They…Are…Numba One

Cause two we’ll  have another and three…well, at the rate we’re going, probably another.  But, back to the present because who wants to think about the chaos of three under two much less the possibility of four under three (shudder with a smile…if God giveth, we will taketh).

The twins turned the big ONE YEAR OLD and on that blessed day we went to the zoo.  A week or so later we threw a little birthday shin-dig for them with family that was in town.  I know maybe some of you expect my party planning skills to be detailed and cute and all that jazz considering my diy loving heart but that is just not the case.  I had a very teeninsy (think $10) budget to work with so I threw up some dollar store tablecloths as ceiling decor and laid out a tablecloth, napkins, and paper/plastic eatery provided by me madre and called it a par-tay, capital P.  I love me a cute little themed party but into planning them I am not…I’d rather be painting junk.  :)

Anyway, the party went off with a few hitches and all was great, grand, and wonderful.

The twins were adorned in the cutest birthday suits ever, consisting of lots and lots of pink and lots of tulle, courtesy of their Auntie Debbie.
fits

Presents were a hit and mostly clothes (much needed for these growing weeds) until somebody turned all party pooper but since it was her party, we let her cry if she wanted to, cry if she wanted to.

presents

We haven’t exposed the girls to many sweets but this day we went all sugar overload - funfetti cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting (theee best eva).  Everything was running like a smooth, oiled machine until Daddy lit the birthday candles and Seraphia grabbed her flame, sending her into a fit of tears (do you blame her?), a lifting out of her high chair, some halting their musical notes and some fighting forward creating a clash of Happy and youuuuu…, Cecilia wasting no time digging into the cupcake in her face, me just trying to get a good memory shot, and well, I’m sure you get the picture.  Oh look!  Here she is (top and left) a split-second before charring her tiny phalange:
eating

We did manage to “fix” the broken finger and the birthday party ensued.  I think they liked the cake, no? 
stuffinface
They get their sweet teeth from mwah.

Funday Sunday, truly.

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At one neither of the girls have yet to take steps however, Cecilia can stand without support and without any motivation to do anything else.  They both climb and stand on whatever is in front of them though and as a result, have had plenty of crashes and bangs.  I had to stop breastfeeding the girls three weeks before their big day due to a decrease in milk supply at 13 weeks pregnant so we switched right then and there to whole milk.  They get about 16 oz. per day – four in the morn upon waking, five around two in the afternoon, and seven at night.  As far as eating solids goes, I never knew how much I would love the day that they could basically eat anything under the sun.  I never minded making baby food but my life has become ten times easier know that I can just cut up little pieces of our dinner and serve it on the platter of a high chair.  They’re big eaters in little bodies, shoveling in a cup or more of bits at each meal before they’re finished.  You’d never know.

We haven’t been to a one-year check-up yet, I blame busy summer, but I expect much of the same – tall for their age, lean for their age.  They still nap twice a day and sometimes me too.  :)  They babble like it’s their job.  They’re into EVERYTHING.  Cecilia is the ring leader when it comes to trouble-making and thinks “no” is a joke, giving me a four-toothed grin and laugh when she hears that word and sees my stern face.  Seraphia listens like an angel and moves on to other trouble.  We just got some cabinet locks in the mail today and I can’t wait to get them on.  My daily exercise regimen of picking up scattered tupperware, cleaning supplies (no solutions, don’t worry Grandma), and pan and pot lids is 16 screws from over.

They sleep through the night most nights, sprinkling a few I-lost-my-pacifier crying sessions in the mix that bring one of us into their room, groggy as all get out, and usually on our hands and knees groping the carpet under one or both cribs, which reminds me, I really need to make some crib skirts.  Maybe that would help the situation.

Anyway, I don’t know what else to bore you with.  I like to type down details in case another mother out there is wondering about the “whats” of certain stages but I realize most of you probably could care less.  If you have any questions, send me a line or just wing it.  It’s worked for us thus far.  ;) 

fam

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P.S.  If you’re wondering about progress on the desk, it’s sitting pretty with one coat of paint except I’ve had a little bump in the road to smooth out.  The plan is to be done with it and all details spilled to you and yours next week. 

P.P.S.  Also in case you’re wondering, all of the above picture collages were made with Pic Monkey (picmonkey.com).  I recently discovered this site and let me tell you, it’s amazing!  Making collages has never been so easy peasy!  Go there.  Use it.  :)

P.P.P.S.  How do you like the blog’s new design?  I’m really excited about it!  It’s still in tweaking stage but coming along as fast as my very amateur html/css skills can move!

