Over Here.

Today you can find me guest posting over at Lorie's place, Be Different Act Normal.  Stop by and say hello, won't you?

One Month with Tate

Sweet Baby Girl,

It has been one month since you arrived and already we can’t imagine our family without you. 

Your big brother can’t get enough of holding you and hugging you and telling me 50 times a day how cute you are.  He loves to help feed you and makes sure he helps us count and stock up the diapers.  He’s also fiercely protective and makes sure we’re all taking care of you like we’re supposed to.

Your daddy loves nothing more than to hold you and take naps on the couch.  He also loves propping you up on your Boppy and talking to you while folding laundry.  You already have him wrapped around your little finger Tate.

You love to curl up on my chest with your head on my heart, legs curled like a little frog and sleep.  My favorite moments are nursing snuggled up with you, it is our quiet relaxing time.  I have to say that the second time around, parenting seems much easier, you’ll have to thank Finnegan for breaking us in.

So far this month you have met lots and lots of people including your cousins, your three great grandmothers {who are all totally smitten with you} and lots of friends and family.  Your Gigi and Grandma Sue love to hold you any chance they get, so do all of your aunts.  Everyone comments on how beautiful you are and how much they love your rosey little cheeks.  Now if we can just get that hair of yours to grow in…

You’re sleeping a lot right now.  Usually waking in the middle of the night once and then again in the wee hours of the morning.  Luckily your daddy is helping me as much as he can.  And you, Finn, and I all take a nap each afternoon to make up for being up in the night.  You make sweet little cooing sounds when you’re sleeping, it’s really adorable.  We’re still swaddling you like a little burrito and you sleep much more soundly that way.

You love bath time, but you hate getting all lotioned up afterward.  It’s enough to send you screaming.  You also smiled for a few times this week… and not the gassy grins you give while you’re sleeping.  I can’t wait to see so many more of those soon.

So there you have it, your very first month of life Miss Tate.

I love you,

Mama

Fruit Salad with Vanilla Lime Simple Syrup

This is a great summery dish that I had completely forgot about making… the last time was in 2008?  I make the vanilla lime simple syrup for tea, but I had forgotten how awesome it is with fresh summer fruit.  It’s a great twist on a traditional fruit salad and it’s so easy to make.

Vanilla Lime Simple Syrup

• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 limes cut in half, juiced {zest them if you’d like an extra punch, retain the limes too}
• 1 vanilla bean, halved & scraped OR 1.5 Tablespoons vanilla bean paste {buy at Amazon, Williams Sonoma, or most groceries}

Add one cup of water and one cup of sugar to a sauce pan.  Turn on medium high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until all the sugar is dissolved into the water and it becomes clear.  Remove from heat and add vanilla bean, limes, zest {if you did that} and lime juice, allow simple syrup to sit until it cools.  Once cool, strain and pour over large bowl of fruit salad {here I used strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, and kiwi} or keep refrigerated up to one week.

 

The fruit salad is best after allowing to soak for at least 2 hours, though if you’re impatient, you can enjoy right away. 

And those juices left over from the fruit?  Pour them into a pitcher of iced tea.  You can thank me later.

What She Started.

Five of us girls and one boy… the littles are four boys and one girl.

I am the oldest, my Tate the youngest, narrowly beating out Liam by a month.

That is Finn there making the goofy ass face.

Samantha lives the furthest.

Morgan is the silliest.

Payton is starting high school.

Lyndsey is finishing college.

Six grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

 

And she, our Meme, remarked to me afterward, “Just look what I started…”

Lucas.

So Tate isn’t the only baby in town…

Meet Lucas. 

 

Even at 300 pounds, he’s so tiny compared to his Mama.

The cousins had a zoo day and got to see little Lucas.  Tate slept through the entire morning and Liam was only awake for a short time, but these three…

More energy than they know what to do with.

 

Hope you have a great weekend!

