Baby on a Budget – Part 1. Work with what you’ve got and DIY.

We’re having a baby on a budget.

Not sure if you all have noticed, but having a baby can be incredibly expensive.  There are so many options out there when it comes to cribs, strollers, bedding, changing tables, bottle warmers, etc.  I could go on for days, but you get the idea.  Some of these big ticket items in particular are not very nice to one’s budget.  And, personally, I would rather drop a grand on some sort of tropical vacation with fruity drinks than on a stroller and car seat (no offense intended Baby Yar). 

This, my friends, is why my husband and I have been trying to come up with any and all ideas to get this baby here for a reasonable price.  And, because I love to share (and over share), I will pass what we come up with along to all of you, just in case there is anyone else out there attempting to still have a balance in their savings account after the birth of their child.

We started by thinking about the nursery, clearly an easy place to start.  Luckily, our extra bedroom is currently painted a very light brown, which is the color it will stay for multiple reasons.  One, to save money and time on repainting.  Two, we will probably put our house on the market within the next few years and didn’t want to create a unique nursery specific color palette and/or design that we would have to re-paint eventually for resale value.  Three, we may have more than one kid in that room at some point and brown is nice neutral color that goes easily with any other color.  Which conveniently leads me to my next point, go gender neutral.

Now, I never thought I would be a gender neutral person (pink or blue all the way!), but thanks to my loving, rational husband, I realized the actual genius behind this idea.  Now, I clearly am not the first or the only person to realize this, since there is currently a great market for gender neutral baby products.  But, for our situation it makes SO much sense, budget and space wise. 

So, because I felt the need to start working on the room immediately, I made a pin board of nurseries that I liked and shared them with Dave.  We both were leaning towards nurseries that used blues and greens, with some yellow and/or orange accents (what boy OR girl wouldn’t love those colors?).  So, then I made a trip to JoAnne Fabric (they will cut you an inch of fabric for free!) to grab a few samples of colors/patterns that I liked to run by Dave for male approval.

We narrowed down our color scheme and then I started browsing online to find other patterns that may work for curtains (my initial DIY project).  Curtains can be crazy expensive, and it can be hard to find exactly what you want.  So I thought hey, those can’t be too tough to throw together, let’s do that.  Luckily I was right. 

In my online browsing, I found several very cool fabric websites (Fabric Worm and Contemporary Cloth were two of my faves) both of which had great patterns at fairly reasonable prices.  But, in the end, I found the fabric we went with a good old JoAnne’s.  They were having a 40% off sale on all of their cotton fabrics, yay, and I found a great green/blue/yellow paisley pattern that I LOVED.  And hoped Dave would also.  So, I bought six yards (two separate 3 yard panels) for $19.50 total.  Awesome.

So this past Sunday, I spent 5 or so hours at my mom’s (who generously donated her ironing board, sewing machine, thread AND sewing expertise to help with the cause) making curtains.  It really was a fairly simple process.  I found a great tutorial here that I referenced before I went over, just so I had some idea of what I was doing.  We followed it pretty closely, but let me know if you have any questions!

We used the same curtain rod we had already up in the room - so when we finished I just had to hang them!    I think they look pretty good!

Stayed tuned for more DIY projects.  Painting baby furniture is next on the list!

14 Weeks.

Which now, by all accounts, means that I am done with my first trimester!  Exciting.  These 14 weeks have FLOWN by, and although pregnancy has been pretty good to me so far, the last couple weeks of the first trimester were maybe the worst.  

Now, don’t get me wrong, from what I’ve been hearing lately, my “worst” is pretty much better than most other people’s “great”.  I was nauseous a little more frequently (nothing crackers at my desk couldn’t take care of), was really SUPER tired, and just lately I’ve started getting hungry ALL THE TIME.  

Now, I never thought there would come a day when I would say that as a negative thing (since eating could be counted as one of my hobbies) but this hunger wakes me up from naps, makes me leave meetings to get a snack, and just won’t stop. I mean, I love eating as much as the next person, but this is getting a bit excessive!

Ahh I know.  Big problems over here.

In other news, we picked out curtains for the baby’s room (a fun green/blue paisley pattern), got a changing table, crib, glider and ottoman (ALL hand me down, and thus very cheap, or free, YAY!), so we are pretty set as far as big ticket baby items!  We have some staining and recovering projects to do, but hopefully we’ll start and finish those over the next few months.  We're hoping the nursery will be done well before the summer!

We go to the Doctor next Wednesday for our 15 week appointment, and then our next (19 week) appointment is the big gender reveal!  We’re getting very excited about that.  Can’t wait to see if we’ll have a boy or girl to fill those little shoes!

