Festive Fall Raffia Wreath

Can you believe it's already Fall?  This is my favorite season.  Our house has been decorated inside since Labor Day, but I have been a tad slow getting our front step/door finished.  I bought a few mums, and they are thriving.  But the front door has been naked!!

So, it is time to make a wreath!  I made this Raffia Wreath from the Stone Gable blog last year.  It was really easy and looked so festive when it was done! It transitioned nicely from early fall all the way through Thanksgiving!  I didn't end up saving it because I was concerned the raffia wouldn't hold up well in storage.  But this year I think I'll try saving it.  

Anyway!  I digress...

The instructions from Stone Gable are awesome!  But, since this is my second time making this wreath, I have some additional tips to share.

You can find all the materials at your local craft store:

1 large bag of natural raffia

1 18in straw wreath (don't remove the plastic!)

~50 floral uPins

Scissors

Here are my materials, ready to go! (Plus coffee.  Always better to craft with coffee). 

You'll see 3 bags of raffia there.... Last year, I used almost 3 bags.  I ended up only needing one bag this year....  my wreath this time didn't end up as full, but I liked this year's wreath MUCH better!

  
I recommend doing this project outside. It can get a tad messy.  But, with that being said, this wreath isn't supposed to look perfect.  It needs to look untidy.

I don't use the glue gun as Stone Gable suggested.  I just don't think it's necessary.

Alternate the length of the bundles you create.  This will help the "messy" look that makes this wreath so great!

To start, overlap your bundles, one horizontal, then the next vertical.  Pin the next bundle close-ish to the previous bundle.  Once I have my first 5 or so bundles pinned down, I take my scissors, cut the loops, and check the spacing and coverage.  If it looks good, keep going around the wreath!  If you're noticing gaps or can see the pins, pin your bundles closer together OR make your bundles smaller.  Sometimes, more loose your bundle and larger the loops, the more gaps there are.  

You will be VERY fussy with it for the first few loops.  Then once you get in a rhythm, you will get faster and not be as careful about being neat.  This is critical!!! It looks so much better when it's messy.

Once you get all the way around the wreath, hold it up and start snipping the loops.  You don't have to worry about snipping all the loops!  I just randomly hacked away.  I like leaving some of the loops in tack here and there.  You will then want to give your wreath a hair cut :)  My wreath last year was so full that it ended up looking furry... kind of weird.  This year, the wreath was just about right!

You will also want to make sure you can see the center hole of the wreath!  I remember last year my DrH commenting that the wreath was missing a hole, like a bad doughnut.

This wreath takes about 30 minutes to put together!  You could also wire in berries, pinecones, etc. if you want some color too it.  But I love the natural look since our door is so dark.

All I'm missing now is filling my new urn with some fall decor.  Off to Pinterest for inspiration!

I hope it works for you!!  Hurrah for Fall!

Perils of the Pager

Pagers still exist... you can find them on doctors' hips.

And they make the most obnoxious noise, even if you select the most pleasing of ring tones.

July 1, my DrH transitioned from Internal Medicine resident to Nephrology fellow.  We are truly in the home stretch!  Just 3 years left.  

He's traded the pesky overnight calls every 3 nights at the hospital to home calls once a week!  If you're remotely involved/know someone who is in medicine, whether a med student, resident, fellow, or attending, you know how hard those overnight calls can be!  And, if you're like me, and you're married to that person, you know how lonely it gets being all by yourself multiple nights a week.

So, DrH has made the switch from overnight call to home call.  Sounds delightful, right?  MUCH better, right? 

Wrong.

The crux of the problem is that pesky pager.  You're just drifting off to sleep when you here a "BEEP BEEP BEEP", which jolts you!  Every ring tone on those pagers sounds like someone is dying OR there is a fire/emergency in the house.  There is no way around it.  Then DrH stumbles for it and his phone, wanders into another room, and you are just hoping the patient he was paged about isn't so sick he needs to go into the hospital.

This was last night... between this random cold I have and the persistent coughing and the BEEP BEEP BEEP, I don't think either of us settled down until after midnight.

I know from my DrH's perspective, home call is better than being stuck at the hospital all night, until, that is, you have to go to the hospital in the middle of the night.  It's a gamble, but if you're mostly woken up to pages where surgery was trying to get a hold of hematology, not nephrology (true story - my husband couldn't figure out why the surgeon assumed DrH should know who this patient was!), then it's comforting to know you just crawl back into bed and wait for the next page.

From the Mrs. Doctor perspective.......................... sigh................................. home call stinks.  Getting woken up randomly throughout the night is one thing.  But if my DrH needs to leave at 1:00AM to see a patient, I can't go back to sleep.  I'm too worried about him getting there and back safely in the middle of the night.  And then the selfish reason - Overnight call in residency meant a night off for me.  No dinner to cook (bowl of cereal!!).  I can watch whatever I want.  Or, shoot! I can pin to Pinterest all night!

Pagers..... ugh.

And now, because it's slightly on topic, it made me chuckle, and I hear it is the most accurate of the doctor shows:

30 Weeks!

Woohoo!  I made it to the 30 week mark!

Thankfully, this has been a fairly easy (if memory serves me correctly!) pregnancy, compared to all the things that could make it horrible.  So, the things I'm grateful for at this 30 week mark:

1. Energy - I haven't been too tired yet, but I'm sure as the last 10 weeks go by, that could absolutely change.  I managed to squeak in a 2.5 mile hike with my husband this weekend, all without a stumble AND I did not die.
   
2. Weight gain - so far, I've managed to keep the weight gain to a reasonable level.  But, admittedly  I haven't been trying too hard.  At my doctor's appointment this week, I am just shy of the "gained 20 lbs" mark.  Sigh.... but thankfully the only place that seems to be ballooning is my stomach.  The tracker-trailer "BEEP BEEP BEEP" noise goes off whenever I make a turn.  But, hey! NO stretch marks so far!
   
3. Outie - So far it hasn't, but I am terrified of my belly button flipping out on me... the situation is being constantly monitored.  I just don't think I can go on if it does flip.  Icky! But, I suppose if it does, I'll have the cleanest belly button ever before it goes back to an innie..... if I have to think of anything positive out of that situation.
   
4. Done with work - my last day of work was July 31, so I'm officially a Stay-at-home-mom (or Kept Woman/Housewife until our daughter gets here)!!!  And the villagers rejoice!  The most common question I got my last few days of work - "What are you going to with all of your free time?".  Ha!  Free time indeed!  I haven't been this worn out in a long time!  I finally tackled all the remaining boxes from my DrH's pillage of his childhood room... we came back with 4 boxes of books!  4 boxes!? I'm stalking him to make sure he reads them all.
   
   But, seriously, in my free time I need to take care of all the organizing things in this new house that I haven't done yet (craft table, linen closet, laundry room.... and on and on and on), PLUS get ready for this little girl.  Truly, if she came tomorrow, I'd have to take myself to the hospital because DrH would need to run to Buy Buy Baby and pick up emergency supplies, including the car seat.  All the nursery has at the moment is a crib (with mattress, at least) and a changing table.  Nothing else.
   
5. Summer heat/AC - I have been so shocked at our North Carolina summer!  It's been rainy (don't have to water the lawn!) and on the "coolish" side.  For North Carolina, that basically means 85 with 80% humidity, but, hey!  Better than 95 with 100% humidity!  But, that being said, I'm still grateful for the AC.

The one thing I'm not super excited about is that I am now in the "can't get comfortable to sleep" phase.  I swear, each night gives me a new challenge of how best to arrange the pillows.  Do I sleep more upright tonight?  Or should I grab a pillow to prop under my knees?  And I'm waking up right at midnight every night.  It actually makes me laugh... a sarcastic laugh.

So yay!  30 weeks!  Technically 10 weeks to go until October 11!

Bladder Punches and Stretch Pants

More than halfway there!!  Today marks 23 weeks along.  17 weeks until we get to meet our precious daughter! 

