adventures in growing up

DIY: Jewelry Board

2012-02-09T08:58:00.000-06:00

i don't know about all y'all (oh yes, i just typed that) but i own a fair amount of jewelry. yet, i'm not really sure what i own because it has lived in a giant tangled mess, in a giant cardboard box over the last several (ahem, 5, ahem) years. it's not like i haven't wanted to something with it. i've just never really been sure what to do. i definitely wasn't going out to buy a giant jewelry armoir. and my two jewelry boxes were not enough. so, when husband inherited some lovely peg board a while back i started formulating a plan.

the plan originally consisted of spray painting a lovely stencil on the pegboard, but it still looked like, well, like pegboard. and that in my bedroom? i think not. so i was back to square one.

this past weekend we worked in our bedroom instead of in the nursery. we got curtains put up, a new laundry hamper and a dresser moved to make room for the co-sleeper. and then i looked down and the giant cardboard box, we shall call him seymore, was looking up at me. i informed seymore that we had had a good run of it, but that it was time to part.

i had recently seen this big corkboard in a magazine and fallen in love with it. i did not however fall in love with the price of it.

via ballard designs

with that as my inspiration i set out to make my own for $50 or less.

i -- perhaps i'll start saying we since husband was a very integral part in this project -- we started with the plain old peg board. isn't she a beaut!

then we used some industrial strength adhesive to glue the cork on the board. husband doesn't mess around with his adhesives!

after letting the adhesive cure, we covered the board in duck cloth. i cut the cloth down to size.

then we stapled it with the staple gun. yes, i know you didn't get to see the fun stapling process, but i would hold the fabric tight and husband would staple. it took all of our hands.

after that we flipped the board over and stuck the furniture tacks around the edges. what? no pictures? no, i was too busy being incredibly picky about the spacing of the tacks to pick up the camera. then it all went out the window 'cause i was tired of standing. so, what you will want to do is space out your tacks, then come back with a hammer and tap them into the board.

after we stuck the tacks around the edges we secured a heavy duty picture wire to the back for hanging it on the wall.

after that we hung it on the wall and i used some more furniture tacks to start hanging my necklaces.

and there you have it, folks! that's it. it's that easy. i haven't made it completely through seymore yet, but i'm working on it.

my face

2012-02-08T15:27:00.000-06:00

before labor & delivery class

after labor & delivery class

the morning after labor & delivery class

ok, not really but it was an interesting class. and i really didn't get a wink of sleep last night. husband was nice enough-- or my banging around in the kitchen looking for snacks was nice enough --to wake up at 2:30 am to chat with me too. isn't he the best! here is hoping that breast feeding class goes better tomorrow night. oh! and DIY Design Thursday is tomorrow! happy wednesday!

our weekend in 5

2012-02-06T09:11:00.000-06:00

1. a lazy morning with a toasted onion bagel with onion & chive shmear and some coffee. why can't every morning be like that?

2. husband treated me to my first mani & pedi since i found out i was pregnant. yes, i waited this long. i'm only slightly paranoid about fumes and staff infections.

3.saturday night we celebrated my friend amanda's birthday. it was a great time...until the heartburn and the backaches hit. i'm just a giant ball of fun!

4. our windows now have accessories! we got new curtains and i must say, i didn't know what pur room was missing until we hung those bad boys up.

5. a little peek at a DIY Design Thursday project!

Happy Monday!

random ramblings

2012-02-01T11:12:00.000-06:00

dress: old navy; boots: nine west; socks: kohl's

--it's the first day of february and the high is supposed to be around 63 today. (that's right, i'm doing weather shtick today) i have decided that if i'm not going to get my precious snow days then i'm ready for winter to be over and the temps to be like this everyday.

--i read a little article on katherine heigl's rant about the show dance moms. i hadn't seen the show before so i immediately had to check it out since it was apparently the worst ever. wow! she wasn't kidding! that show and the people in it are so far off their rockers and out of touch with reality that it isn't even funny. and the poor kids! isn't anybody thinking about these poor children? no, b/c as long as the moms get their drama and part of the spotlight then all is right in their world. it's messed up people.

--what is up with pregnancy dreams? can i just tell you a little about one i had? you might want to get a good cuppa and curl up for this one. ok, so i dreamed that i went to the doctor and he informed me i wasn't pregnant, but rather i had a giant tumor. he then cut me open, while i was awake, and inside the tumor was a litter of kittens. the doctor looked at me and said, "oh, ok. i know what is going on now. have you eaten chinese food lately? sometimes they cook with cat food and your body then produces a litter of kittens to eat it." -- ok, seriously? how weird is that?

just desserts

2012-01-31T12:38:00.000-06:00

hello, my name is julie petree and i am addicted to desserts.

there, i said it. it's out in the universe. but you know what? i'm totally ok with this addiction! you see, i grew up in a house where you had dessert, or a snack, each and every night. i see nothing wrong with the sweet stuff in moderation (as long as i don't develop diabetes) and as long as you brush your teeth. my only problem with desserts in my house is i never have quite the variety that i want. hello, problem? meet solution.

i am hosting a dessert exchange!

so here is the skinny on a dessert exchange - everyone brings a dessert. then everyone takes a little bit of each of the desserts home with them. it's that easy and fun!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, yep, i'm going to go grab a sweet treat to eat now.

our weekend in 9 (aka - no judgement)

2012-01-30T08:51:00.003-06:00

this weekend i ate. and ate. and ate some more. seriously.

and husband was so nice and didn't say a word about it. ok, well maybe he snuck in a few words about it but can you blame him? do you see what i ate?

1. lazy saturday morning. it was lovely. ponca, however, was not thrilled with the laziness and insisted on going outside every 20 minutes. and of course showcased in the background is a nightstand with all the essentials on it: box of kleenex, water, flashlight (you never know when the power will go out at night), and key fob for the alarm. husband is very prepared.

2. one for the money. ok, i'm not gonna lie. this movie was a bit of a letdown. i mean, i know a lot of movies based on books never compare to the books but i didn't even think this movie was that great on its own. i mean it was so jumpy and they left out so much of the humor and sexual tension from the books. i would say it is most definitely a renter. on a brighter side, my popcorn and dr. pepper treat were amazeballs!

3.perfectly pesto. oh yes, it was so good! and no, that beer is not mine.

4. blissful. husband loves me, folks. he really, really loves me. i could probably eat my weight in strawberry bliss and red razorback cupcakes from bliss cupcakes. i think that is two weekends in a row i have had those cupcakes and i wouldn't mind having some more next weekend. if you are ever down near bliss and thinking of me feel free to grab me a cupcake. you will definitely earn yourself a favorite person of the week award. and perhaps even a mention on the blog.

5. protein and iron. yes, i'm blaming my current obsession with burgers on my baby. i need protein and iron, folks! who am i to deny this lovely child inside of me all of the nutrients she needs! since there is only one hugo's and they aren't open on sundays i took the second best option - five guys.

6. working man. husband worked around the house all day on sunday. he was knocking stuff off the must-get-done-before-the-baby-shower-list like crazy! he is truly amazing.

7, 8, 9. and she bakes, folks. while husband worked around the house, i worked in the kitchen. a friend's birthday is this week and i was working on a test run of a special treat for her! i call them - elvis balls.

and so another weekend has come and gone. as always, they are way too short. how did you spend your weekend?

ozark says...

2012-01-27T16:10:00.000-06:00

it's friday! it's time to get down!

i hope everyone has a great weekend planned. husband is taking me and bump on a lovely movie date! i am so excited. we are going to see "one for the money". has anybody else read the stephanie plum novels? i love them - perfect mix of humor and romance.

other than that we will be busy working on the nest. so much to do and so little time!

design thursday - a crib for baby petree

2012-01-26T12:17:00.000-06:00

we did it! we decided on a crib! it has been ordered and everything. it might not arrive before she does, but that is fine since she will be spending her first few months in a co-sleeper next to me.

we have decided not to do a bumper in the crib. have you guys read all the studies out there about infant deaths and bumpers? i just don't know what to believe about it all - but i decided it didn't hurt to do without so why chance it. what do you guys think - to bumper or not to bumper?

pardon the absence

2012-01-25T21:21:00.001-06:00

it seems like the bigger this gets...

the longer this gets...

our weekend in 3

2012-01-23T12:12:00.001-06:00

another weekend has flown by. man, i wish they were longer! i never seem to get everything i want to get done, done. so, here are three pics to sum up our weekend.

1. saturday was spent shopping for fabrics to go in the nursery.

2. saturday night we went to a small gathering for a 30th birthday. i decided pizza dip would be a the perfect dish to take. read: it was super fast and easy to make. i do believe it was a hit though!

3. the majority of sunday was spend lounging in bed watching tv. ponca, our dog, seems to think the tv is a small window and that she must guard it from the animals on the other side of the window.