Desk and Chair

If you follow us on Instagram (@beaninlove), you maybe would’ve noticed this little picture upon scrolling through yesterday:
desk 
It’s the what with of the what I’m working on this week.  Skipping around, here, there, everywhere…you know how I roll. 
All of this is going into/onto the desk in our guestroom/office.
desk2 
Except it’s currently taking up house in our bedroom, the only place I can paint indoors that’s safe from four eager hands and hundreds of tiny fingerprints.

I primed it a long time ago and am finally getting around to painting it.  When it’s all said and done, it’ll be the coral color on the paint lid in the Instapic and that hardware will be adorning it along with some matching knobs.  The fabric is going on the seat cushion of the chair after it’s painted white and it’ll be one happy decor marriage between the two pieces of furniture.  I’ll have lots of leftover fabric so I’m going to line the inside of each drawer with it.  Of course I’ll post all the details and how I undertook it all once I’m done.  Should be fun!  You should come by and see the after!  :)

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What are you working on this week?  A little project?  Maybe some painting?  Or do you have a big ‘ole reno in progress?  I like those kind!  Or maybe you’re just trying to stay alive, make sure your kids stay alive, and your house is semi-clean.  Those are my kind of weeks too.  :)

Trouble Underfoot

We need a larger rug in our large living room.  Tiny knees and bums need a bigger area to tinker.  I want something a lot more simple that the one we currently have but something with a large-scale geometric design.  Last year I stumbled upon Jenna Sue’s blog, specifically this post about her new Rug from Rugs USA.  I had never heard of the company before but now longed for one of their amazing geometric rugs at their seemingly reasonable prices!   

This is the rug I really wanted:
nadra 
But it was ‘out of stock’ for months and months and months.  (Except right at the moment…of course.)

So, this one made a great substitute, the Moroccan Trellis in tan:
photo

Jenna used a Rugs USA Groupon to purchase her rug so starting last summer, I checked my Groupon email every single day like it was my job.  Finally, around Christmas, they came out with one for our area.  It took me 30 seconds flat to whip out our credit card and pay the $70 they were asking in return for a $170 credit.  That rug was going to be mine and it was going to be mine for cheap. 

So, more waiting ensued.  If you know me, you know I like sales.  I wasn’t just going to hop on over to Rugs USA and buy the rug immediately.  I was going to wait for one of their big sales – 60% off or more (Jenna got hers during a 35% off sale so I knew they had sales).  With all this waiting and watching, I realized that their rugs are almost always 50% off, meaning they always have some 50% off sale going on.  Finally, after waiting foreva and getting a little too close to our Groupon’s expiration date, Rugs USA had a 65% off sale so I went over and happily clicked and clicked and clicked until I had my cart as I wanted and was about to enter the Groupon when DUN, DUN, DUN…  Guess what?  You can’t use a Groupon AND get their sale!  I was mad.  Really mad and really annoyed (remember, I waited patiently for months and months).  They must’ve changed their policy since Jenna got hers.  Here’s their thing now:  You have to enter a coupon code from Rugs USA (spring65 for example) to get the 65% off and you can only use ONE code.  So my Groupon code + their sale code = no burrito.  Dumb.  In my opinion, if you’re an online store and you’re advertising this shirt is half off, you shouldn’t need to enter a code to get the half off.  You should either be advertising that it’s half off or “enter this code to get this shirt half off”.  Catch my drift?  Am I crazy?  Well, it doesn’t end there.

I knew from chucking that rug into my online shopping cart that fateful day I never ordered it that the original price was listed at $803 (8.5 x 11.5) making it $281.05 with 65% off.  After getting a promotional email from Rugs USA a few weeks after my conundrum, I went back and checked on the rug again and during a 50% off sale it had an original price listed at $669 ($334.50 with 50% off).  Hmmm…  I’ll admit I got a little excited because I thought “Wow, they lowered the price so maybe during another 65% off sale we could actually get it cheaper thinking $669 at 65% off is $234.15.  Not so fast.  THEN, a week later the fourth of July rolled around and I got another promo email saying they were having a 75% sale.  I danced over with excitement thinking I was going to get this rug for a steal when what did my eyes see but a $1123 original price on that baby ($280.75 with 75% off). 

