Adventures In Babywearing!

I am trying out a bunch of new baby carriers. I still love my three Ergo baby carriers, don't get me wrong...I'm just mixing it up, trying some new things. My friend Jen loaned me her Beco Butterfly II Carrier. I know, she is VERY good to me!!! She let me borrow it while I decided whether or not I wanted to take the plunge and buy one. I was a little hesitant because I had heard that it was difficult to nurse in the Beco, and if so, I knew that wouldn't work for me...

I also ordered a BabyHawk Oh Snap and a Boba baby carrier. I figured I'd try them for a few weeks, and if I didn't like them, I would re-sell them on Ebay or on The Baby Wearer forums for most of what I paid.

I bought the Boba carrier from Pax Baby, and the owner Jillian was really nice and communicative with me. She's not paying me to say that or anything...promise! ;-) I emailed back and forth with her a bunch, and it was just like talking to an old friend. Definitely recommend her, and you can't beat free priority shipping- yea!

This is me wearing the Boba at the park. It has a much longer body than the Ergo and has little detachable stirrups for toddlers. I love it! It's definitely not as cute as the Beco Butterfly (what is?) or even the BabyHawk Oh Snap...but I like that it's a bigger carrier, since Ginger is now 21 pounds and she is super tall.



The Boba is great because it gives so much head support and it is super comfortable to wear (I would say on par or even more comfy than the Ergo). The only downsides to the Boba is the lack of cute patterns, and the name. They really should have thought of something better because hello...that is the name of a tasty beverage, isn't it?!

Also, a lot of people probably won't buy the Boba because it's made for especially for toddlers, so it's not a carrier you can use from birth, which is what a lot of people are looking for, I imagine...

I had high hopes for the BabyHawk Oh Snap after our friend Corey told me that she had been wanting one. She is the one who said I should have bought a Beco years ago, and she has great taste!

The back carry on the Oh Snap is perfect, and Ginger fell asleep moments after she nestled in, and she slept the whole time I did laundry and made lunch on Saturday. It was perfect. But in the front carry, it was kind of disappointing. The straps are too short to make it comfortable to cross them in the back, like the instructions tell you to do.

Me In The BabyHawk Oh Snap!:



The other downside to the Oh Snap is that the body is a little short, and the base (where the baby sits) is extra wide. Ginger wasn't quite as comfortable in it as she was in the Boba or the Ergos. And I wasn't as comfortable either (at least in the front carry). Maybe it just needs to be broken in? Time will tell! But it's a cool looking carier, and that's something, right?



I got my Babyhawk Oh Snap from Sprout Soup, since they were the only ones that had the exclusive pattern I was looking for (yea Owls!) The carrier was on my doorstep lightning quick, and overall, I am super happy with them, too. I called up the morning after I ordered online and spoke with the husband/wife duo who owns the shop on the phone. A real live mom and pop store- that's something you don't see too often anymore! It was a real, personal experience, and it made me glad to be buying from a small store and supporting them. I felt so warm and fuzzy inside.

Now...to the Beco Butterfly II, which Jen so graciously lent me for the past few weeks! I really liked many aspects of it- but I just couldn't get comfortable nursing in it. I love that it has the infant insert built in, but since Ginger is already past that stage, I don't need that. But now I wish I'd had it when she was first-born, since the Ergo Infant Insert did not work for us. Overall, the patterns of the Beco are adorable, and it is as comfortable as the Ergo to wear (and a little less bulky), but the fabric in between the baby and mom just kinda got in the way for me.

Here is a photo of me wearing the Beco Butterfly II:



I am very grateful to Jen for letting me borrow hers before I made a decision. If I could rewind a year and buy this carrier when Ginger was a newborn, I would. But since she's so big now, the Boba seems to fit her body better...

I figure that after wearing my Ergos 24/7 for the past year, I could stand to mix things up a little and break out of my shell. What can I say, it's been fun. And goodness knows, as much as Ginger loves to be carried, whatever carriers I have are gonna see some serious action! ;-)

Paprika's Room!

I have had a lot of fun transforming Paprika's room. I wanted her room to be a beautiful place for her to relax, have quiet time to herself...kind of her own personal sanctuary.

When we moved in to our house two months ago, her room looked like this:

Before:



Definitely not a little girl's room!



The light fixture was coming out of the ceiling and the curtains were old and very dusty.




The inspiration for the room was "Come Fly With Me"- I wanted the room to be about reaching for the sky, following your dreams, and soaring to imaginative, beautiful places.

