The Moose

Remember this post when I discussed B's room and how I wanted to create a mobile and hang a map over his crib? Well, the map was a fail. After two attempts at ordering the map, I decided it was a no-go because of quality.

Then we took a trip to Milwaukee and saw these at an Anthropologie store. Found here.

Have I mentioned that Anthro is my absolute favorite retail clothing store? Well, it is. 

We could have paid the $68 for the animal, or we could make it ourselves. I wanted to have some kind of craft project that could represent both of our children in the room and didn't quite know how-- this was now the new idea. I searched online and found an amazing tutorial. Internet, you are awesome. 

We originally planned to create two animals. I was creating the moose and Ray was creating a mountain goat. When my moose started to look like a pile of newspaper with no special shape at all (read: I suck at art) and Ray's goat started to look like a moose, we abandoned our original idea and stuck to making a moose only. And by we, I mean Ray. Needed supplies: newspaper and masking tape. And also maybe some skill.

Once the shape was constructed, we took a piece of cardboard and attached it to the bottom of the neck where it would later be mounted. It creates a flat piece to attach. Next comes the paper mache. I learned through the tutorial above that paper towels are best because they allow for more sculpting. I whipped up a recipe of that paper mache goop (1 part flour, 4 parts water... bring to boil and remove from heat) and got started.

Posted this on instagram and received a comment from Tiffany about the randomness. Us Wilsons are a little crazy, we'll admit. Instagram: brandywilson. I only started up to stalk Brooke's baby pictures. Truth. And now I'm sort of obsessed and fully intend to use this website to make an awesome collage or two. Mom and Kay (B's grandmas) should really get on instagram. Download the app and find me. I post pictures there often.

This was only the first of two coats. The second was intended to strengthen and cover the colors of the newspaper.

 Does he look like a moose yet?

What about now? The board on the left was from Michael's for $15. Obvi we used a 50% off coupon. It's the mounting piece for the wall. The paper mache is completely dry at this point. A file folder was used to create ears and obviously those are coat hangers from our dry cleaning, as we have very few to be found in our house since Ray has an obsession with all white, plastic coat hangers. 

 Moose antler paper mache.

I think this was our 4th batch of creating the goop as well. Sometimes I used 1/4 cup flour and sometimes 1/2 cup. Still using 4 parts water for each batch. I scrubbed our granite counter tops way too many times, folks.

These pictures are hilarious. Look at B's face in the first and second. Here he looks pleased and like he's learning from his dad.

And here's he's like, "This dude be craaaazy. We're not related."

Moose in the background and Modge Podge. We used a sponge paintbrush we had on hand... and instead of using pages of a book (though that was the original plan), Ray gave me the idea to print out some of my blog posts to create a more family piece. I already intended to use each of our names so both of my boys would be represented in the art. It was quite the project, but I went back to every single post I'd written for the last year and used the title of the blog post and a short excerpt from each post. Then, I went back into my pregnancy with Andrew posts and selected some titles and excerpts as well. It ended up being 6 full pages of 14-sized font with only .5" margins. We cut those margins off in the end, but that's what we had going for us. We reprinted a few times to have enough (believe it or not, 6 full pages was not enough to cover the moose and I sooo wasn't making any more) and began the Modge Podge process.

In the meantime, I was spray painting ($2 can at Ace Hardware) the wood mounting piece outside. Let's just pretend this photo is in focus. Good tip: use a box so your grass doesn't turn red. As if it needs any more help looking terrible considering our intense dry spell here in the Midwest with matching temps of over 100 degrees.

The moose was finished and mounted onto the red backing using a staple gun (which we own, oddly) and hung on the wall above B's changing table. We chose red for the backing because our other moose hanger in the room is red. We thought it would provide some kind of cohesion in a room with no theme.

 See some familiar names?

 <3

All words from our family and lives. It was quite fun picking out little excerpts of what I've written from my heart over the last couple years. I obviously tried to avoid the truly sad parts of posts and focus on more meaningful and loving quotes.

 And there you have it. Le Moose.

