Before and After --- Katie Gets Crafty

With the impending visit of our friends a few weeks ago, I decided I'd finally grown tired of our house--mainly the expansive living room--look nothing like we wanted it to look. We had practically no budget for it (unlike those "budget" shows where they have "only" $5k to spend!), but I was up to an HGTV-type challenge in which I would try to do a lot for a little.

I figured we could slap some new paint on the wall, channel my inner homeschooler to sew some pillows (Krista and I made some awesome, 90s-era pillows pillows in our day), and teach myself to refinish furniture. Easy enough, right? Nathan did a fabulous job with the paint, though I learned an important lesson about semi-gloss paint only being appropriate for bathrooms--oops--AND I stepped up my homeschool sewing prowess by learning to make a pillow cover with piping without even having the proper machinery. I'll post some pillows shots later since I know all two of my readers will be eagerly awaiting that.

Now let's get to the point of this post: our Craigslist coffee table turned shabby chic distressed table. I found a fabulous table at a local boutique for $325. Not bad, really, but also not $0, which is what we had budgeted for it! So I set out to recreate it. After sifting through several hundred hideous pieces of furniture on Craigslist to find one that I thought had potential (side note: there should be an warning on many of those items for sale...like "Warning: the link you are about to click is going to take you to a picture of a VERY ugly piece of furniture with absolutely no redeeming qualities." End side note.). I wanted something with storage space. The one I found wasn't perfect in my mind/taste, but for $35, I wanted to try it. What I didn't think about at the time was that because of it's storage space, it would be equivalent to painting about 2-3 normal coffee tables. As you can see, it's rich with surface area!

Now, the paint: I kept reading about Annie Sloan chalk paint on blogs. I don't have anything to compare it to, but so far, I think it's as good as its reputation claims. I found it at Ce'est Moi, an awesome little shop here in Brentwood. The owner and helper there are so kind and helpful, and even responded sweetly when Wesley tried to wreak havoc on their shop. AS chalk paint can be painted on almost any surface. It's no "astronaut pen," so don't go crazy testing limits, but from what I read, it's quite versatile. It also requires no sanding beforehand, which saves hours. The last major advantage is that it sands OFF easily, making it a great choice if you want to distress your piece.

Despite its first-timer flaws, all in all, I'm pretty happy with the table. And I must add, I do think it looks better in person than in the photos. It did take entirely too many coats to fix my amateur mistakes, but I learned as I went. It also required way too many wax coats--again, due to my own fault. A dark wax gave it a nice, darker, more aged patina. Aaaand now that I've used the word "patina," I'm officially a paint blogger.

Babies and Air Travel: 9 Tips on How to Give Them a Peaceful Coexistence

I wouldn’t be the first person to point out that traveling with babies isn’t the easiest thing ever. But I also am not the right person to talk to if you think having a baby means you can’t travel. : ) I’ve been traveling for years and years and when I had a baby last September, I hoped it wouldn’t be the end of my traveling days.

By the time Wesley was 11 weeks old, he’d been in 12 states. Or was it 11 in 12? Either way–he was kind of a well traveled infant. But that was all by car. We’ve now taken a few trips with him by air (at right, you’ll see him happily pushing his stroller through an airport), inspiring my list of tips on traveling with babes. If you have others, please add them here in a comment!

1. Prepare well and be organized. This one goes against my nature because I’m not the MOST organized person. : ) I’m typically somewhat scattered. However, when the baby is crying and you’re juggling bags, boarding passes and a 18 lb. infant, it’ll be much easier if you know that all the food is in one pocket of the diaper bag, all the toys are in another, etc. Themed pockets are the way to go.

2. Have a plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D and maybe even an E. I breastfed my son, so I really just needed a nursing cover. But what if I was squished in between 2 men and this gave me milk fright and I couldn’t feed him? Or if I didn’t want to risk him yanking the cover aside? So I packed formula too–the powder AND the pre-mixed kind in case I couldn’t get up easily to get water for the bottle. I also packed several kinds of food–soft stuff and then nibbling snacks to keep him busy.

3. Get a paci holder/attachment thingie–or bring 850 pacifiers. On one trip, I left the paci attacher (attaches the pacifier to the child) at home. BIG mistake. Fortunately, I did bring 850 pacifiers (seemed like it, anyway) and these great paci cleaner wipes. They’re supposedly made with food-grade cleaners. We had a steady steam of pacis going….from my “clean paci” pocket to Wesley’s mouth to the floor, to my “dirty paci” pocket until I had time and space to clean them and get them back into circulation. We're not crazy about our baby constantly using his paci, but in a crowded public situation, you must consider the common good!