Guest Post Lisa from Mommy’s Nest

Hello Friends of So Wonderful, So Marvelous.  Thanks for coming by to read today even if Michelle is a "tad busy".  My name is Lisa, I blog as Mommy Lisa at Mommy's Nest.  Today I am going to tell you the story of my Boo Boo La La - reference reading if you want to know WHY I call her that - Okay, so, Once Upon a Time....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I endured fertility treatments for three years.  But this is not the story about that.  There are many stories by people who told their tale along the way on blogs - and better writers to tell those stories.  Me?  I pick up my story for you August 5, 2005 at my doctor's office.  It is the day we got a great ultrasound and found out that "Squirmin' Herman" was a girl.

She finally uncrossed her cute little legs so they could tell this would be our sweet daughter to add to my daughter and son-by marriage.  Funny enough I was sure I would have a boy - and the kids WANTED, were DESPERATE, that their new sibling be a girl...

 

Time progressed and I felt TERRIFIC, except for that little car accident I was in at 35 weeks it was pretty uneventful.  Passing all tests with flying colors, not gaining too much weight, sleeping okay - and the bonus of the car accident?  I got to have EIGHT pregnancy massages paid for by my car insurance!  Heaven.  And my massage therapist is also a doula, so I got some great last minute advice and an offer to have a session of learning baby massage.  *sigh* So awesome.  Her best tip?  Drink Emergen-C while you are in labor.  Once every four hours a glass.  She said it helps with your energy level and my OB/Gyn was totally cool with it too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My doctor decided to schedule an induction for January 9, my sweet Boo Boo La La's due date.  Mommy takes HBP medication so they didn't want Boo Boo in there any longer than necessary.  We dropped the kids off at their mom's, ate some good Chinese food, and dropped the car off to get repaired.  One last picture and we called the hospital to make sure they were ready for us!  They were.  We headed over to check in.

For those of you who have never been induced I need to explain that I was not dilated much when I checked into the hospital.  They knew/expected that and the doctor had ordered medication to soften my cervix.  I was told that very rarely this medication puts you into labor, I would have it twice that night, and in the morning they would start Pitocin.

We were watching television, still disagreeing over Boo Boo's middle name, and generally just trying to relax.  We fell asleep.  But I woke about 2 am feeling AWFUL.  I went to the bathroom because I felt like throwing up, realized I was going to faint from the feeling I was having and PULLED THAT CORD to call the nurse.  Yeah, they came RUNNING!  It was crazy.

They hooked me up with some oxygen because the baby's heart rate got low from the commotion.  I kept asking, "Am I in labor?" and the response they kept giving me was, "No, you are not having contractions."  About 6:30 am I said, "If this is not labor you better order me some drugs because I am NOT comfortable."   They said they would, but it was shift change so it would probably be a little bit before someone could get to me...

I waited.

I waited some more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My dear nurse Shirley came in finally to say they had someone to hook up the epidural and the Pitocin.  She just wanted to check how dilated I was first.

 

Now I need to tell you about Shirley.  She was as no-nonsense as they come.  That is her over there on the left.  She was totally calm when she came to pull me off the bathroom floor and give me oxygen.  She moved quickly and with purpose.  But what happened when she checked my cervix probably caused a momentary panic in dear old Shirley.  You see my water broke and immediately Boo Boo's head shot down the birth canal. 

Her head popped up and Shirley said, "DON'T PUSH!" What do you mean "don't push" her head is right there isn't it? "Don't push." and she rushed out to the hall.  At the desk the other nurse was on the phone with my doctor telling him they were getting me set with Pitocin and everything was going fine when Shirley rushed out and said that Boo Boo was on her way.  She apparently likes to make her own entrance - Pitocin be damned - we wanted to be the RARE case!

They grabbed a random doctor in the hall and he came in and started talking.  I sat up and said, "Wait, what was your name again?"  "Doctor Block" he replied.  I said, "Okay cool, let's go."  and I was having a baby without drugs.  Which was actually what I wanted.

T-bone asked me if I wanted him to get the camera, I probably scowled at him. 