Total supplies used:

• newspaper
• masking tape ($1 at hardware store)
• paper towels (about 1/4 roll = $.25)
• flour and water for paper mache mixture (total about 1-2 cups flour = $.25 worth)
• 2 coat hanger and 1 used file folder (can use cardstock or whatever scraps on hand)
• bottle of glossy Modge Podge ($9 retail, use 50% off Michael's coupon for $4.50 large container) We didn't use all of it, but you don't want to end up short... so just go for the big one.
• Sponge Paintbrush to apply Modge Podge ($.50 or less)
• Wood mounting piece ($15 retail, use 50% off Michael's coupon for $7.50)
• Spray paint ($2-4 a can)

Project total was around $16. Sure beats $70 at Anthropologie and we have a unique and fun piece that is literally made up of our family stories and experiences over the last couple years. I also included the boy and girl "C" names we've already selected for our next child (no Mom, I'm not pregnant), if we're lucky enough to get that opportunity. It took a few days to complete this and plenty of hours, but it's done. 

And just for kicks, here is my favorite moose shot we took in real life. Amazing creatures.

• Road trip from CA>IL when we moved here in 2009, just before boarding our plane to Germany from O'Hare. This was at Grand Teton National Park. We were about 30 feet away. It was amazing.

Crafty Reveal

I've been waiting to post some pictures until I had everything finished, but of course something went awry and it's not done. Not like I haven't waited years to get things in working order anyway, so what's a few more weeks?

The mobile creation was a success. I can't say that about most of my crafty endeavors, which is why I rarely entertain them. I can admire, but just don't have the care or patience to really finish a project that involves sewing machines or hot glue guns. Just not my thing.

This only involved my printer, scissors, cardstock, and hemp twine. I can handle that. Template for the birds found here.

The wall will have this in dark grey. 

It arrived, we had it taped and ready to go... started peeling... and bam. Wrong color. Silver is not dark grey, my friends. It's not. Back to Amazon it went and we'll try again soon. Here's the mobile hanging in all its glory. We're quite proud of our $7 mobile created by yours truly. Too bad B thinks crib sleeping is for the birds. Hah. Birds. Get it? Sleep deprivation jokes at their finest. Guess who might be teething and is now waking every two hours at night? Not surprising as I'm reminded that my brother and I were the same way at such an early age.

The top of the Ikea bookshelf has a bird I found at a thrift store during my pregnancy with Andrew. I sanded it down, painted it white and added another successful craft project to my miniature repertoire. The letters are to represent my kidlets, and the sign in the middle reads Love You to the Moon and Back. It was given to us by good friends for Andrew's birthday. I wrote to Andrew in one of my letters and said those words. Now B has those words to cherish as well.

The blue chest was not in there when we were decorating for Andrew. We brought it up from the basement where it used to house our wedding stuff and costumes (who doesn't love a good mullet wig?) and decided it will be B's to keep. Every Air Force Academy cadet receives one of these, among other things. It's now being passed down to B from his dad. So sweet.

The A & B pillows on the rocking chair were made by my same amazing blog friend, Katie, who made B's interchangeable bowtie onesies. The blanket was made by my mom, B's grandma. As for the curtains... anyone have any ideas on making them blackout?

We have no wall space left in B's room, otherwise we'd hang our latest acquisition: B's first stock. When I was pregnant with B, Ray decided that if he lived, he would purchase his very first stock for him and have it framed. We searched the stocks available that you can purchase and have sent to you. We decided on something that would be suitable for children (candy) and a local company, Tootsie Roll. When B moves out of the nursery and into his next bedroom, we'll hang it for him. Until then... on the mantle it stays.

Also on the mantle is another craft project I've been working on. I pinned this on Pinterest, found some map templates online, purchased some old maps from a consignment store for $3, re-purposed the frame that used to hang above the crib as a placeholder for something much better (that never happened before Andrew died) and came up with this:

I'm not entirely thrilled with it, but that's what we've got so far since B managed to take a five hour nap one day a couple weeks ago. It hasn't happened since, so therefore it remains as-is for now. It's actually wax paper backing and I'd prefer something like burlap. My mom recommended a dark blue. Since the maps are obviously not to scale, it was challenging to include the places we're from and currently live while trying to maintain some sense of the state. Obviously California is not ocean. But I wanted to use the cutout of the state itself and show where I'm from originally. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm from the middle of the state when I'm actually from the southern portion just 2ish hours from the Mexican border. Should've thought of that. And Ray isn't from the center of Maryland either. The Illinois map is the most accurate as we do live in the north part of the state just west of Lake Michigan. Also, the hearts are pieces of red paper I found on the label of Ray's magazine, The Economist. Since I re-purposed that frame (that cost me around $16 back in 2010), this whole project was less than $20 so far. I need to figure out what to do with that backing.

