Origami Cranes part 1

James, Felicia, Loretta and I spent a couple hours learning how to create origami paper cranes. It was fun once we got the hang of it. We made over 36 of the 100 I am planning to make for Silver Strands. I am so excited to invite my sisters over to do these with me!

♥ Michelle

Baby Bump - Week 21

Friday we had our "big" ultrasound. To me, it wasn't much different than our sonograms we receive at our monthly appointments. I guess maybe it was a little bit more detailed. We know she has all 10 fingers and toes, she has all 4 heart ventricles and from the looks of it she seems to be doing just fine. Her legs are quite long and her feet seem big (or maybe that is just me being paranoid she is going to end up a big foot like her momma). The technician gave us TONS of photos to take home and you can even see her sweet little side profile in them! (looks like I will be making a cameo project for her nursery!) August 3rd is the next Dr Apt. They should be able to tell me how the baby is progressing and if the due date has changed or not. We can't wait!




♥ Michelle

Around the house

We are changing things up a bit around the house for all the guest we are planning to have when the baby comes. We are having my MIL for about a month around Dec and my father (and hopefully brother) come in January. We know we needed a place for guest to sleep now that our guest room will be taken over by the baby nursery.
We decided a sofa bed for the living room would be a good idea. Then today, I get this email from Ikea stating they have their Manstad sofa bed with chaise storage lounge on sale for $200 cheaper than its normal price, making it only $699 (super cheap!). It is compact, perfect for our very small living room and creates a good sized bed. It has a chaise on one side with HUGE storage underneath. I have read multiple website today that seem to have great reviews. If you are interested, Ikea fan seems to like it, and Apartment Therapy wrote a review here. Apartment Therapy also voted it one of the Best Sleeper Sofas & Sofa Beds 2010.



So it is safe to say that we will be heading to Ikea this weekend to check this baby out and possibly purchase. The only downsize is the lack of color options, but I know Joy and I can come up with something to make it pretty.

ohhhh and..... I GOT THE CRICUT! It was on 40% sale at Micheals Craft Store yesterday for only $98! I have been eying the Cricut for over a year now, especially because I like to hand make all my cards I give and I am a huge scrapbooker. I am so excited to get my craft on!

♥ Michelle

diaper bag dilema

So I have my heart set on the Oioi diaper bag. It's black, big, fashionable, rocker-ish and modern. It fits perfectly with my style. The only drawback is, it is $160. I can't bring myself to pay that much for a purse/bag/diaper bag whatever. I search for it on ebay, craigslist and other random sites, but still it is always around the same high price.
This bag seems to have it all, interior and exterior pockets, easy wipe interior, change mat and insulated bottle holder included. It also comes with stroller straps and a longer strap so you can wear it across your body, helping with my "purse shoulder" problem.

I was thinking of just getting cute hobo bags/totes that have a lot of interior pockets then purchasing a travel diaper changing kit like this one, and getting an insulated bottle pouch like something found here and just putting them inside the purse. Then I can purchase different purses that are cute and still functional and can use many of the purses I already own.

So, my question to you: have any of you tried to use your own purses and just get the extras to add in, or did you find that you really did need a good quality diaper bag with all the pockets overall?

♥ Michelle

1000 Cranes for Silver Strands

So there is this sweet little blog I follow called "Silver Strands". She started her blog when she decided to cut off all her silver hair to donate it to make a wig for her mother who lost her hair from cancer. She blogs about her inspirations and she is an inspiration to her readers.

She has asked her readers to help her create 1000 cranes that she will string together to give to her mother. You can read her blog about it here. The original story of the 1000 paper cranes can be found here.

I know I will be helping by creating at least 50 paper cranes to send to her. If you want to do the same, you can contact her via email: lovely.silver.strands@gmail.com

♥ Michelle