I decided on a hot-air balloon theme. Paprika loves all balloons, especially hot-air balloons. So, I decided to run with it and this is where it took me!

After:



Overstock happened to have a hot air balloon rug. Score! Mr. Mustard helped me lay down the rug, and when Paprika saw it in her room, she got so excited that she laid down and kissed the rug. It was a big hit!

You, of course, know the story behind the queen-sized bed. The canopy is from Ikea ($19). The hot air balloons on the wall are vinyl decals from Etsy ($15 on sale).

I got kind of lucky on the bedding. It's a Pottery Barn Kids (PBK) quilt that I've had my eye on for awhile, but it goes for about $200 new (including shipping). I found the same PBK quilt on Ebay for...drumroll please...$26! So, her new quilt was $26 instead of over $200. Of course, it's pre-owned (that's my word for used- ha!), but it's in great condition, and don't quilts get better with age and history, anyway?



The lighting fixture is from Ikea ($19). I loved how the clouds tied into my hot-air balloon and soaring theme. I left the original curtain rods (mostly because I didn't want to have to hang new ones- ha!).

I replaced the old curtains with pink gingham curtains from PBK. I had tried the Target blackout curtains, but they let in so much light! So, I splurged a bit on the curtains and it was well worth it. I don't want anyone in this house waking up at daybreak if they don't have to! ;-)



I rounded out the room with a little lamp from Target ($13) - it's the same one that's in Ginger's room. I figure if they ever share a room, it will be a matched pair!

Overall, not bad for her own little bedroom nook. I think it looks pretty cozy, but then again...I might be biased! :-)

Before & After Pics of Ginger's Room

I'm not going to say I'm "done" with Ginger's room. It is still a work in progress. But, it's come a long way, baby!

Here are some Before/After pics of the room's transformation.

Before:



When we began, there was really nowhere to go but up. It was more of a cave than a bedroom. ;-)





After:

I changed out the curtains first thing, but kept the original curtain rods. The crib was Paprika's (purchased used on Craigslist in 2006). The wall vinyl decals are from Etsy ($25). The lamp is Target ($13) and the dresser is Ikea ($60).

The bedding on the full-size bed was Paprika's. It's a floor-sample quilt from Pottery Barn Kids that I bought for $20 a few years ago. The crib bedding was bought at the Right Start going out of business sale last fall for $30. When Ginger sleeps in the crib, I am very careful to make sure the crib canopy is tied back so she can't get to it...

Overall, I am really pleased with it how it turned out. I stayed in my budget, and think it's a room she'll enjoy for a long time. :-) You can't really see the rug from these pictures, but it's a giraffe print I bought at Overstock. It's actually one of my favorite parts of the room and adds a little bit of sophistication and whimsy to the space (if I do say so, myself). Haha.

I fell in love with this light fixture (Ikea, $19) and the crib canopy (Ikea, $9) the moment I saw them. I wanted her room to be like a sunny day, as having Ginger our lives is like a big ray of sunshine and blue sky.

I think it's a cozy little nest for her now, and she seems to like it, which is what's important, right?! :-)

A Princess Bed!

I have been wanting to get Paprika a beautiful bed frame like the Pottery Barn one pictured above. Problem was that those beds retail for well over $1000, not to mention we didn't have a box spring to go with it, which would add another couple hundred dollars. Cha-ching!

Since Paprika outgrew her toddler bed, she has been sleeping on a Queen mattress on the floor. It was the mattress we bought when we got married (we've since upgraded to a King)- and it's a great bed. We just haven't had a frame to put it on (besides which, I've been nervous about Paprika rolling off it and in the few months she's been sleeping on it, she never has).

Anyhoo, her bed has looked like this for awhile (well, except usually it has sheets and blankets, of course!):



Well, long story short, I found a bed frame on Craigslist that I loved...originally retailed for $1500 plus shipping and I bought it for $200 even. Problem was that I didn't have a box spring, and that was going to cost a few hundred dollars.

So, I sent Mr. Mustard over to pick up a box spring off Craigslist for $30 that the person said was "like new" and had been sitting in her guest bedroom untouched.

I now realize that you ALWAYS have to ask for pictures or go yourself because Mr. Mustard brought home THIS box spring, and I just about cried. (In his defense, he picked it up late at night and there wasn't enough light for him to really get a good look at it!)



It was seriously the nastiest thing I'd seen in awhile and I guess it probably was new thirty years ago, but it certainly wasn't NEW anytime in the 21st Century! The whole thing really grossed me out, and I told him to "take it back to her and get our money back!"