Here's what I paid $3 for at consignment. Nice, old, vinyl National Geographic maps that may or may not still have the U.S.S.R. labeled.

Also, we bought this. In June. 

Because it was an amazing deal for Memorial Day weekend and I scored $32 cash back on my purchase through ShopatHome. My next check in July will be for $127.08 since we apparently spend way too much online and have that much in cash back to show for it. Haha. I'd like to hope that next winter we'll be spending less time shoveling and more time together watching B walk around the house and become an overall menace to society. Can't wait. 

Another food post coming soon. This one involves the use of my blender. Get excited.

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This, That, and the Other Thing

I texted a friend on Tuesday for a little impromptu lunch and thrift store shopping. Our boys will be friends someday. We hope good friends. She's also a baby loss mama and her first is hanging with my first up in the clouds. I hope our firsts are friends, too. Someday maybe we'll find out.

I've been feeling crafty and apparently nesting has now kicked in since B is now 3 months old. I just couldn't bring myself to think about anything for a baby I wasn't sure would come home with us. I did that with Andrew and felt like a fool when we walked into a home full of baby, but minus the baby. We're considering transitioning B into his nursery soon and out of our room and his co-sleeper where he conveniently thinks awake time happens somewhere around 6 a.m. daily. He's a happy waker, so that's a wonderful thing-- but Mom and Dad aren't exactly with it in the wee morning hours quite like his happy little self. We don't have a dark room and that could be our first rookie mistake. For awhile we did put fitted sheets over the windows (awesomely ghetto) and now said sheets are in B's nursery for when he screams his head off and protests naps. We'll be working to fix that curtain situation sometime this weekend. I've also been dreaming of mobiles as B really enjoys staring lately. It's clear he's trying to figure this whole world out and I want to provide him some stimulation-- though I'm not sure he'll even see the mobile I plan to make with the blackout shades I plan to assemble.

Anyway, the crafts. We're working on things. I emailed a few of my BLM sistahs and asked what they thought about some kind of art piece to go over the crib for my A and B babies. Andrew had a frame with his name in it-- but nothing fancy and it was only a placeholder to begin with. I hated it from the start and still hate it despite loving his name there still. I wanted to somehow incorporate both of my babes into an art piece and create some kind of family keepsake out of the whole thing. Except, I didn't want it to be too juvenile as I'd like to be able to move it once my living kiddos are no longer kiddos and something I could also maybe incorporate baby #3 (when that all goes down-- Lord help us all) shows its face. They had lovely ideas... but I still wasn't biting. I finally decided I'll be using something I thought I hated-- a wall decal. A sticker, if you will. I just love maps and our nursery doesn't really have a theme anyway. It's sort of a hodgepodge of things we like (wildlife, a cool & eclectic ABC chart, bookshelf with fun items I either thrifted or purchased). Not exactly an art piece we'll keep around forever, but I love it nonetheless. Here's the inspiration decal.

I'll be making a mobile this weekend, and typing that makes me all nervous that I'll actually have to show it when done. It will be conjured out of two different ideas:

The birds from here, but in different, bolder shades (5 because Andrew was born on the 5th and I want him in this, too. And of course B was born on the 23rd and if you really stretch out this whole thought, 2+3=5. I know, it's a stretch but it only has to make sense to me, okay? Hah).

And this one based on the use of a natural branch. I will be finding one in our yard because we have approximately 3,482 mature trees that drop these nonstop. Usually we're cursing about having to pick them up. For once I'll be delighted to find one.

All that to get back to my thrift store story. So, my friend and I went to lunch and to this thrift store in our area, Savers, that proceeds are donated to the Epilepsy Foundation. That's nice, but we didn't end up buying anything, though I did spot some delightfully cute Banana Republic & Loft capris that would never fit over my two pregnancies in two years mom butt.