My regular doctor hit land-speed records racing from Edina to Minneapolis and got there in time to sew me up.  The baby was already weighed, cleaned, checked, foot-printed and being held by Daddy.  He looked at my when he got there and said, "You did good kid."  The story of my birth was the gossip of my doctor's practice for a good couple of months.  I know because when I went for my check-up six weeks later the nurse I saw said, "Oh YOU'RE the one."  Shirley had even said that whatever I did to "...pop that kid out ought to be bottled and sold."

There are people who will tell you it takes FOREVER after your water breaks for the baby to be born...for me it was about twenty minutes from the time Shirley checked me to when we welcomed Boo Boo La La.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is to all birth stories everywhere...

p.s. I won on the middle name because I gave birth without drugs.  Her middle name?  Claire, after my Dad's middle name.

p.p.s. My Dad now LOVES his middle name.

 

Lisa is one of those people that if we lived closer to each other, I could see myself being great friends with.  She is so sweet, funny, and she blogs with awesomeness daily at Mommy’s Nest.  Go see her!

What You Should Be Reading!

Well hello there.  I would be blogging but, I’m being lazy, hot, sleep deprived, my family is in town from California & Chicago, I’m reading The Help and we’ve been trying to track down a casement window air conditioner for my Meme. 

In the middle of a record heat wave. 

Yeah, we’re not having any luck in town so we’re going to have to order it… just in time to not be in a record heat wave.

So that’s why I’m not really blogging today.  Instead, I’m sending you to all the fun places that you should be visiting since um I am a slack ass lazy blogger.  These people have real posts for you to read and everything. 

• OATMEAL CREAM PIE cupcakes?  Yes.  Hell yes.  {via the awesome Lorie at Be Different Act Normal}
• Have you ever been asked to stop breastfeeding?  Read how this Mama handled it.
• I am anticipating lots and lots of bowls of cherries this year, so I pretty much need this awesome cherry pitter.  Want to know with a shitton of cherries?  Make this fruit dip and eat till your heart and belly are content.  You can thank me later.
• This fabulous series on post-partum depression from Emily at I’m Not THAT Pregnant. 
• Planes shmanes.  This is the way to cross the Atlantic!

So tomorrow, you get another awesome guest post and Friday I promise to be back with something more than nothing.  Maybe a baby pic or twelve and for sure more talk from me.  Hope you’re having a great week!

Guest Post from Jessica at Acting Adult

I hate starting a post. Do you remember when you were in middle school and had to write an essay? And you opened the Microsoft Word on your computer and just stared at it. Somehow, the blank expanse of computer screen was so intimidating. A blank piece of paper on my desk during a test did the same thing. Complete and utter FEAR. That's what it's like when I started this guest post for Michelle. I honestly didn't know what I was going to write about. Then I went to the dentist. I think I do my best thinking during those looooong sessions in the dental hygienist's chair.

Now, I do take care of myself. Dentist every six month, doctor every year for a check up in all the ways you're supposed to. We're lucky to have health insurance, so I take advantage of it and keep myself healthy. I'm the only bread winner as a law school spouse, after all.

But being that busy spouse, I haven't had time to get to the dentist recently. And when I went the other day, I definitely paid for it.

While in the dentist's chair, trying to have a conversation about the Bachelorette premiere with my mouth wide open, ahh-ing and ooo-ing at the appropriate moments, it happened.

I was chastised for not flossing enough.

I don't FLOSS enough?!

ME?!

Oh my. I felt HORRIBLE. Embarrassed. ASHAMED.

I don't floss enough.

I must be a terrible person.

Oh dear...

Maybe someone in the next chair over heard that I didn't floss enough.

I really hope they didn't...

Because that would not be good...

They'll know I'm a horrible person who doesn't like to put a ridiculously skinny piece of string in between each of my teeth every single day of my life...
Ok, that's kind of ridiculous. I appreciate that I should take better care of my gums. They are the only ones I'm going to get. But why did I feel so bad when she told me that? Aren't I paying her to clean me up and send me on my way? Isn't it kind of a service industry where she should make me feel better about myself, like giving me vanity sizing like my stylist does?

