Ouch! (Take Two)

I have been trying to get a few things done around the house and one of them was to fix Rachel's bookshelf. I got it at a garage sale for $2 and it is really cute. It has a giraffe on each end and some cute gender neutral colors for the shelves. One of them had ripped and they were just kind of dingy looking. I went to Jo-Ann's and was overwhelmed by the adorable patterns that I just couldn't pick and solids and prints to alternate, so I ended up this pattern. I love it! It took me (with a little bit of my mom's help) about 3.5 hours total to make. This is a huge increase in speed over my last attempts at sewing. I am very pleased with the outcome and it by no means looks perfect it you look up close. I am definitely learning some things as sew more. Since I just loved the fabric, I decided to make Rachel a new bean bag chair cover. Hers is so dirty and stained, but there is no way to remove the cover and wash it. How stupid for a kid product... It also needs to be restuffed a little so I think I have found a step-by-step instruction that I can understand and follow as to how to make a new cover. Mom's help is definitely needed on this one, but I am really excited to get the stuff and start on it! Matt and I also hung some family pictures upstairs. I am so happy to get them out of my office and onto a wall. I have to buy two more frames and them I can hang some more downstairs too! Matt picked up a short wooden picket fence for free off Craigslist. It needs to be pressure washed and painted, but other than that, in pretty decent shape. We are going to fence in a small area around Rachel's playset. She is pretty good about staying close by, but better safe then sorry, especially where we live.

Rachel's face is healing up pretty good and in a few days, I will begin the vitamin E oil. She decided yesterday to jump from the top of the stairs to me (a couple steps down) and not inform me of her plans. Of course, when she jumps, she always has a huge smile and her teeth caught my upper lip. She was crying so hard and I was busy consoling her that I didn't even realize that I was the only injured one. I put my hand up to feel and it was dripping blood. So I have a slighty puffy lip with a thin cut. Vitamin E oil might be in my future too.

My brother and sister-in-law in the Chicago area had their baby boy on Saturday morning! His name is William Michael (which I really like) and I am really wanting to go see this little guy. It is so weird to not be able to go visit new parents/babies at the hospital because everyone is so close by. Lauren and I are thinking about a retry of a trip this year to St. Louis so maybe a stop is in our future. I am so happy for them!


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