Here were the highlights. Prepare to be entertained.

Oh me. Oh my. What do we have here? The best sign ever? I thought so. 

(p.s. I detest Walmart. Target is where it's at!)

Because you might be in need of two lamb cake molds. Also, that's Wilton. And I heart Wilton. And since I heart Wilton and their warehouse is approximately 5 miles from my house, I will be going to their enormo tent sale promptly on the first day of its opening on June 1.

 Hmm. Thought they might be dead.

 Do you know what that is?

Yeah, that is a mandolin with approximately 30 sharp edges and blades. Lucky infant who gets its hands on that one!

Done thrifting but decided to head on next door to Old Navy to check out the little people clothing options. This one had B's name written all over it. Except I wasn't sure Ray would approve... until I got home and showed him this photo in which he replied, "Why didn't you buy it?"

My friend and I went our separate ways and since B's nap was already thrown out for the day because of all the fun we were having, I hit up a few more stores. One of those being The Land of Nod Outlet. It's still wildly expensive and next to the Crate & Barrel Outlet where we sometimes score great deals... but not much happening that day. I did happen to score this hardback book.

 For a crazy steal of a buck! What? No one likes a peeing boy?

We happen to! That would be the (replica because the other one is locked away somewhere from being stole again) Manneken Pis in Belgium! He's just a wee little lad. Hah.

And for good measure because this has turned into a post that went in all kinds of crazy directions, here are a few more photos from the week:

One of the dinners: Pesto chicken pizza (you can tell which side is mine with the sundried tomatoes and olives instead, obvi)

And cute little B monster, of course...

We hang out on the front lawn a lot. I think he enjoys staring at the swaying trees. And mama needs a break from holding him sometimes. It usually buys me about 30 minutes of time.

 Sleepy chunk

 Still a bit too small for the ol' Johnny Jump Up. I have a feeling he's going to love this thing. He is a big fan of "standing" and looking around. See those blankets stuffed in there? Yeah, not ready quite yet. ;)

 

Baby Update: Week 34

It's been a great week here at the Wilson house. We've been quite productive and we're only "nesting" a little-- most of it is just preparing for winter!

Here are the updates before some fun photo updates:

How far along?: 34w5d
How big is Baby?: I read that he is between 4 pounds and 5 pounds at this point, erring on the side of 5 rather than 4! He's becoming a big boy! If born now, he would likely be fine with only a very short stay in NICU (surely we don't want that) and his lungs are just about fully developed and wouldn't require additional oxygen. He's also around 18 inches long!!!
Maternity clothes?: Yes, and I can't wait to be out of them. I know I'll still be wearing them post-birth for a bit, but at least I'll be able to fit into some of my other tops and slowly work my way back into normal clothes. Basically any clothes are uncomfortable at this point-- aside from Ray's shirts and sweatpants. Yes, I wear his shirts often... but only around the house.
Sleep?: Eh. Yes, I do, and no, it's not wonderful. I think those days are over! Sleeping in has been really difficult to do. But, the great thing is that when I am sleeping, neither my back nor ribs hurt. :)
Best moment of the week?: I really enjoyed having dinner at our friends Derrick & Liz's house along with our other great friends, Kristi, Jim, and Joel. And... Kristi announced she is pregnant with baby #2!
Movements?: I do believe he has moved from down (which was great) to the side (breech) again! I have become wider rather than further out. I used to be able to feel the hiccups in my lower belly, but now I am feeling what seems like his back and head in the center and extending to the left. But, he is surely moving a ton! Sometimes, I think he is physically carrying my organs to different places. Haha! My right rib has been quite sore this entire week. It's as if I have a bruise, but I know it's just the pressure from him pushing up.
Food cravings?: No, but please don't ask how much Halloween candy we had left over and hence have consumed as a result. The Twix, Kit Kat, and Reese's are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Aversions?: No. Not in the least.
What I miss?: Champagne. A friend mentioned it the other day and I wanted a glass. We have a bottle chilling in our fridge from Alison & Nic's visit that I will be consuming post delivery. It will be a Christmas present-- don't worry people... I will have a glass. My hope to breastfeed will not be compromised. Speaking of breastfeeding... man are those breastpumps expensive! Soon I shall invest in one. Soon.
What I'm looking forward to?: Well, I'm not looking forward to my weekly appointments starting this week! I had an appointment last week and they continue every single week until I deliver. I am, however, looking forward to finishing up all the purchases and little things before Baby W. We don't really need anything, but there are some things we're thinking about since our baby class this past weekend (like yellow washcloths designated for "dirty" jobs, baby wipe container, desitin... you know... the small stuff).
Anything else?: Like I said, I've started weekly doctor's appointments! It's becoming very real that next month (or anytime, really), we are going to be parents to a little boy! It's incredibly exciting and is giving us great anxiety all at the same time. We are blessed and can't wait to see what this little guy is like. At my doctor's appointment, I weighed in only .5 pounds more than 2 weeks prior and I am still under the 150 mark. I don't think I'll make it. As for Baby W, there isn't much going on other than adding extra poundage and final touches on organ development. But, in all the literature I've read, he would most likely be fine if born now or anytime after. Holy cow!
This week in history: Black Friday deals turning up early everywhere (we're interested in a couple things this year and plan to actually participate!), Obama in Asia, Daylight savings "fall back" occurred this morning at 2 a.m.-- love that extra hour usually... but when I'm pregnant and can't sleep anyway, it doesn't do much good. Haha.