I'm lying, I don't have a stylist. And I know the hygienist is just there to keep me healthy.

But does she have to make me feel so bad? I didn't even have a cavity. Shouldn't that count for something?

Does anyone else ever feel chastised by our health providers? I feel like I should start a help group for people like us. It would help me at least.

 

Jess is a twenty-something actress, law school spouse, Disney LOVAH, and she does crazy shit like clean out her closets for no good reason, which is why we are friends.  She entertains daily at Acting Adult not to be confused with Adult Acting, she is not THAT kind of girl.  Pop over and pay her a visit! 

Boobs, Sleep, and Google +.

I was going to do another Day in the Life post now that Miss Tate is here, but I pretty much realized that it would involve me being topless half the day.  And not in the fun topless sort of way of my early twenties.

Motherhood rocks.

Hey, guess what?  She slept SEVEN hours straight the other night.  What?  It was a miracle of epic proportions.  I only wish that Dave and I had gone to bed when she did instead of 3 hours later.  When I realized it was 5 am, I did go running from the kitchen to make sure she was, in fact, still breathing.  And now that I have said it out loud, I have forever jinxed it.  I’m guessing she will be in first grade before it happens again.

Does that happen to anyone else?  Dave gets so pissed if we even mention anything good out loud when it comes to our kids because as soon as we say it, it never happens again.

Hi Honey.  Don’t mind me, just jinxing our sleep for the next five years.

In other news, I have been dorking around on Google + and I’m liking it…. or plus one-ing it.  Things I really like?  Adding people that you want to follow a la Twitter.  Keeping in touch with friends a la Facebook… without the annoying Sorority Life, Farmville, & Mafia Wars games.  I also love that I can have all my blog peeps in one circle, all my family in another, and friends in another.  It is really like nothing I’ve ever seen in social media, a bit like Twitter, Facebook, Skype, & Google Reader all rolled into one, and yet it’s even more than that.  Fascinating.  And it’s been a lot of fun to explore.  I’m excited to see where it goes once it’s widely available.

Here is a great article from the NYT on Google + and how it Improves on Facebook.  And here is an awesome tutorial from Huffington Post on Tips for Google + Newbies via my friend Jen.

Are you on it?  What are your thoughts?  Go ahead and add me to your circles, won’t you? 

Mr Potter

Yes, I am one of those people.

I am just a pair of Harry glasses and a Gryffindor scarf away from dressing up to attend movies.

I didn’t think I would ever be one of those people, but it happened anyway.  Way back even before I knew Dave, I was out in San Francisco on vacation.  My aunt and uncle have an entire wall of books in their house and they convinced me, despite my protests that I do not like magical, make believe, totally unrealistic books, to pick up Harry Potter and give it a read.

I protested that it wasn’t my thing.  Just try it, they said.  Harry Potter pushers, the two of them.

By the end of the vacation, I had blasted through books one and two.  I could NOT put them down.  The third I bought in the bookstore in the airport and had almost finished it by the time our plane landed in Detroit.

The fourth?  My mom bought it for me for Christmas and I stayed up the entire night reading it.  I may have also done that for books five, six, and seven as well. 

Book seven, the last, was a special one because not only did Dave venture to the store to procure it for me at midnight because he is quite possibly the best husband in the world, but he also entertained Finnegan for the entire next day so that I could read it straight through.

This weekend, my sisters and I are going to the final movie.  Yes, yes, I know how it ends.  It doesn’t quell the excitement one bit.

It’s bittersweet though, this, the last movie.  The last bit of Mr Potter left.  The books are done and now, so are the movies. 

So tell me, are you one of those people as well?  Will you see the last movie this weekend?