27 weeks

2012-01-20T13:05:00.000-06:00

we had our 27 week appointment with the doctor today. he said everything is looking groovy!

i have only gained 18 pounds, and figure i am right on track to hit that 25-35 pound window. no, i'm not embarrassed to admit how much weight i have gained on here. i mean, come on, it's all coming out in a couple of months anyways. i really enjoy being pregnant and am not bothered by the weight gain at all. it is only a number and this little girl is so worth the weight and the wait.

baby petree's heartbeat was at 150 today and the doc says that is perfect! my fundal height...wait, you don't know what that is? yeah, i didn't either. well, let's take a minute to get all medical here. according to mayoclinic.com fundal height is:

"generally defined as the distance from the top of the uterus to the pubic bone measured in centimeters. After the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, your fundal height measurement often matches the number of weeks you've been pregnant. For example, if you're 27 weeks pregnant, your health care provider would expect your fundal height to be about 27 centimeters. It isn't unusual, however, to measure somewhat smaller or larger than expected."

so, back to me and baby petree...i measured at half a mark under 27. which then led to a hilarious conversation with the doctor about height. he said it is normal to measure under when i am so tall....um, i'm only 5'2".

in other baby related news - i am in the home stretch! we are in the third trimester, people! i am 10 weeks from full term! which, depending on the minute, either sounds like an eternity or like it's gonna be here tomorrow. we signed up for our labor and delivery class too! what are some other good classes you would suggest taking, moms?

design thursday - side project

2012-01-19T18:51:00.001-06:00

because the nursery wasn't enough of a challenge for us, we decided to do a little side project.

remember these base boards we tore out of the nursery?

well i wasn't about to let them go to waste.

you see, we have these lovely giant sheet mirrors in our bathrooms. i mean don't get me wrong, the giant mirror part is nice. the lacking character part is rather boring. so, we took those baseboards and framed the mirror in our guest bathroom with them.

we still need to touch up the paint on the wall, but it's almost done!

random ramblings

2012-01-18T13:06:00.000-06:00

- if you forget your wedding ring when you are six months pregnant you will get dirty looks. i know it is 2012, but apparently the rest of the south does not. it's like when a girl sees a hot guy - our eyes go immediately to that fourth finger on that left hand. when someone sees a bump - their eyes go immediately to that fourth finger on that left hand.

- husband's car makes a lovely little ding sound, about 5 minutes into driving, when it is around freezing temperatures outside. no matter how many times i hear it, it still scares the crap out of me.

- i hate syrup. despise it really. yet last night all i wanted for snack were some waffles with lots of butter and syrup. husband would not indulge this craving with a trip to the store though.

- a stranger in the store chatted me up about my baby bump the other day. and by chatted me up i mean argued with me over whether it was a boy or girl. i mean what do you really say? the conversation ended with her saying, "well i guess there could be two in there." no, i'm pretty sure that would've been caught by now, but thanks for informing me of how large i am.

-i loved watching the face of the man sitting next to me at a conference on monday as baby petree was kicking and squirming around. his eyes got so wide and his mouth was agape! I laughed and said it's completely normal, but he continued to look at it in that i'm-totally-freaked-out-but was-also-just-caught-staring-at-this-stranger's-belly face. yeah, surely you know that face.

-doing a press conference when you sound like kermit the frog (head cold) is miserable for you - highly entertaining for your coworkers.

- i love feeling baby petree move more than anything else in the world right now. it never fails to bring a smile to my face or a little giggle out loud.

-no what i don't love? almost peeing my pants every time i sneeze. yep, that's right, i said it. oh the little bonuses of pregnancy that nobody talks about. well, i'm breaking girl code. you can expect a lot more of those lovely tidbits from me.

-last but not least, it's wednesday! we are halfway through another week. smile!

yes, it really is a post about oatmeal

2012-01-17T16:01:00.000-06:00

{sorry for the lack of photos in this post. blogger's photo uploader and i are at war again.}

it seems like everything has it's own day or month nowadays. national donut day. national grandparent's day. national wedgie month. national walk your cat month. ok, i doubt those last two are real months, however, january really is national oatmeal month. and that my friends is a month i can get on board with!

a lot of people complain about oatmeal being boring and the texture being terrible, but all you really need to do is get a little creative! here are some recipes to spice up your love life with oatmeal.

the "king" of oatmeal

oatmeal of your choice (about 1-1/2 cups)

2 large bananas, sliced

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

cook your oats according to directions. remove from heat. add in bananas, peanut butter, and vanilla extract.

an apple a day oatmeal

oats of your choice ( about 1 cup)

1/2 apple, peeled and finely diced

1/3 cup of apple juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

in a saucepan, combine apple, apple juice, oats, cinnamon. bring to a boil and boil according to amount of time your oats directions tell you, stirring occasionally. remove from the heat. stir in honey and vanilla. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

she's my cherry pie oatmeal

oats of choice (1/2 cup)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup halved cherries, unsweetened (fresh is best, but thawed out frozen ones will work)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

cook oatmeal according to package directions. When there is about 5-10 minutes left add cinnamon, cherries and vanilla extract.