What's going on this week (with us)?: We've been getting so much done around here. We washed both of our cars today. Mine hadn't been washed at all since we bought it in April and I wanted to touch up a few paint chips before the winter months = rust. We also purchased a few winter items like a snow shovel, ice, an oil space heater, and a firewood holder for our garage. We took our second baby class yesterday at the hospital called "Babycare Plus" that included information about when baby comes home and helpful tips (swaddling, diapering, Happiest Baby on the Block theories, carseat safety, vaccinations, pediatricians/doctors, infant CPR, etc.). It was okay. I heard amazing things about the class and while it was helpful to hear a few things, we didn't need the class. I guess we just felt that since we are first-time parents, we should take classes to educate ourselves despite the amount we've read in books and all over the Internet-- not to mention what we know from common sense and from friends with kids. Baby W does deserve the best, however, so we took the classes. Ray also played volleyball with our friends in the co-ed league (I go as a spectator) and won 2 of 3 games! They have now won more games than lost-- which is great! We had dinner with friends and that was wonderful as usual. It's just so nice having great friends.

Here are the monthly photos to compare:

Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 5.5, Month 6, Month 6.5, Month 7, Month 7.5, Month 8

Here's the Month 8.5 photo:

Here are some nursery photo updates. We bought a new lamp and there's the bird I bought at the thrift store, sanded, stained, and painted. I love it. The lamp was a recommendation on behalf of my friend Alison whose son, Scotty, used the nursery when they visited. It was quite dark and we needed some light in there for middle-of-the-night feedings. This lamp is awesome because the base is a touch-base. You simply touch anywhere on the silver bottom and it turns on. No switches to fumble with and so easy! Considering that we would use this as we're tired, it's easiest to use.

At my shower last week, the ladies provided us with a few things we felt we "needed" like the changing pad and changing pad cover. We also got crib sheets and a bunch of items I have to wash before use. I'm waiting until it gets a bit closer to his arrival to throw in the load so they are nice and fresh.

This photo is to show the monkey. It's from our baby shower and it now has a home. :)

At our Babycare Plus class, we learned infant CPR. In order to do so, we had to blow up our "mini baby" they kept calling it. Ray was lucky enough to have that job. This came just a day after Ray took a two-day course of CPR at his work. He's pretty solid with knowledge.

Mini baby testing out the bassinet. Of course everyone else in the class deflated their mini baby. Oh no, not the Wilsons. 

And... the final pièce de résistance... this onesie. I was home the day UPS dropped this off at our doorstep. It came from a company called FansEdge, but with no information of whom sent it! We're still speculating who sent this our way, but either way, I love the LA pride! Thank you, friends, to those who sent this. I'll call the people I suspect were involved in this mystery present this week.

Overall, great and full week! Here's to the next one and a healthy baby boy growing strong!