Guest Post Ashlee from My Spoiled Eggs

 

Hi fellow So Wonderful, So Marvelous lovers! I'm so glad to be here, for several reasons. One, any time spent at SWSM is a good time, and two I'm here because Michelle is having a baby!! Love! Anyway, I know you don't know me, and I probably don't know you (except I probably do because I'm a major blog stalker) so I figured when most people meet for the first time they keep it light and fluffy! So as to not mess with the norm, I shall give you my light and fluffy list of things that make me happy.

10 Things That Make Me Happy (in no particular, but in a very strategic order)

1. My husband Collin. He's a toy designer by day, and the best daddy and husband by night (actually he's a good daddy and husband all the time but I had to go with the saying). He's quirky enough that there's never a dull moment, but steady enough to be a man. My man. Mmmm.

2. My son Nolan. We adopted Nolan a few weeks ago and my life has never been better. I mean that. He's a little nugget of love and I've trained him to accept an astounding amount of kisses. He's my fave.

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was baptized into this church at age 8 and each day, my life is blessed because I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that there's a prophet (just like Moses, Abraham, etc.) on the earth today. One of my favorite parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that families can be together forever. I love the thought of being with Nolan and Collin for eternity!!

4. Reading. This may come as a shock to anybody who knows me. I used to HATE reading. But ever since I graduated from college (a whopping month ago) I have gained a new love for reading material of my own choice that has nothing to do with anything. Bliss!

5. Game-shows. What?! Yep. Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Let's Make A Deal, Family Feud, The Weakest Link (you know you miss it), Deal of No Deal, Minute To Win It (or as my mom says, win it in a minute), $100,000 Pyramid. I love them all! Must come from years of watching the Game Show Network with my grandma.

6. Music. I majored in Music Therapy and that's because I have a firm belief in the power of music. I'm in to a lot of indie right now, but I'll always be a fan of anything with a beat, it doesn't even have to be a steady beat!

7. Good fries. I good french fry is an essential part of my happy life. Especially when accompanied by some good fry sauce.

8. Sleeping in. Remember that hunk of a husband I mentioned earlier? Well he and I made a deal. I take the middle of the night shift with baby Nolan, and Collin takes the early, early morning shift (we're talking 4:00a.m. sometimes). That allows me to sleep in (like 7:00 or 8:00) almost every day and that my friends (we're friends now, right?) is true love.

9. Fires. I could sit by a fire all day long, even in the heat of summer (which I've actually been known to do). There's just something so cozy about a tiny flame.

10. Good people. When I am around good people I usually end up crying happy tears. There's something about having good conversation that doesn't include vanity, gossip, or talk of mean things that really makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those "good" people all the time, or even most of the time, which is probably why good people have such an impact on me. I just like nice people. A lot. And Michelle is absolutely one of those good people.

I'm so happy to have been here. I'm so happy for Michelle. And I'm so happy to have "met" all of you! Come visit me anytime. :)

 

Ashlee and I ‘met’ when she asked me to guest blog our infertility story at her blog My Spoiled Eggs.  She has since gone on to adopt her sweet baby boy and I could not be happier for her.  While she is a Mama now, she continues to write and share stories of infertility and has created a wonderful community of women battling the same.  Go see her!

Monty.

It’s summer.  Ninety degree days.  Dog bone sundaes at Lickety Split.  Jumping in the pool.

My name is Monty and this is my life.




Aside from the good stuff, there is the summer hair cut.  Oh, they drop me off at the groomer and I hope for the best.  A little trim just how I like it.

And then this happens…



My people will spend the next two weeks filling me with treats and giving me extra attention as I sulk around with a buzz.  I’m not sure if this means that they are shipping me off to the military or what?  There was a fancy bandana from the groomer too, but I can’t even talk about that. Who does that to a dog with my street cred?

I am loads cooler and I like it, but don’t tell them that.  Keep the treats and the dog bone sundaes coming. 



And if you two legged people are wondering, my awesome orange owl collar came from my friend Maggie's mom at Teeny Tiny Collars.