After I stewed (and the person we bought it from did not answer our calls or emails), I calmed down. I was like..."Okay, here's $30 that has already been wasted/spent, so have fun with it."

So, the next day while Ginger was napping, I took out the stuffing:



And I ripped off all the fabric. Then I washed the whole thing down with a solution of 3 parts water, 1 part bleach. Then I set it in direct sunlight and let it dry. I wanted anything remotely germy or gross to be obliterated.



Then, while it was drying, I set up the bed I had bought on Craigslist. I love it, and since it's a Queen, it's something she can have for a long time. A real find!



Then, I brought in my stripped down box spring.



Covered it with an old mattress cover we'd been meaning to replace due to ripped elastic on the edges. The padding on top is nice (and washable)!



Then, I took some fabric I had lying around and made a bed skirt (using some masking tape). I was doing this while Ginger took a nap, so I wanted to be quick. At some point, I may go back and do this "the right way"- but for now, it will do...



See, here's the tape. I put that there so that the bedskirt wouldn't slide when I put the mattress on top.



Then, I loaded the mattress on top.



And then I was done! Not perfect, of course...but not bad for an hour's work, which is all I had time for since I had to get it done while Ginger was napping.

Before:



After:



I guess the proof is in the pudding, because when I showed Paprika the finished product (I made her close her eyes and everything), she flipped out and jumped right into the bed.



It was definitely a huge success!



I think she'll enjoy it for a long, long time!

Craigslist Adventure!

I woke up this morning intent on finding us a dining room set. Our old set is still at our old house. We're going to sell it because it's way too big to fit in our new house.



Since our new house is a 1940s/1950s beach bungalow, Mr. Mustard wants to stay with a dining room set that fits the era of our house. He is dreaming of a mid-century modern set (a 47" Saarinen Knoll tulip table and matching chairs, in case you were curious) and I just want something to sit on. I have been hunting for his set for weeks, and it's hard to come by unless you want to pay full retail value (which I don't).

We have been borrowing my friend Brenda's card table and folding chairs that she so graciously lent us. Thank you, Brenda!!! Before that, we were sitting at Paprika's kid table and chairs.

Our house on move in day. Notice Paprika sitting at our then "dining table":



My goal for this morning's activity was to find an old dining table and chairs, have it delivered to me, sand it, paint it white, and have it done by the end of Ginger's nap...all for $100 or less.

I found a dining set on Craigslist, then called the guy and asked him if he'd drop it off because my car is too small to load it. Surprisingly, he agreed!

He wanted $120 for the set which included the dining table, a leaf, and six chairs. He asked if he could keep one chair, so I said it's a deal if I can have it for $100 instead of $120 (since my goal was $100). He said that the table has been covered with a glass top for over 50 years, so it looks new.

Long story short (I know, this is getting to be a long story), he dropped off the table, and after he left, I realized that he left us with this gorgeous, solid cherry authentic Stickley dining set. I even have a fifth chair, which I am going to use for my desk! Score!



It totally threw off my plans to paint the table white because now when I look at it, I can't imagine painting it anything. It also threw off my plan to paint the kitchen cabinets white, because now the table kinda matches the cabinets...



Well, that freed up my afternoon. So, I took Paprika and Ginger on an adventure to feed the ducks and spent the rest of the day at the park.



Survey says, it was a success! Paprika thought feeding the ducks was one of the coolest things ever!







The End!

Backyard Fence Project

One thing that has been irking me is the fence on the back border of our yard. It's a simple thing, I know. It's just a fence. But it's chain link, and every day I was looking at my neighbor's messy yard.

They put their stuff behind their garage to hide it so they don't have to look at it...which means I get a full view of their discarded outdoor shower and their rusty old gym equipment.

Can I just say, I'm so not a fan!



Not to mention their cat carrier, and their broken lawn ornaments, their half-rotted wood pile...and...I could go on. But I won't...for your sake! And mine!



I didn't want to spend a lot of money, and the fence is perfectly functional.

So, yesterday I bought some reed panels and affixed them to our existing fence with clear zip ties. It took all of 30 minutes, and I really like the effect. I ended up doubling up on the panels for more privacy. When I first put them up they were a little see-through. But doubled, they really make it private. Oh, and I clipped the zip tie after I took this picture so the tail's not hanging out anymore!



Here are a few Before and After photos. It's amazing what a little camouflage will do!

Before:



After:



Before:



After:



Before:



After:



Ah, that's better. It's a little Tiki, but it will do. Makes me want to have a Mai Tai. Yum!