i personally prefer steel cut oats over rolled. they take a little longer to cook, but have more health benefits. steel cut oats are less refined than other versions of oats, and the more processed a food is the less health benefits it has. steel cut oats will have a slightly nutty flavor to them, but I like it better that way.

another health tip -- add ground flax seed -- you'll never notice and the health benefits are awesome! flaxseeds are a good source of fiber, Omega -3 fatty acids, and lignans. they do need to be ground though, as whole flax seeds pass right on through ya.

the bones of baby petree's nursery part 1

2012-01-16T17:56:00.000-06:00

for baby petree's nursery i wanted something that would grow with her and not be too themeish, too girly, or too baby. i also knew i wanted a space that would be a a good base for my ever changing design tastes. {please note this is not a step-by-step of my actual design process- it has been edited for content and formatted to fit for blogging :)}

so, i started by sketching out some ideas...

then, i found some great labor! we measured, we made several trips to the depot and then we painted.

while the painting was taking place in the nursery. outside in the garage, there was a lot of cutting going on to prepare for the next step. installing the wainscoting.

ok, i don't want to overwhelm you so the rest will be put into part 2. Happy Monday!

design thursday - background

2012-01-12T07:05:00.000-06:00

i actually went to school for interior design. no-- seriously-- i did. i even graduated with a bachelor of interior design. right about the time i graduated is when the economy decided to tank. a lot of local design firms were downsizing and some didn't make it -- closing all together.

i was lucky to find a job in the commercial design field, working on remodels of a big box store. needless to say i found it a tad-bit stifling creatively and soon found myself with a constant case of the monday's. however, a year and a half into that job i was able to find another design position at a different firm. or so i thought. this position was a graphic design job masquarding as an interior design job. it wasn't a terrible job, but the economy reared it's ugly head again and i was soon laid off.

so, there i was. almost three years into the "real world" and the field in which i had gotten a degree had left a bad taste in my mouth.

now, another year later and i'm ready to climb back on that horse. well, maybe not quite ready for the horse. perhaps i'll start out with a mini-pony or a carrousel horse? anyways, i'm ready to take baby steps to get back in the design field. so, look for more frequent design thursday posts and if you, or anybody you know, would like some design help (interior or graphic) let me know!

don't worry, i didn't forget about the sneak peek of the nursery. that will come tonight. happy design thursday, y'all!

you know it's love

2012-01-10T12:37:00.003-06:00

it's getting big, folks. real big.

sleeping has become quite the challenge. the belly button is about to pop. and the back hurts...constantly. and the kicker (pun intended) is i haven't even hit the roughest patch yet.

yet despite all of the whining that i do, i am so in love with this little girl already. she has significantly and undoubtedly changed our lives for the better and she hasn't even taken her first breath.

it is funny how, from the minute you pee on that magic stick, your whole life changes. it is no longer about that new pair of shoes, that raging party this weekend, or that deadline you should really pull an all nighter for at work. nope, it instantaneously becomes about protecting that life and providing the best environment for it.

and so far she has paid me back by practicing to be a cirque de soliel performer around 2 am, making my face break out worse than a twelve year old boy, making me fall asleep during at least two conference calls, making me walk in to countless walls and doorways, making me frantically search for my phone so i can leave the house...then realize i'm talking on it, making me pass out during my non-stress test, making my body produce gas that puts my husband's to shame, and her latest trick of locating my bladder to use as a soccer ball.

she is so worth all of that and much more.

our weekend in 6

2012-01-09T15:43:00.011-06:00

another busy weekend has come and gone. our weekend consisted of nursery, nursery and then some more nursery. since i'm going to post more about that for design thursday i decided to do a picture post today . enjoy!

1. the husband and fur children passed out after long day of working in the nursery.
2. ozark worked very hard on the scaled drawing for the ceiling.
3. baby petree was craving pizza from The Rail. so of course we had to oblige.
4. union break. they take their ping pong very seriously.
5. sunday morning donuts make for a very happy girl.
6. sunday morning drive through the ozarks is always a good idea. until it isn't.

thumbs high

2012-01-05T20:23:00.007-06:00

no design thursday this week.

we had a little scare this morning but everything is good to go. i was ordered to go home and rest today so that is exactly what i did. which meant the blog was neglected.

don't worry though. next week's design thursday will feature progress on baby petree's nursery! i know you will all hold your breath until then.