Guest Post from The Cape on the Corner

I'm wonderful, I'm marvelous. Ok, maybe i'm not, but Michelle is.  I may have found her blog so wonderful, so marvelous through her son's room makeover, but i stayed for her snark.  Snark is not a bad thing, people, when you pair it with its S sisters known as Sarcasm and Sass.  Then it's a perfect trifecta of laugh out loud award winning goodness. Who am i, you ask.  Well, i blog over at the cape on the corner, and for the most part i refuse to use capitalization.  It irks me.  It impedes my typing process.  I like snark.

 

 

When i'm not stealing things from my mother in law that she's trying to make a profit of off, like this super cute table she had in the attic:

 

or drumming up ways to de-brownify my living room...

 

I may be assisting the boyfriend in painting the master bedroom.  And by assist, i mean follow him around the room holding an industrial sized light fixture and handing him the paintbrush at his request.  I'm thoughtful like that.  But it looks so purdy, no? 

 

He does a bang up job, that man.  And i'm not too shabby in the decor department, if you know what i'm sayin.'  That's...that's exactly i'm saying.

While i'm here because Michelle's having/had another wee one, the only wee one around the cape is this fantastically adorable sweetest of all sweets,

my girl Sunday.  Obsessed is putting it mildly!

 

Other things about me i'm sure you're dying to know include, but are not limited to:

 

Likes: the aforementioned snark and sarcasm, good deals in any clearance aisle, diy network, words, word puzzles, netflix, autumn and halloween (the most wonderful time of the year).

 

Dislikes: bees, humidity, bathroom humor, tea, unreturned carts left in the parking lot, U2, cancer.

 

I also love finding new blogs, so please come on over and introduce yourself.  Do we share any likes or dislikes?

 

  Thanks again, Michelle, for asking me to be here.  You rock, my friend!

 

Follow the sass, lack of capitalization, & house porn daily over at Cape on the Corner.  Or on Facebook.  Or on Pinterest.

Wrapped.

 

And just like that… she has her daddy and brother wrapped around her little finger. 

I walk into rooms to find them snuggling her, smiling at her, and telling her stories.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza

I have written before about turning your grill into an outdoor pizza oven.  It is awesome for the summer, it doesn’t heat up the house and there is something about the grill that gives pizza a great taste.  You can even add a small wood chip smoker if you want that wood fired taste.  Paired with a salad and some fresh fruit, it’s one of our favorite quick and easy summer meals. 

We’ve already been grilling a ton and had leftover chicken so I decided to make a quick BBQ chicken pizza for the grill along with a traditional pepperoni with fresh basil from the garden.  The BBQ chicken pizza is a super easy alternative to the traditional pizza.  {For another great and different option, try this buffalo chicken pizza.}

Gather your supplies:

• pre-made pizza crust {or make your own}
• leftover chicken, cut into chunks
• your favorite BBQ sauce {we used a local brand, but also LOVE Sweet Baby Rays for this pizza}
• pineapple
• pizza cheese, shredded
• cheddar cheese, shredded {you can skip this, but we like it}
• optional: red onion cut into VERY thin slices {Finn has been anti-onion lately, but we love it on this}

Top your pizza crust with BBQ sauce, the chicken, pineapple, red onion if you’re using it & cheese.  Pop onto the grill until everything is melty and delicious.  Usually 5-10 minutes depending on your grill.

Guest Post from Megan at Little Life on the Prairie

Hello, friends and congratulations to Michelle! My name is Megan (although lately I've been answering to "Mommy - its mine! MIIIIINE") and I write over at Little Life on the Prairie. I am so excited to be guest blogging here at So Wonderful, So Marvelous today: first, because it means Baby Girl has arrived and, second, because I felt it was an honor to be asked.

When Michelle first approached me, I had no idea what I would present to you, but my daughter needs some wall art and I'm cheap so the idea for a tutorial was obvious. Along with that is some simply breath-taking photographs by yours truly and a list of lessons learned along the way. (I'm a "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" type of crafter, so I learn a lot of lessons.)

