nesting....again?

i feel like i'm pregnant again. the power went out yesterday afternoon, and sadly enough....without tv or internet i was bored out of my mind. so i started cleaning. i scrubbed the kitchen counters, the stove, the microwave.......i also cleaned out some drawers and the utensil jar on the counter. which brings me to this picture:

seriously, how many utensils do i need? really, do i need eleventy spatulas? and nineteen scrapers? it was ridiculous. i thinned it way out, thank goodness. which, in a sentence, summarizes what has been going on here over the past few months. now that i'm spending a good chunk of my days at home, i'm realizing how much stuff we have everywhere. i don't think i ever throw a magazine away. or a wooden spoon. or spatula. or pair of old flip flops. or stained white shirt. i'm bringing two bags of magazines to the library tomorrow. i have 8 garbage bags of clothes, shoes, belts, purses to bring to platos closet. i'm starting a box (or seven) for a garage sale this summer. just trying to thin things out. get rid of the clothes that i don't wear anymore...the shoes that hurt my feet every time i wear them... the books i've read and won't read again....the things in the house that i don't really LOVE or that aren't enriching our lives. it's a slow process, done mostly during nap times, but it's really helping me see that i don't really need 22 sweatshirts and the back issues of SELF for the past three years. simplifying...refreshing

completed monkey paradise

I was able to finish the baby's room this weekend, finally. I'm so glad to be done and have the room ready for him to be living in it. I think we just need to pack the hospital bag and get the car seats installed and we'll be fully ready for his arrival :) Can't believe my due date is 22 days away...... this 9 months really flew by, and we are beyond ready to have an outside baby!!!

Also, i'm not sure why these are all so little.....I even changed the setting to large and they were still tiny :( ENJOY

Here is the view from the door

(sorry these pictures are a little blurry, the camera is being stupid!)

changing table/dresser my mom and i put together. i want to make some labels for the baskets, but we need to fully decide what will be in each one, once we are "using" the table :)

floppy, the garage sale find of the summer. (one of his ears is floppy...thus the name :)

DIY mobile above the changing table

view of the crib. I can't quite decide how I feel about the lanterns above the crib, we'll see what hubby says when he gets home tonight :)

closer pic of the crib, and the DIY verse above

corner shelves

end table with the lamp and toy box underneath..... i'm sure this box will be outgrown soon!

close up of DIY blocks. i might put his name on this too, haven't decided yet.

ready to rock...and rock....and rock :)

(the two canvases on the wall were painted by Auntie Con)

DIY clock, customized hand and footprint frames, framed picture drawn by cousin Chloe

DIY monkey sign

exploding closet :)

DIY hooks behind the door, DIY canvas painted by Aunt Con (his name will go in the center, once he arrives), build-a-monkey and frame that says "my little monkey"

bookcase with his ever expanding collection of stories :)

peek-a-boo

refurbished end table before.......

.........and after.

perfect size for a few story books, some burp rags, a bottle of water for mom or dad.....

good thing

over the past couple weeks i've been super busy. not in a frantic, pulled-in-a-million-directions kind of busy, but just busy with things that i want to get done around the house. (none of which include cleaning yet....that'll come soon i hope!) it's a good thing to be wrapping things up, getting things done and finishing projects. here's a sampling of the stuff i've accomplished lately:

i made a memory game for the baby. i know, it's a few years premature, but i found these great stickers at HobLob, finally ordered some wood tiles and got them all put together. can't wait to play it with him! :)

baked baked and baked some more. a batch of lemony cream cheese cookies...

snickerdoodles in the oven...

a pan of blonde brownies (quality control got to them!) and a few loaves of banana bread...

9 loaves of banana bread (8 in the freezer) and 6 loaves of pumpkin bread. and, i'm sorry, but i'm being selfish with them. they are all in the freezer, awaiting this winter when we have guests...ready made breakfasts. and i'm not really sorry about not sharing.....i share pretty much everything else i make. i'm allowed to be a little selfish right now!!

....piles and piles of baby clothes....

all washed up and ready to go...smelling all...baby-ish...

and a batch of homemade pesto. we sampled some the other night, it's pretty dang delicious if i may say so myself.

so that's just a peek of what has been going on in our house lately...mostly in the kitchen :) a few more baby projects, including refinishing a great end table i found at a thrift store today (pictures to come!) and some more cooking i want to get done before he arrives.....in 6 weeks. i really love this nesting....i just hope it includes cleaning one of these days :)