Retractable Clothesline To Hang Cloth Diapers

Ever since I saw this post from Ashli at Mini Manor Blog, about a retractable clothesline, I knew I’d like to try one for ourselves.  It’s old fashioned to hang clothes out to dry,  isn’t it?   It wasn’t until this post that I remembered that my grandma had a clothesline in her backyard years ago.  I remember playing with the basket and clothespins.

Maillardville Manor Blog Retractable Clothesline. I really love her sparrow clothespins, also found on Amazon.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the convenience of a dryer, but I also like the idea of being green.  We cloth diaper and I’ve read a few things about the suns UV rays being great for brightening, removing stains, and even sanitizing them.  There is a great post from The Pistachio Project, showing a before and after picture of a stained diaper and the suns effect on it.  There’s also the energy efficient benefits, meaning I don’t have to be running my dryer as much, saving me some cash.  Besides, our covers, wetbags, and pail liners shouldn’t go in the dryer anyway, because the heat can wear out the waterproof PUL fabric.

I was looking at a couple different clothesline through Amazon but was dawdling on getting one since I couldn’t get a firm answer from Chris on whether to do the line or not.  We live in an HOA and were thinking we might get push back from the board.  Chris used to be on the board, so theoretically we are immune from some rules, however a recent letter making us fix the cat-caused bent blinds in our spare room says otherwise.   Anyway, a stroll through the Home Goods check out line found me the new owner of a $10 retractable, indoor-outdoor clothesline.  Yippee skippy!

You only live once, right. We’re such “rebels” that we put the line up regardless of what the HOA might say.  We secured it to the wooden frame near the backdoor.  It swivels and lays flat against the house when it’s not in use and the cord tucks away too.  We put the hook on the fence line.  We wanted to keep it closer to the house, however our soil is only about 4″ deep before it hits rock hard ground, so placing a stake was a no-go.

The first day we put out diapers and wetbags they were mostly dry in about 2 hours! How fantastic!  Two hours of hung diapers isn’t too much of an eyesore.  They were really stiff but a few minutes on the air dry setting in our dryer and they were in good shape.

Today I put some completely wet ones out and it took about 3-4 hours to dry.Then I out put some that had been in the dryer on a low setting. They were soft from the initial dryer but then got the benefit of the sun for a couple hours.

So there you have it-our little clothesline.  I could be mean and say that there should be no problem with this clothesline because half the residents of our complex would remember what it was like before electric dryers were invented, and hanging clothes on a line was an everyday thing.  

Wonder in Seeing a “Look-Alike”

I’m adopted.  On day two of my life my parents took me home from the hospital.  I was pre-ordered, so to speak.  My parents had only a couple of weeks to get ready for me.  They had been working with an attorney in Oregon when they found out that I would be available for adoption as a newborn.  I don’t think of it very often.  To me, my parents are my parents.  I’ve never known anything else, and wouldn’t really want to.  They gave me never-ending love; raised and guided me to be the woman I am today.

I was an only child, never had any siblings, and never met any of my biological family.

The point of revealing this part of my life is that because with the arrival of my little man, it’s quite amazing to me that I now have someone who looks like me…Who is a genuine part of me.  When O first came to this world he looked so much like Chris that it became almost disappointing (ahem-kidding of course).  Everyone would say, “Oh, he just looks so much like his daddy.”  I would think to myself, “Really??  Come on now, I did have a little something to do with this”. =)

Today I had O outside on the patio table in his bouncer while I was eating lunch and I was struck by how much he looked like one of my baby pictures.  I recalled one I’d seen several times and knew there were similarities.  Later this afternoon I rifled through some photos and found the ones I was looking for.  They most closely resemble O now, compared with me at a few weeks and 3 months old.

Left- O (present day), Right- Me (circa 1983)

Ok, so not exactly alike but something about his eyes and sad face. It was the sunlight affecting our retinas. =)

It just makes my heart go pitter patter to know I have something that is a living version of me. It’s really special!

For Chris, I think it’s really heartwarming for him to see that he has a “mini-me” , who is now connected through blood to another little one, our niece.  Their baby pictures look very similiar as well.

