Paper Airplane Mobile

Our internet has been down, and frankly it's not so much fun. I didn't realize how addicted I was. Thank goodness for phones! I literally check Pinterest every morning before I even get out of bed** just to see if any of my insomniac friends pinned something during the middle of the night that I just can't live without seeing yet. It's a sickness.

On our way out of the house this morning I ran into a neighbor and was reminded that I promised to babysit her girls today, a fact that had completely slipped my mind. So with no internet and being "stuck" at home for several hours I finally got on this ridiculously easy airplane mobile I've been wanting to make for The Boy's room.

Did I say it was easy? This was one of those embarrassingly simple projects.

Step 1: find a stick.
Step 2: fold paper airplanes.
Step 3: hang airplanes from stick.
Step 4: hang stick from ceiling.
Step 5: try really hard to think of a step 5 so it feels like there was some actual effort involved.

After searching the web, I came up with six airplanes that were possibilities and folded each out of computer paper trimmed to 5x7 so they would be petite when finished. I wrote the name of each plane in the center fold so I'd be able to remember which was which. Then I eliminated the one I liked least so there were 5 usable designs. I like to stick with odd numbers since I think they typically balance better visually. 

I have had this 5.5x8.5 striped vellum literally since the summer of 1999 when I planned a bridal shower for a friend. This seemed like a good use for the rest of it with some metallic gold paper thrown in for contrast and spunk. I promise it's got a sheen to it, you just can't tell here.

I kid you not, that's about all there is to show.

The hardest part of this project turned out to be figuring how to hang it without falling face first off my step stool (short people problems). I ended up using 3M command hooks, as I have done with nearly everything in our apartment. It is very light and two hooks would have handled the weight just fine, but then my crazy imagination pictured one coming loose for some reason and the branch falling on my sleeping baby - so I added the third for extra precaution. 

I really love it! It's simple, and airy, and just adds a little something to make the room feel more baby centered than just a crib stuck in the storage room, which let's face it, it pretty much is. Coupled with the map from my teaching supplies and a world travel theme started to emerge. One day he'll have a room that is all his own, after all, they tell me grad school doesn't last forever...

**In full disclosure, this post was mostly written in November, before I was awake periodically through the night with a newborn. Now I check Pinterest in the middle of the night while feeding a little human.

I found the paper airplane templates here:
http://www.funpaperairplanes.com/
http://www.10paperairplanes.com/

Window Shopping

So, I don't need anything. As in the my-house-was-overflowing-already-and-then-I-added-a-baby kind of not needing anything (Except perhaps clothes that fit my nursing boobs... but that is another topic entirely). I still love to dream though. Since I have a baby shower to attend tonight I simply HAD to head to Target for a gift, and once I was there what was the harm in a little imagining?

It's sort of inevitable, actually. 

It's not uncommon for my daily dreams to have a coordinated color scheme. Granted, that is probably because of the way colors are either coming in or going out at any given time so there is a plethora of one at any given time. I find I love them all, so I'm in danger whenever I set foot in the door. 

How great are those jars? I love the dark teal one on the middle shelf.

I have been wanting this bath rug for a while now. Isn't it fun? It makes me think of flowing water and not in the way that screams "my whole family must have just showered."

Plus it looks awesome with my orange shoes. 

Then there was this awesome fuzzy blanket to match! Seriously, who doesn't love a fuzzy blanket, especially coordinated to a bath rug not visible from where you snuggle? Seriously, in northwest literally two thirds of the year is sweater weather. It wouldn't surprise me if placing blankets in powder rooms became a thing.

These shoes look way fun, especially with the fairly neutral jean and tee shirt days that I am living. Hahaha! Who am I kidding? Jeans are dressy. It's more like yoga pants and old maternity tee kind of days. Some fun and funky kicks are always delightful and make me feel I have a reason to wear real clothes. 

This may have been the most painful clearance find to leave behind- at least since the marble cake plate in December, the lovely, lovely marble cake plate. I'm still weeping over that one. The only reason this didn't come home with me was the thought of trying to make room for it in our little kitchen. It's was very heavy duty and full of possibilities. I must stop thinking about it before I hop in the car and go back to get it. 

Ohmygosh is anyone else obsessed with White Collar??? I don't crush on celebrities but that Neal Caffrey character is something else. This hat was in the infant section- YES! The INFANT section and all I could picture was a darling little photo shoot with my bubs. I even texted the hubs a picture partly wishing he'd suggest I get it even though it's totally impractical and the awesomeness of it would be completely lost on him. 

So. Cute. 

If the bubs hadn't been peacefully sleeping I would have laid him on the floor and had a mini photo shoot with it right there in the middle of the store. 

...And then I would have died from how cute it was. 

Which made this one all the more tempting... After all, it's adorable AND on clearance AND likely to be worn more than once. 

I made the smart choice however.

Boo.

Target has a way of making me think I need things there is not a chance on this green Earth I would have ever known I was missing. Now that I'm home I remember that bringing anything else into this house might qualify us for an episode of Hoarders and I'm glad to not have to go through that. Oh, the humiliation.

Does Target do this to you too? Please tell me I'm not alone. What do you do when you find yourself most lured by the desire to have pretty much everything you see?

MIA

Well, I've been a little busy lately.

Having, and then constantly loving on, this gorgeous little boy.

He's totally my favorite.

My favorite son anyway. I have to be careful saying things like that. His older sisters are still a little sensitive about their place in the family even though they love him dearly, so I have to make it clear that I don't actually have a favorite. I've always been a baby person and never thought I'd get to have another, so I'm extra sappy about it this time around.

Finally after 5.5 weeks I'm starting to feel like myself again. I've been baking and attempting to clean my house. Today I even did my hair!

It's a miracle.

MIA

I have been quite absent lately. I want to believe that will change, but I've got one week left in my next to last class (EVER!) for grad school and so I'm really hoping I can stay focused for 6 more days... which means I will likely not be around much. However, I have a question...

For the three of you who actually read this, what age was your child when you stopped telling them what they had to wear? 

I'll explain why I'm wondering in a few days. Until then, enjoy your leftovers and the {hopefully} happy memories built this Holiday week.