4. Get to the airport with plenty of time. If you know me, you’ll know this one goes WAY against my grain. I’m usually late…everywhere I go. But I’ve actually managed not to be too late with Wesley. If you’re not about to miss your flight, it gives you the peace and calm–and time of course–to do what you need to do.

5. Carry disposable changing pads. If you’re like me, you’ll find it gross to lie your child’s head on a dirty airport changing station. These things made me feel better and they’re easy to pitch when you’re done.

6. Keep inner calm. This one might sound dumb, but when things get stressful and your kid is crying and you’re dropping toys, books, bottles, diapers, etc. while finding your seat…it helps to take a deep breath, realize not everyone on the plane hates you….and remember that this too shall end when the plane lands. This brings me to the last one:

7. Accept help from strangers who offer it and realize your plane-mates don’t all hate you and your child. Nathan tends to feel bad if our son makes a peep that might be annoying to others. I feel bad if he’s wailing, but I also know that we are more sensitive to his noises than most. We’ve also found that about 80% of people on planes are sympathetic. They’ve often suffered through flights with their own babies/kids and they know how you feel. Many of them love babies and just want to stop and say hi. : ) Yes, there’s a 20% contingency out there that doesn’t want to hear him even babble and doesn't find anything under the age of 16 cute…but if you’ve done your best to quiet your baby, feeling guilty and stressed won’t change their mind. Just apologize when appropriate, remember tip #6 and move on!

8. Do diaper changes before boarding and avoid them on the plane if possible. I haven’t tried it on a plane, but those bathrooms seem too small for a dirty diaper situation to end well.

9. Reserve a seat next to an open space. This one is KEY. If you can pay for an extra seat, that’s obviously ideal! If not though, and if you have an infant car seat that comes off your stroller, here’s the plan: take it with you and as soon as you get to your gate, ask the gate agent (while looking super pleasant and desperate/disheveled at the same time) if there are ANY (stress “ANY” for an extra measure of desperation) extra seats because you have a baby and would love a seat for him/her. If there are extras, count your lucky stars and ask to have your seat moved next to it, thanking the agent profusely. This will make a huge difference! If no extra seats, you can check the car seat along with the stroller plane-side.

10. Be a germ-o-phobe. If your baby is anything like Wesley, he/she will want to touch EVERYTHING and (unfortunately) EVERYONE on the plane. Strangely enough, most strangers will take his outstretched hand and play with him. I'm not typically a germ-o-phobe, but Wesley got sick after both trips (I know every kid is different, but for what it's worth...) he went on, making me wish I'd been more paranoid and sterilized his hands more!

These tips helped me stay sane on our trips, like when I was flying alone with Wesley and got stuck in the middle seat (despite having booked an aisle) with a full-sized dog in the row at the feet of his owner. Our two--or 3 with the dog--seat mates were SOOOOO sweet and understanding. We all had a good time–except maybe the dog, who was repeatedly whapped on the head by my son. Happy air travel!

Starbucks and God

My internet connection was being weird yesterday, so I went to Starbucks. I've been spending about one day a week there to give myself a break from the house since I'm here um...all the time....living, working, etc. (not sure what the "etc." entails).

I truly don't think I've been there once yet when I haven't overheard a "God" conversation. There are always groups there discussing youth groups, church events, or enjoying a grande skinny vanilla half caff latte (my fave) as a backdrop to their mentoring/devotional discussion. There's nothing like a table piled high with Bibles, devo books and Starbucks cups. And most of the time, these latte-God meetings, as I'll call them--because of the fabulous double meaning--end in prayer. Yesterday I wondered if they, like me, were wishing Starbucks hadn't decided to stream Lady Gaga at full blast into all of its store across the country (Really, Starbucks? She's so not your brand.). I do miss Connecticut, but all the overheard God talk is kind of a neat aspect of Tennessee living!

"He Sticks Everything Else in His Mouth"

Wesley wasn't very impressed with his first taste of "real" food. But then again, most people don't relish the opportunity to eat rice flakes mixed with water. He has since tried sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, squash, peas, bananas and pears. Aaaand he loves them. A true Summers/Crews, he likes to eat. : ) And at 18+ pounds, it shows. I love his chubby thighs and arms--very cute!