17 weeks until I become a sleep-deprived zombie………

It is so funny to think about the baby transition over the last 5 months.  Now that I’m 23 weeks, I actually FEEL pregnant (in a good way).  For the longest time, I was positive this was all some sick joke, and I wasn’t actually pregnant.  I didn’t look pregnant.  I didn’t feel pregnant.  And whenever someone asked how far along I am, they would seem unimpressed.

Thankfully, the first trimester was pretty easy!  I didn’t really experience much morning sickness.  Although, my DrH seems to remember a different first trimester.  If you asked him, he’d say “Katie was sick all the time!”.  We must have been in alternate universes, living side by side.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed big changes.  First, I’m actually showing and looking pregnant, instead of just fat.  So that’s comforting.  And I’ve been feeling our little one kick more.  Nothing that’s too noticeable for DrH to feel, but I feel it!  I’ve had a few kicks to the bladder a few times.  Finally, the not so nice is my heartburn is raging!  I can’t eat anything without getting the burn.  This was apparently an issue for my mom with me, so there you go.  That explains it J

I’m resisting the urge to buy much maternity clothes.  I just don’t want to…. Thank goodness I’m a dresses kind of girl, because that’s honestly the most comfortable thing to wear right now.  I recently noticed, though, that I’m wearing the same 5 or 6 over and over… so today I had to bite the bullet and buy a few new ones from Target.  

My first maternity clothes purchase at 23 weeks.  Not bad!  I bought the same dress, but in a few different colors.  I am currently telling myself there is no need to buy anything else but dresses from Target.  They’re inexpensive, and I can easily dress up or down dresses.  PLUS I can wear them through Fall with tights, if needed. 

So woohoo!  I haven’t done a thing to the nursery yet, but I’ll share my plans for it soon!  I just haven’t had time to think about it.  We have nothing for this baby yet, so she’d better arrive on time and not early!

Coffee Shop Thursday

It’s time for another Coffee Shop Thursday – where I escape and have “me” time for an hour.  It’s the best work tradition I ever started!  Although a colleague and I are seriously considering implementing “Half Day Wednesday”.

Another reason for Coffee Shop Thursday is that, for whatever reason, my butt is currently protesting the constant 8 hours of sitting at the office – it is LITERALLY falling asleep half way through the day.  That’s nuts.  So getting up and at least walking to the parking lot helps wake it up!

This is the first time I’m getting out at 2:00 in a while… a few weeks back, I just couldn't wait until 2:00.  Other weeks there were just other things that popped up that needed to be done.  But today – sigh.  Bliss.

I’m having a hard time settling on a drink when I get to the coffee shop these days.  Limiting the caffeine intake because of the little one wasn't too difficult, despite my 4 or 5 mugs of black tea a day.  I managed to cut myself back to one cup of black tea a day (in the morning).  I may reuse that tea bag for a second mug of tea, but that’s not often.  And maybe once a week I have a full strength second mug of tea in the afternoon… I can’t help it.  But going to the coffee shop is different…. For some reason I feel like all the caffeinated products they carry are SUPER caffeinated.  They might not be, but that’s what I’m telling myself.

So I’m thinking today may be a soy milk decaf latte kind of day.  I sound so Californian….  I can order a Starbucks like the most seasoned barista, using the right terminology, thanks to our 4 years living in SoCal.  Just like this guy. 

Just kidding – I usually order in the most complicated way…

I’m toting my Kindle with me today for Coffee Shop Thursday.  I’m currently re-reading the Anne of Green Gables series of books.  They are so delightful!  I’m tempted to read out loud to my little girl (they can sort of hear at 23 weeks… but I imagine it sounds more like Charlie Brown’s teacher.).  Reading out loud will be mean I can’t hang out in the coffee shop…. Lest I come across really crazy!  I’ll need to find a cool, shady place to park my car and enjoy J

Schedule some time for yourself! Get out there!  

Planners - Making Them Your Own

I’ve always loved purchasing and organizing planners!  I used to be so excited when Back to School time rolled around, because it was time to by another At A Glance planner with a jazzy cover.  I’d spend a day filling it in with several colored gel pens.  Then as soon as school started, I’d fill in all the important test dates, papers, etc. 