Pinterest Project Dos (as in the Spanish word for two)

Ok so clearly I have been creepily obsessed with Pinterest lately.  It's kind of embarrassing, I know, but whatev.  So for a dear, crafty totally unique friend (love you Ash) of mine's wedding shower in November (yes this post is late, I know) I decided to see if I could find something on Pinterest to use as inspiration for her gift.

In one of my searches I found this super cute wedding frame pin that I wanted to try and recreate, but as I was thinking about it, I got all sorts of other crazy ideas, so needless to say, it took a few twists and turns and became a creation of its own.

I decided I wanted to incorporate her wedding colors (yellow and blue), as well as the lyrics to their first dance song (like in the pin).  So, as a starting point, I went to Goodwill to look for a good wood frame to work with.  That's where I found a $3 gem shown below.  Sweet angel print, I know.

Then, I headed to Michael's to find some custom matting to work within the frame and still hold a 5" x 7" photo.  I chose two different sizes so that they would layer on top of each other.  I also then went to the paint section to look for something to write the lyrics in (blue) and something to paint the frame with (yellow).  So I ended up with the below.  You can see her wedding colors there as well.

Next step was to paint the frame.  I painted a couple of coats in a couple of days.

 Then, since it wasn't finishing perfectly (there were some lumps/bumps) I decided to sand it down to give it a weathered look.  It actually ended up working out perfectly because with the yellow paint on top, the green frame showed through as a bluish color.  

Then I glued the matting together and got ready to write the lyrics to their first dance song on the matting.  I was TENSE about this.  I do not have the best handwriting in the world (maybe the worst) and after agonizing about other possible ways to get the words on the matting, decided I was just going to have to suck it up and go for it.

I decided to write the words in a pattern around (not straight across) the frame as you can see below, so she could eventually use a vertical or horizontal image in the frame and either would work.

Then I printed out one of their engagement shoot images which matched PERFECTLY and put the whole thing together.  Ta-da!

I thought it came out pretty nicely.  I think she liked it too.  If not, she's a good faker and I'll know she secretly hated it if I never see it in her house ;).

So there is my Pinterest project number 2.  Get ready for a ton more of those.  We have approximately 345234 planned for this baby's nursery, in an attempt to save some money and make it a super cool, unique room.

Happy crafting everyone!

We're having a baby?

Yes, as I’m sure all of you know, since anyone who reads this is a friend or family member of mine, Dave and I are having a baby in July (this is news is partially to blame for my general lack of blogging over the past two months).  Baby Yar is due July 27^th and probably, at 12 weeks, already measuring more like the size of 20.  Dave and I’s favorite game is to joke about the abnormally large size our child will be born at.  Maybe even record breaking.  Who knows?  Get excited.

We found out November 17^th that after just a couple months of trying, we were expecting a little one. 

Side Note:  NEVER take a pregnancy test before you go to work and expect to do anything but stare at your monitor all day if it’s positive.  Stare at the screen AND/OR look up what the margaritas you drank the weekend before did to your poppy seed sized child (don’t worry – the answer is nothing!).

Yikes.  Don’t get me wrong, we are incredibly excited about this little one, but it is just HUGE.  HUGE life change, HUGE commitment, HUGE.  We have spent the past several months getting used to the idea that there will be a third person in our household this summer (four including Dexter, clearly).  It’s fun, exciting and terrifying all at once.

There are all sorts of questions like, how will Dave and I handle this?  Will it change our relationship?  Will he love the baby more than me?  Will I be bitchy and mean to everyone because of the severe lack of sleep that comes with a newborn?  Where are we going to put all the baby’s stuff?  Could I be more excited about 12 weeks off of work???  Holy shit, what are we going to do with a baby, and toddler, and teenager?? And the list goes on and on and on and on.  Mostly irrational pregnant craziness.  But, please note, if any first time pregnant person tries to  tell you they haven’t had lots of scary, crazy thoughts (on top of all the great, exciting ones) they are TOTALLY lying to you.

Health-wise, I have been incredibly lucky this whole first trimester, no morning sickness AT ALL, no weird cravings or aversions to food or smells, nothing except a few cramps and total exhaustion.  The baby’s heart beat is good and strong and both ultrasounds (at 6.5 and 8.5 weeks) have shown that it’s right where its supposed to be and growing just like it’s supposed to!  We’ll find out around the first of March if it’s a little chica or chico hanging out in there.  We cannot wait!  Well; mostly I cannot wait, since as all of you know, I have major patience issues.

So there you have it.  A brief summary of the life and times of Baby Yar to date.  Dave and I are totally thrilled to be adding a member to our family and can’t wait to see what this year holds for us!  Thank you so much to all of you for all of your happiness, support, love, prayers, gifts and advice.  It has been overwhelming, and you people have only known for 3 weeks!  We are so lucky and blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends.  Look for more Baby Yar news soon!

