Kids Crafts

The last few weeks I've been working on lots of nap time projects. Some of these items were gifts and others were created simply for pleasure and to use up fabric scraps.

Most of my crafts these days are girl related...but we had a little boys bday party recently and I couldn't wait to try out this tutorial from SIDAC via MADE's Celebrate the Boy. It was so easy to make the cape. Then I created the super hero symbol for his name and appliqued it on.

My 1st attempt at freezer paper stenciling

another simple apron w/ adorable coordinating fabric. I wish I had gotten a picture of the person who received the gift...she looked soooo cute :)

Little ladies football shirt for next season

Stylish burp cloths

more burp clothes

Play dresses for little girls: so easy to make. Each one can be made in under an hour!

Onesie dress with bottom ruffle

Pieced jersey onesie dress

Onesie dress w/ plaid skirt

Onesie dress w/ floral skirt

Onesie dress w/ lavender top and black/gray floral print skirt

A baby gown using a repurposed onesie and a skirt I had messed up. Yay for using fabric scraps!

Another baby gown with a matching hat...I love this ensemble...it may be her coming home outfit. It's even daddy approved as it has no pink on it.

Silly Sawyer Take 2

Sawyer is trying out a new style...wearing your shirt over your head. Actually he just got stuck while trying to undress.

It was so funny because he was stuck and walking around very stiff because he didn't know how to resolve his predicament.

We just thought he looked cute :)

Cousin G also thought it was pretty funny too.

Predator Calling

Sawyer found one of daddy's hunting tools and Kyle thought it would be a great idea to teach him how to use it. It didn't take long for him to figure it out and then there was no stopping him. The grandpas will be happy to know Sawyer is already prepared for next hunting season.

I guess my attempts at keeping him away from all things dangerous is quickly coming to a close...at least he is still afraid of motorcycles :)

Untitled from Kristen Schenk on Vimeo.

Owie's Abound

Warmer weather = more owie's

sorry these are blurry he really wanted me to take the picture so he could see what it looked like.

That night we have a play date and he had to wear a band-aid to ensure he did not get blood all over the other kids. I was very surprised he wore it. It was probably because he couldn't see it. He has always immediately taken off other bandaids.


I adore this picture because this is what he looks like all day. He's becoming such a little boy. This is also his new favorite perch. Climbing to sit in the bay window and watch the squirrels.




And making his shorts season debut.

The last few weeks the weather has been improving and I get to spend most mornings outside with the kids. They have a blast going on walks, going to the park, or playing with outdoor toys, or just running down the sidewalk. However, all the adventures have resulted in several scraped knees and even a small head injury.

Sawyer fell while running with the toy mower behind him. It actually looks a lot worse than it is. There was very little blood as most of it stayed beneath the skin. And other than a few tears from the shock of falling he was back to himself within 20 seconds. In fact, by the time I reached the house to clean off the blood he was ready to get down and play again.

28 weeks

How far along: 28 weeks and 6 days

Total weight gain: 25 lbs.

Maternity clothes: well when I have to wear something other than sweats and a t-shirt yes

Sleep: side sleeping with a pillow between the legs and at least 1 bathroom break per night

Best moment this week: hearing the baby's heart beat (139 bpm) and getting a much needed pedicure before vacation (it's kind of hard to reach my toes right now)

Movement: Often, when I sit down to relax on the couch at night she's especially active making my whole body shake

Food cravings: nothing substantial though I am preferring fruity sweets instead of chocolate which is unusual for me

What I'm missing: being able to sit or stand for long periods of time w/out becoming uncomfortable

What I'm looking forward to: hopefully deciding on a name for the little lady very soon

I went to my 28 week doctor's appointment and everything went very smoothly. My weight, measurements, and blood pressure were all good. The babies heart beat was 139 bpm and the doctor confirmed what I thought about the babies position. She is laying sideways with her head/arms on the right side of my pelvis and the legs on the other side of my pelvis. She has plenty of time to turn downward, so I'm not worried. While the doctor was checking my measurements I had a braxton hicks contraction. I've been feeling them for a few weeks when I over exert myself (i.e. pick up Sawyer, carry laundry upstairs, etc), but I never had them with Sawyer so I wasn't sure what they were, but the doctor confirmed my suspicion. They don't hurt at all, my stomach just gets really hard.