You will need:

• (2) 8x11 sheets of cardstock
• 2 pieces of patterned fabric or paper (I used fabric.)
• a pencil
• a pen (I used a Pigma Micron 01 with a .25mm line width.)
• an Exacto knife
• Glue (I used Modge Podge) or, if you're using paper, adhesive photo squares
• Q-tips, art sponges, or something of the sort
• a frame matted to hold an 8x10 picture

First, and this is a must, on a sheet of copy paper practice your lay out and scripting. Even if you have The World's Best Erasure Ever, don't try winging it on the real deal if you plan on hanging this on your wall. Remember, practice makes perfect. Also, try to keep your practice sheet away from your artistic two-year old or its not very useful for reference later. (If you don't feel like scripting everything out yourself, you can do this step on a computer; this would be especially nice for the border.)

Once you have everything just the way you like it (with a side of candied pecans for me, thanks), pencil it lightly onto one of the sheets of cardstock. You want it just dark enough that you can see it, but light enough that it will erase easily. Remember to either double-line or bold the words you will be cutting out, as well as the border.

Using your Exacto knife - or in my case, Exacto-knife-wanna-be - cut out your words, reserving the inner parts of any loopy letters, and border. For me, those letters were the capital "L" and lower-case "o" and "e". Don't loose these or your letters will look kind of funky. Unless your going for a funky look, then loose them with great abandon.

If you're doing a border, you will have 2 large pieces plus the innards. Do a double check on the innards. Got 'em? Good.

Now its time to make sure your script is absolutely perfect. Whip out your pen and go over it. Should you, like me, be going for a super-sketched look, go over and over and over it, not caring if it follows the exact line or path you drew previously. This is my favorite type of scripting because if you make a mistake, no one has to know.

If you printed yours, cheater, you can skip this step.

Next, use your glue to adhere the piece of paper or fabric you would like to use as your border to the second 8x11 piece of cardstock. Don't worry too much about getting the edges lined up perfectly if you'll be framing it. If the paper begins to wrinkle and curl, place it on a flat surface and stick a heavy book on top of it for a while. Or, if you're a scrapbooker with mad skills (hi, Aunt Mary!), use one of those nifty acrylic roller things. I used to have one, but I lost it.

When that is mostly dry and definitely flat, figure out where your second piece of fabric/paper needs to go (this one highlights your word) and place that one. Repeat the bit that makes it lie flat if you need to. This is a prime time to get some laundry done, or explain to your son why Thomas the Train doesn't like playing in the mud puddle created by the garden hose.

This is the most challenging part. Of course, that doesn't mean a whole lot - this is a pretty easy project, but whatever. Place and adhere the outer piece of your border to the fabric, followed by the inner piece. It took me three tries before I got it just right.

When those two pieces are in place, glue down your innards. Take a break to admire your handy-work and then put up to dry in a place not easily reached by your two-year old monkey...um...child. Two-year old child.

Finally! Pop that sucker in a frame, put it on your wall and wait for your friends to comment on it. Then, and this is important, preen a bit and nonchalantly say, "Well, it only took an hour or so, but it is pretty nice, isn't it?"

Ok, now back to reality. Its time for "Lessons Learned".

1. Before you start, measure and mark 8x10. I did not, which is why mine doesn't have a top border: its hiding under the matte. If you don't, under no circumstances admit to your partner that it wasn't on purpose.

2. Do not use Q-tips to apply your glue. It takes way, way to long and your paper will start to curl. Also, the cotton will start to detach from the stick and you'll have a wierd, gross cotton trail. Ick.

3. If using fabric, apply the glue to the fabric and not to the paper. This will prevent curling. (I hate curling! Hate it, I say!)

Thank you again to Michelle, for including me; I hope you are getting plenty of rest and enjoying your little one. And to everyone else, cheers!

 

Megan blogs about her life, craftiness, motherhood, and awesome {not that I am jealous or anything, but just LOOK at the chocolate ceiling and those are BEFORE pics!} new house over at Little Life on the Prairie.  You can follow her on Flickr.  Or on Pinterest.