Chubby cheeks!

OC and CJ around the same age

Genetics are pretty amazing aren’t they?

Patio Table Refinish 1 Year Later

The most popular blog post over the past year has been the IKEA Tullero patio table refinish. After a reader asked how the table weathered the fall and winter, I decided to take some new photos and post an update. 

To refresh, here’s how it looked new, before the refinish, and after the refinish:

Brand New in 2011, a rich reddish brown finish

 

Weathered after one season, in desperate need of some TLC and stain

Refinish all done- a taupy brown stain complemented by Target orange cushions

Last spring we sanded down the entire set with an electric sander.  We then stained it with Olympic stain in “Granite” and placed a UV protectant on it. The furniture should really come indoors over the northwest cold and wet winters but that space is completely full of other  crap necessary household items. I don’t really like the idea of covers either because I’ve found that with BBQ covers inevitably junk collects underneath the covers anyway.  Also frogs, bugs, salamanders, spiders, and other squirmy gross things.

The Results:

The refinish seemed to hold up over the season.  There are only minor areas that could be sanded, stained and clear coated again.  The semi-dissapointing, but not surprising thing is that the table seems to have started to warp.  I’m not really upset about it though because this’ll be the third season we’ve had this table and it is still in really good shape.  The chairs and bench are still in good condition and the table will still serve it’s basic purpose…a spot for my laptop and diet coke milk bottle and coffee cup to sit during the sunny summer mornings.

Once the sunny weather becomes more consistent I’ll bring out the cushions again. Or, maybe I’ll hit up my favorite places for some new ones.

Target 2 piece turqoise and gray cushions

All of these from Target- except that none are actually listed to buy!

 

Crate and Barrel Laurel 20″ square

Crate and Barrel Arroyo pillow

What patio revamp projects do you have planned? I’d love to hear some ideas…

 

Funny videos and commercials of the day…

A change of scenery from my usual posts.  Here is a sampling of commercials and videos that I fancy at the moment and give me a good laugh.  

Christopher loves this one

I mean who’d want to be a werewolf anyway? It’s better to be fast, obviously…

And this AT&T commercial because Oscar waves his head uncontrollably like this kid when he’s trying to grab at his bottle:

And as I posted on Facebook earlier this week, I was laughing my ass off when Chris showed me this video.  It is well worth the view.  Pain killers and conscious sedation are a trip sometimes…

And a blast from the past. This was my bestie and I’s favorite commercial in college…

Hope you enjoyed!

My Teachings as a New Mommy-things we’ve learned in the first month

As a pregnant woman and then new mommy, you get a lot advice. I’m always appreciative and accepting of all of it, especially because I’ve never done any of this parenting stuff before. Some of the new found knowledge we take and some we leave, and a bunch of stuff we learn as we go.

In the last month I’ve compiled some of my own advice. You too can take it or leave it, or if you’ve been down this road before, agree or disagree.

Here goes:

-Absolutely hire a doula for your birth. Regardless of what kind of birth you have, a great doula will provide immeasurable support for you and your husband/partner. We couldn’t imagine getting through our birth without her. (Ps….for any preggo Seattleite women out there reading this consider April Ellis of Doulabellys. You won’t regret it)

-Get two to three of everything for the changing areas and diaper bags. We ended up hauling our wipes and diaper creams back and forth between our day and night changing areas. When we started cloth diapering we needed a wet bag both upstairs and downstairs and when he had a rash I only had one of my Thirsties Booty Love ointments.

-Read “Happiest Baby On The Block”. Swaddle, Ssshhhhh, Swing, Side, and Suck has worked for what little fussiness O has had so far.

-If you can get them as gifts, or used, get both a swing and a vibrating bouncy chair. O has liked both during certain moods.

-Sleep when the baby sleeps is a load of crap. It doesn’t happen. That time is when you get things like laundry and housecleaning done, and yourself clean and refreshed. Not to mention bottles washed if you’re using them. Oh, and did I mention pumping every three hours?  If I were supposed to sleep during that time my house would be in shambles or would leave me approximately five minutes of rest.  However, if you’re able to take turns with hubby getting up in the middle of the night FOR SURE do it. A four to five hour solid stretch of sleep can be sanity saving.

Well, I guess he can sleep when the baby sleeps. =)

-Keep all the formula coupons and samples you get. With the best of intentions to breast feed, you never know what natures plans hold for you. For a number of reasons I haven’t been able to breastfeed and the four large formula samples we got in the mail have come in very handy. Also, Costco formula is cheap and was recommended by several friends.

-Speaking of personal hygiene…try to take a shower or bath each day during a morning or evening baby nap. It’ll make you feel like a brand new person. If Chris isn’t home I pop Oscar in the swing or bouncer and he stays happy as a clam while I’m doing my thing.

-If you get the Boon drying rack, get the Lawn instead of the Grass. You’ll need the extra space. (But THANK YOU, THANK YOU Bestie Em for getting us the grass- we really love it)

Boon Lawn drying rack

-Cats apparently like pacifiers. Two down in one day and a panic attack about whether he (Ditto, aka: Shitten) would be able to pass the ends. So far he’s fine but we’ve put the pacifiers on lock down.

Finally, Chris’ advice is, “Just do the best you can”.  Which is totally true! Try everything you know and see if it works.  Go with the flow and know that, like everyone says, parenthood will get better with time.

Please forgive me if I sound like I’m trying to be an expert after only three weeks.  I’m just enlightened at the abilities we’ve shown so far as parents.  Oscar man is still alive after three weeks. Woohooo!

 

He’s here!

We welcomed Oscar Conrad into the world on February 24th!

After 26 hours of labor and a c-section, we were so elated to meet our little man.  A few bumpy spots along the way, but three weeks down and we are finally settling into our routine.  I feel like he is 3 months old already.  In the first week things were changing hour by hour, both with feeding and his personality.  Chris has been the most wonderful father that I could ever ask for.  He is definitely his son….FOR SURE!  Although, we think he has my chin.   At least there is a little me in there.

I’m a Mommy!  Can you even believe it?

A short post for sure.  Just enough pictures to tide you over.  But my little love bug is waking up from his nap, so I’ll close for now.  Next post, I’m working on my teachings as a new mommy.  Things I’ve learned in the first month.  

Weekend Recap

Thinking I could have a baby any time, here’s how this weekend went down…

Friday:

Doctors appointment.  Despite my cramping this week, my OB says all is well and that it could be a day (which has passed) or another week or more before my little love bug makes his appearance.  We’ll see her again on Thursday, or sooner if we need her. =)

39 weeks. You can see it on my face that I’m about done being pregnant! (But will miss the feeling terribly once he’s out of there)

Saturday:

Made freezer meals. Washed some burp clothes and receiving blankets. Laid in bed the rest of the day with my feet up to relieve my swollen ankles- or cankles as they could affectionately be called.

We ended up making four kinds of meals- Martha’s Mac and Cheese, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pizza Pasta Casserole, and Mexican Lasagna

. The two big pans should split up into two nights each- for a total of seven meals.  We still have to make white chicken enchiladas and meatloaf with Stove Top Stuffing-but decided those might be easier to make the day of, rather than freezing them.

Freezer meals

Sunday:

Slept in until god knows when (hey we need all the sleep we can get for the next week or so).  Lunch and a trip to Joann’s for heavy duty thread.  Target to buy a diaper pail and snacks for the Super Bowl. Came home and fought with my sewing machine for another 45 minutes and finally gave up my quest for using Pom Pom fringe on a pillow for Baby T’s room.  Made tags for the baskets in his closet. Pigged out on chips, cupcakes, and Dove Dark Chocolate with Almonds!

Finished pillow using fabric scraps, but without the black pom pom fringe I wanted. =(

Avery shipping labels, Green Twinery, photo splits, leftover red cardstock

End result- tags for his baskets so daddy knows where to find things

Bathing basket with washcloths and hooded towels

 

I swear the nursery post is coming. Until then you can visit my Project Nursery post to see Baby T’s room all put together.