I also learned I passed my glucose testing with flying colors. My iron levels are borderline, so I need to increase my iron intake, but I don't require any supplements.

1 Year Later...the nursery

Before:

Sawyer's accommodations the 1st night in the house

After:

Sorry for the blinding light, it was very sunny the day I took pictures

Here's the breakdown of projects completed:

Removed carpet

Painted walls

Made curtains
Hung art and curtains

Painted window trim

And as you can probably tell from the pictures there are still a few things to do.

Still to do:

Refinish floors

Hang closet doors (we seem to have a problem with doors in this house, actually I'm just waiting to paint them all at the same time)

Paint baseboards (this is going to wait until we refinish the floors)

My favorite parts of the room are the fabric giraffe that Kyle and I DIYed in KS and the "S" picture above the crib.

And in the next month everything will be moving as we make room for the little lady. I'm sure I'll do another reveal once we girlify her side of the room.

Working Hard for the Money

Okay, he wasn't really getting paid, but Sawyer insisted on helping Daddy remove the bushes in front of the house.





Hopefully he is this eager when he's actually old enough to work.

Mother's Day

I know this is a week late, but I just have to document my wonderful mother's day. My boys went all out. It started on Saturday when Kyle spent all day making the cabinet doors for the pantry. On Sunday Kyle let me sleep in when Sawyer woke up. Then Kyle woke me up with a handmade card and breakfast in bed (chocolate chip pancakes, my favorite).

Then we went to church as a family. Kyle fixed a delightful steak lunch. The afternoon consisted of some relaxing and some shopping time alone. It was great except for the fact I was searching for a swimsuit. Swimsuit shopping is never my favorite activity, but when you're 7 months pregnant it's even less enjoyable.

And to end the day we visited Troy, Candace, and Gracie for an evening of ice cream and kids running around on a sugar high.

I am so thankful for both my boys and all they did to make me feel special on Mother's Day and everyday!

Spring Wreath

Spring wreath = more fabric flowers

With the arrival of spring I wanted to spruce up our door decor.

I had a remanant of burlap laying around, so I covered a straw wreath form with burlap.

Then I made several rolled fabric flowers in varying fabrics. Once I was satisfied with the number of flowers I glued them onto a piece of felt.

Wanna know a little secret? I pinned on the burlap and the flowers. That way as the seasons change I can change the flowers or I could deconstruct it down to the frame if I get sick of the burlap. I love having options.

In fact I think some bright rainbow colored flowers for summer might be in order. We'll see...

Please ignore the scratched door. It needs a coat of paint pretty badly.

Little Man Talking

Straight from the little man himself...some of his favorite words.

Sawyer Talking from Kristen Schenk on Vimeo.

I love how he says Momma and Dada with such enthusiasm. I'm sure that will go away eventually, but we'll cherish it for now. I also love how he says bye-bye and night-night

1 Year Later...the living room

I decided to make this into a little series. Now that we have lived in the house for a year I thought it would be fun to take a look at the original rooms and how they have changed. So, once a week I'll spotlight the changes in a specific room. Last week was the kitchen/dining room, which has probably had the most dramatic changes. This week we'll move to the other room on the main level, the living room.


Before:

Bland and blah from the beginning. Notice the little 3 month old hanging out on the floor.

View of the stairs and entryway area from the living room

Bay window in living room

Stairs to the bedrooms

After:

View of the living room from the front door

View of the entryway/stairs from living room (yes, we still need doors on the closet)

View of the mantle

View from the dining room

View of the living room and dining room from front door

Just had to show my green thumb...I actually grew some grass

Art above couch...this was DIYed using frames and mats we already had. I added quatrefoil fabric.

Easter mantle

The living room has seen mostly cosmetic changes over the last year. Here's a rundown:

Painted the walls

Painted the bay window
Removed carpet
Installed new flooring
Installed new baseboards
Added some furniture, art, and curtains


Still to be done:
Paint the coat closet doors
Replace the stair rails
Fireplace cleaning and maybe a new mantle


It's so fun to look at the progress and see how far it has come (especially when it can be overwhelming to think about everything that still needs to be done)

Updated: here's some pictures of the mantle updated for summer: