fabric as you stitch will help with the ruffle effect. 

Before I started on the leg, I practiced the stitch on the foot that I had cut off. (I've also never used a sewing machine before...so I didn't trust myself).

Hannah helping me sew 

(p.s. excuse our comfy clothes for the rainy-just got back from the honeymoon-day)

When you complete the stitch all the way around the sock, you can back-stitch a little bit to ensure the stitches don't fall out, then cut off the loose strings and you have Baby Legs! 

(look at those chubby legs!)

(excuse the blurry pics...it's incredibly hard to keep a 5 month old still)

She was having too much fun with this photo shoot. 

The best part is that since I wanted them to be mismatched, I had an extra mismatched pair to give as gifts to Hannah's friends, Presley and Keira! Stylin' babies! 

So that's it! Super easy and very cute. :) 

Last picture of my sweet, drooly girl. 

Book worms!

Hi friends!

I've decided to try and get back into reading. I love reading, but haven't had time to pick up a book since before Hannah was born.

Its such a calming and relaxing activity, so I really want to try and incorporate it back into my life.

However, since I've been out of the "book loop" lately, I have no idea what to read! Any ideas?

I am currently re-reading 'The Happiness Project'.

One of the blogs I read just wrote a post about the book, and I realized that I have it! My friend, Jess recommended it to me a few years back and I'm not sure I ever finished it. So, I pulled it out and have started reading! I'll let you know what I think...in the meantime, any book suggestions from my book worm friends would be great! 

2012 Ornament Swap

So there seemed to be plenty of interest in the ornament swap I proposed, so I thought I would post the rules of the swap.

Here is how the swap works; you will be matched with two people...one will be the person you are sending an ornament to, the other is who you will be receiving an ornament from. I just thought it would be a fun way to build our ornament collections. We will always have these ornaments and remember they were from the 2012 ornament swap!

Here are the rules.

1) Anyone who would like to participate in the swap should respond by Wednesday, November 7th in the comments section. Those that have already let me know they want to participate on the Facebook message, don't need to let me know again :)
2) I will post everyone's "match" on Friday, November 9th
3) Ornaments should be between $5 and $15....they can be funny, nice, inside joke, etc...just make them something that you would be proud to have on your friends tree (aka...not something broken or made out of cardboard and feathers---I definitely used to make ornaments like this when I was younger)
4) Ornaments should be new
5) Ornaments should be mailed to the recipient BEFORE OR ON Monday, November 26th. This means that ornaments should be IN THE MAIL by the 26th.
6) When you receive your ornament, post a picture on instagram and send it to me, so I can post the swap results on here (that way everyone can see the ornaments....including those that don't have insta)

The swap is open to anyone! So be sure to let me know if you are interested by November 7th and I will match you up!

UPDATE*** There has been some confusion. This swap is NOT a meet-up party. Most of us don't live in the same area anymore, so this swap being done from afar (aka through the postal service).

Just call me Mrs. Cavanah!

....after all, I am a married woman now!

I have SO many updates for everyone. 

Wedding: I will go into details on the wedding (all the little details that I didn't want to spoil before the wedding)...but I am waiting to get in my pictures from our photographer (hopefully this weekend!), so check back in next week.

Honeymoon: I am also working on a post to recap the honeymoon/run in with hurricane Sandy.

Hannah turned 5 months old: Working on her letter and updates! 

Pinterest projects: Two of my favorite blogs are doing a Pinterest inspired link up that takes place on Thursdays...I've been whipping out some of my own Pinterest projects, so I am working on tutorials for them and will link up next Thursday! 

November: I'm jumping on the "What I'm thankful for" train this month....I missed yesterday, so I'll give you TWO for today. :) 

I am thankful for my Momma! She is amazing in all ways...but today specifically for her crafty talent and creativity. She has been so helpful and patient when trying to teach me how to work a sewing machine! 

I am also thankful for my sweet sister! She surprised us with a visit last night and we had a sleepover and catch up time. She loves to spoil her little niece and is quick to take a turn holding her when I just need a shower! Love you Minky! 

What am I up to now? We are still trying to wind down from the wedding...I won't lie...I had some sort of post-wedding blues. I can't believe my months and months of planning all ended in a short 6 hour event. I feel like it flew by and I barely remember the details of the night. I can't believe "my day" is over! Noah was pretty adorable...afterwards all he said was that for one night, he felt like royalty. 

Anyways...I am starting to adjust and while I thought I wouldn't know what to do with all my free time now...I have realized just how much I have going on. 

-we have to exchange duplicate wedding gifts

-get together ALL of our information for closing on our house

-begin the early stages (VERY early...we still have over a month to go) of packing and moving

-write thank you notes 

-complete un-finished projects that I was working on before wedding stuff took priority 

-make a plan and timeline for finishing my teaching certificate (slightly dreading this one) 

-catch up on posts for this ol' blog! 

So I feel like I have quite a bit going on to fill my time. :) 

Have a great weekend everyone! I am too excited to head over and meet sweet Presley tonight! 

Thank you, Macy's!

I've got a busy day of crafting Pinterest projects ahead of me...but I just wanted to pop in and let you all know about this story of mine.

Yesterday my mom and I decided to head to the mall to stop by the Disney store (might have forgotten to get the kids I babysit something while on our Honeymoon) and as we were running out the door I grabbed our KitchenAid stand mixer that we got as one of our wedding gifts.

We have quite a few returns and exchanges to do...but the KitchenAid just came in the wrong color, so I grabbed it because it would be a quick exchange.

Wellllll.....just my luck! The stand mixer happened to be on sale for $250 CHEAPER then the person who gifted it to us bought it for! So they returned our mixer and repurchased the correct color mixer and put $250 on a Macy's gift card for us! I was able to scoop up the rest of the items on our registry....and we haven't even actually returned any of the duplicate items we got! I was kind of amazed.

Anyways....while I was there the nice Wedding Registry lady informed me that not only do I get a 10% completion discount for up to 90 days after the wedding...but there is a special promotion going on for JUST married couples and they are giving an additional 10% off....so that's a total of 20% off almost ANY item in the store (does not have to be on the registry, excludes furniture and mattresses). This promotion ends on November 6th, so you better believe Noah and I have a full weekend of shopping ahead of us!

Popping in!

Just popping in to say Happy Halloween from our little Minnie Mouse!

Trick or Treating at Daddy's work

Cutest little Minnie Mouse I have ever seen! 

My love

The Cavanah Family

Love her mismatched bloomers in this one :)

Passing out candy

No sleep the past few days is getting to me...but Hannah looks cute! 

Someone found the candy

Baby hands picking her candy

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!