Dear Medela: THIS Is How You Pump in Style.

POSTED FROM SOME DATE IN LATE JAN 2011 Dear Medela, Until now, I thought your Pump In Style breast pump was a misnomer. I was not sure how any method of applying plastic cones and tubing to your breast to exract milk could be stylish. Now I know. Here begins my adventure of pumping at the office:

I sat in Pepperidge Farm's version of a mother's nursing room...a small closet, stacked high with Goldfish tchotchkies, enormous PF banners and of course, our founder's original wheat grinder--what else? That's normal, right? I got all 27 pieces out and connected them. It's like tiddliwinks, only more...maternal...and less fun. With the breast shields securely suctioned to my boob, I could now kick back with my feet up...on our box of Pepperidge Farm aprons. I relax. And by "relax," I mean I used that time to write out my list of items to tell my movers not to pack (all the usual items...you know, fridge, blinds, breast milk). You see, making lists is like breathing for me. Lists and I go way back.

Anyway...Two minutes later, one bag was full and the other...well it had pulled in a hefty 6 drops. Sigh. I had to put my list-making aside and assist ol Lefty-the-Lame. I thought, "Well, what woman doesn't want to milk herself?" So I glamorously employed the squeezing method my lactation consultant taught me during my modesty-aside, bare-all visit. There I sat, squeezing my boob amidst the corporate rubble, then trying to pour breastmilk into little baggies without spilling it on myself, the floor or the PF notepads...all the while thinking, "now I get it, Medela...this IS stylish!"

Hunkered Down in Our Safe Place

We got a little "welcome to Nashville" greeting tonight. We'd heard there would be some severe thunderstorms. Well, it turned into a tornado warning and we watched the TV reports telling viewers exactly where the storm was in realtime. It started to approach us, so we got Wesley and followed the forecasters' instructions and got "hunkered down" in our "safe place." Yes, they used the word "hunkered." Repeatedly. Nathan said our safest place was our downstairs bathroom...which is about 15 feet from the front door. Hmmm. Anyway, then the sirens went off. If you want to feel a little on edge about something, add sirens to the mix. Little bit scary! So anyway, I thought, "if my child is going to get thrown, what would I want him in?" If you thought CAR SEAT, you would be correct (according to me). So we strapped Wesley in, gathered the couch coushions, blankets, a lighter and some candles, and headed to the little powder room. Nathan used his iPad to get a crash course in tornado safety. He taught me how to curl up in a ball and cover my head and Wesley's. By the time we were really prepared, the storm had passed. Wesley went from thinking it was fun (hey, it's not often we wake him up in the middle of the night to come hang out with us in a little bathroom), to being so bored, he fell asleep. What a letdown. A good letdown. So glad we were okay...and that we experienced our first tornado sirens and safe place reguge!

Productivity Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Oh man...at certain times in the last few weeks, I pause to think about how different my life is now compared to pre-baby. Fortunately I was well prepared for the change, so it doesn't surprise me. I just think about the differences sometimes and have to laugh a little. I've reflected on the stark contrasts at times like:

• When I got off the phone with my boss who had just told me I couldn't keep my job after we move...and stood there crying tears into a pot of boiling pacifiers
• When I wore pajama pants into a restaurant because Wesley pooped on my other pants during our Thanksgiving roadtrip pit stop. I proceeded to go in and out of the restaurant before realizing I had forgotten to re-clip my nursing bra. Oh well--with pants like that, I doubt anyone was looking at my top half.

While I used to roll out new business communications systems/websites, publish articles and have meetings with "important" (quotation marks used because it's all relative) business people...now, my big achievements for the week have been addressing Wesley's birth announcements, making some necessary phone calls and doing some major stain-fighting/laundry (shout out to Emily Marshall for her Dreft recommendation. We go through LOTS of that stuff!!) at the hotel. Ok, ok, I've spent a ton of quality time with little W and that's worth more than anything. So in that respect, I've been very productive and it's been a fantastic week!

But there are others in my family getting more done in the work world these days. : ) First, Nathan is doing well in his new job and will accomplish a lot in just a few months when he graduates from a great training program. Second, this press release came out today about my brother. http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/news/article.aspx?feed=PR&date=20101130&id=12462116.

I'm so proud of both of them in their new roles!