WCC

WCC = white chicken chili.  A FAVE in our house.  Probably 3 years ago or so, my office had a chili cook-off themed beer cart.  One of my co-workers at the time brought this white chicken chili in, and I have been in love ever since.  It is SO good.  Very cream based and super rich, with so much flavor, but not spicy.  My mouth is actually watering right now thinking about it.  It's one of our go to recipes for a fall pitch-in or dinner.  It doesn't require TOO many ingredients, and after you've made it a few times, it's a pretty quick process.

But, back to the most recent WCC consumption.  Every fall we have our "first fire" where we light the first fire of the year in our fireplace.  We always buy a large, cheap bottle of wine, drink, eat dinner, and hang out by the fire all night.  Fire nights are some of my absolute favorites, because Dave and I just catch up, talk and enjoy being with each other.  Definitely necessary every once in a while and much better than bad TV reruns.

So, because I heart all of you and fires and WCC make me feel warm and fuzzy, I want share the love.  Get excited.  It is seriously SO good.  Hope it brings you warm, cozy evenings and schmoopy, wonderful memories.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

16 oz (1 can) of canned white beans
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 Stick unsalted butter
1/4 c All-purpose flour
3/4 c Chicken broth
2 cups Half and Half
1 tsp Tabasco (or more, if you like spicy)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder (or more, if you like spicy)
1 tsp ground cumin (I usually put in more)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I usually put in more)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Two 4-oz cans whole mild green chilies, drained and chopped
5 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Some extra butter and oil to cook them in
1 1/2 c grated Monterey Jack
1/2 c sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet over moderately high heat and put in some butter and oil. Meanwhile, coat your chicken with salt and pepper and some chili powder. Throw them in the skillet. Leave them for five to seven minutes, or until nicely browned, then flip them. Leave it there until browned and then flip them every few minutes until they are done.

2. Remove the chicken from the pan. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers (or slice it up if you want to save some time) and set aside.

3. While waiting for chicken to cool, cook the onion in the same pan with 2 Tbs of butter until softened.

4. In a heavy pot, large enough to hold the whole batch, melt remaining 6 Tbs of butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, for three minutes. 

Stir in the onion and gradually add the broth and half and half, whisking the whole time. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened. (It will be nicely and obviously thick.) 

Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add beans, chilies, chicken and cheese, and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Add sour cream. May be served immediately.

5. Serve with the usual chili garnishes--cilantro, cheese, jalapenos, tomatoes, etc. Noodles are great too.

Recipe credit goes to the fabulous Jeff Watson.  Just in case you ever read this JNeighb, you know I gave you props.

Also, as a warning, you may look like this after consuming too much chili.  Be prepared.

Friday Funday

Since my last post title featured the day of the week it was written, I figured I may as well keep the theme going for the rest of the week.  Today is Friday.  Finally.  Minus a fun little $200 charge at the car dealership for new brake pads, it has been a great day.

Blessed to have the money to pay the $200 charge at the car dealership.  Chance to study for my test while my car was getting fixed.  Busy, but not too busy at work.  Beer cart day.  GORGEOUS weather.  Sold our Colts tickets for this weekend's game (we'll get to one eventually).  Wine and white chicken chilli tomorrow with Deej.  Wine and white chicken chilli tonight with the girls.  Dexter snuggle time.  Church on Sunday.  Visiting a great friend and her little one. 

So many good things about today.  Hope you all have lovely Fridays as well. 

Tuesday...Two Day

Anyone know that great quote from Friends?  "Monday, one day.  Tuesday, two day.  Wednesday, what day?  Thursday...it's the third day!"

That quote popped into my head this afternoon when I was thinking about how much I like Tuesdays.  Not sure why it was associated with my Tuesday thought, since it is really about Thursdays, but whatev.  

Back to Tuesdays.  Neither of us have class on Tuesdays, and always make sure we get home from work on time.  We get to cook dinner before 9 p.m., catch up on our inevitably HUGE piles of laundry, and maybe have a glass of wine or two (while watching Glee...and other thought provoking television programming).

Since today happened to be not only a Tuesday, but also the most beautiful fall day of all time, I decided to take my camera on my walk with Dex.  As a side note, I only got a FEW creeped out looks from people who thought I was trying to take pictures of them walking their dogs. Always a positive. 

So for your viewing pleasure, here's a little snapshot of this GORGEOUS Tuesday, two day.

I should have had this fabulous idea yesterday, before they turned off our neighborhood fountains.  One of  my favorite parts about where we live.

Dexter taking it all in.  He is not a huge fan of photo walks, they cramp his style (i.e. he can't pull and drag me all over the place while I'm stopped taking a picture).

LOVE the new Eagle Creek Trail.  No one would ever know its 6 feet from 71st Street.