Bliss……

Since I haven’t been attached to a class schedule for quite a few years, finding a planner for the adult Katie has been difficult!  I have tried planner after planner…. I usually buy several planners each year, hoping that one sticks.  I’ve also tried going paperless.  But that just doesn’t work.  I enjoy the pen to paper feeling.  I bought a Moleskine® soft cover calendar last year, and I just shocked myself when I realized I’ve had this and USED it for a whole year! 

The last few days I’ve been cruising examples of Moleskine hacks – modifying a Moleskine notebook or planner to be custom to your needs.  There are awesome ideas out there!  I’ve been trying to pin them to my Organizing board on Pinterest.

Just a few from my cruising:

-  Kyla Roma’s blog post takes a Classic Extra Large Moleskine Notebook (with grid paper!) and adds her own weekly pages.  She also describes how she uses it daily, including where she puts to do lists (and clever shading ideas!)

- This is just one blog dedicated to modifying a Moleskine Notebook to be a weekly, “At A Glance” style planner!  Love it!  Even down to the pen recommendation J  Check out how clean the planner looks -http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohdesign/152626650/

- But wait!  Yet another Pinterest Board dedicated to Moleskine Hack ideas!

- I love the price of the Moleskine Volant that this hacker used

- This is perhaps MORE complicated than a SAHM needs (i.e. tab pages and utilizing the GTD system), but this blog has 100 tips!

- And, of course, Moleskine’s own website has a compilation of hacks!

I’ve decided that I don’t need a large scale planner post-retirement, but as a soon-to-be SAHM I still need a planner of sorts.  There are appointments, play dates, and errands that need scheduled.  But, more importantly, I need a place to jot down notes, Blog ideas, to do lists, and maybe grocery shopping or menu ideas. 

Buying a fresh, new Moleskine for my retirement may be the perfect gift to myself!! :)

The Biggest Decision was the Easiest!

The bomb dropped a few weeks ago…….. it was bound to happen. 

I finally let my work know that I plan on “retiring” July 31 to become a full time stay at home mom.  I actually thought it would be easier to have that conversation, but it wasn’t -  I felt guilty for leaving!  Shoot, I still feel guilty. But that is VASTLY less than my feelings of excitement!  I know how lucky I am to be able to stay at home with our soon-to-arrive baby girl!  I don’t want to waste the precious, early years of development.  Plus, let’s face it, my DrH will appreciate me being home to have dinner ready J

My company officially started accepting applications for my position, and the job is posted online.  It’s strange seeing your daily work drilled down to just a few bullet points!  But, because my job is now posted on line, the news is slowly circulating around the office, which is fun!  I’m constantly chatting with folks about how exciting it is, how lucky I am (both to be a SAHM or to just leave work), and, of course, that I’ll be missed.

I officially have less than 50 days here, and I know they will fly by.

Someone asked me recently “What was the conversation like with you and your husband about you wanting to stay home?”.  I had to truly think about that – when DID we have this conversation?  DrH and I talked about this, actually, before we were even married!  I had a conviction that is was right for me, and wanted to make sure we were both on the same page.  And we were.  So that conversation was an easy one!  We spent more time recently discussing when the actual end day would be, or before that, when were we going to start trying to have a baby.  Those conversations were also easy and smooth.  But we knew years ago that my staying home was the best decision for us.

I’ve also had the “what will you do?” conversation with several people.  Honestly, I already know I’ll be busy!  Just getting settled in to a mommy routine will be challenging.  It will also leave time for me to focus on things that are important, like friendship (having the time to take food to a sick friend!), church and family.  I have always given my personal time to volunteer, and haven’t been able to do as much as I’d like.  I’m hoping, eventually, I’ll be able to sneak that in.  Not right away, obviously!  I’m not that naïve!  But eventually.

I think what will be hard is losing out on adult interaction on a regular basis.  But I’ve got plenty of friends that are SAHMs or have flexible schedules, so I’m picturing plenty of play dates and outings.  Or stroller walks.  Whatever!  But I shouldn’t be afraid of getting completely isolated!  Only I can make myself isolated!

So T-2 months until my last working day!  August 1 will be weird……… but an exciting start to our next life chunk!