In case I’m all over the place, here’s the price run-down:
-original price during 50% off sale = $669
-original price during 65% off sale = $803
-original price during 75% off sale = $1123
-original price during no sale = $400.98

Are they for shizzle???!!!  So basically they’re altering the price with every sale, raising or lowering depending on the percentage off, so that they get almost the same amount every time for the rug!  Is that a joke or what?  Maybe it’s some business scheme I’m not aware of (I asked my Bachelor’s in Business hubs and he said “I don’t think so.  That just seems a little ‘shieshy’”.

-With all of this said, I might mention that we did use the Groupon on a desk from Rugs USA.  It was listed at $182 so we paid $12 (plus the $70 for the Groupon) for it and it’s now in our guestroom.  I really like it but it’s the first and last thing I’ll be buying from that company.-

I know all of this is probably hum-drum and depressing and maybe you really don’t care but I just wanted to get it out there to inform those of you who are looking into a rug from Rugs USA.  Their rugs still are reasonably priced even with their shifty price changing but I just have a hard time supporting a company who’s a little lazy with their honesty.  Did you know that the same exact rugs are sold on Overstock.com.  Actually, during this whole commotion, we were actually accidentally shipped a couple of rugs from Rugs USA (I’ll spare you the details) which I sent back but the return address on them was from Overstock.  Weird…

Aaanyway, back to my house and our rug.  We’re still planning on upgrading and I’ve found the perfect way.  Lowe’s sells 8 x 10 carpet remnants for around $90 so my plan is to go scoop one of those up once I find one in a color I like and use this pinned rug…
rug 
(via)
for inspiration to paint some simple zig-zag lines on it.  I’m not sure how painting a large, semi-plush rug will take to vacuuming so that’s why I’m going to go with a super-simple design just in case.  Stay tuned.  :)

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Anyone else realized this little “thing” Rugs USA has going on?  Am I crazy for thinking it’s madness or is it just common business practice?

Zoomba

And we’re back with the next installment of “How to Conquer the World Pregnant and Raising Twins “.  Miss the first installment?  Probably.  That’s because it doesn’t exist.  It’s all a lie and a ploy to get you back and reading.  It’s just not possible folks.  What is possible though is spending the week at the beach with family like we did all last week.  It was wonderful…besides the 40748 minutes it took to lather up the twins with sunscreen and bathing suits before every pool/beach outing and all the sand they consumed like it was candy.  Sadly, at the end of our little beach excursion, Daddy had to skip out and take a bus load of teenagers to a Steubenville conference, leaving this mom and her three under two a.l.o.n.e. for a whole five days.  Know how tough that is?  You don’t want to, trust me. 

But moving on to greener pastures, we’re back, Daddy’s back, the twins are asleep, and the laptop is cracked open.  It’s about time we get back to sharing our personal lives via zee blog.

There hasn’t been much action in the DIY department due to our recent absences but I do have a post all about rugs coming up this weekend and I’m praying for some motivation to start sewing or or painting  or something cause the line is getting long. 

Today though, let’s skip back a couple of weeks to that lovely day our eldests turned the big “ONE”.  They’re both mesmerized by animals so what a better way to foster that mesmerization and turn their excitement up a notch by taking them to the New Orleans Zoo.  The fab Party of Five came too!  Four adults, five kids (well, technically six)…who knew being outnumbered by little people was so much fun?  :)

zoo 017
[Four out of eight eyes where they’re supposed to be…]

zoo 014
[Who wants to look at seals when Mr. Stud Muffin is near?]

gorilla
[Ooh, ooh, ah, ah!]

 zoo 037
[Personal chauffeur.]

zoo 043
[I asked for a feather.  He (she?) declined.]

zoo 036
[OMGsh!!!!]

reactions
[Completely different reactions to the howler monkeys – completely unsure and fascinated beyond her wildest dreams.]

zs
[We did manage one nap.]

zoo 046
[At the end of the day, we decided to take our animals home.]

It was lots and lots of good, sweaty, stinky fun and we can’t wait to go back!  Two and under are f-r-e-e so we’ll be milking that for the next two summers.  #cheapatheart

X, Y, Zipper

Zippers scare the he** out of this amatuer sewer (maybe seamstress would be less of a stink?) but I finally put the fear aside and whipped up (and when I say “whipped up” I mean turtled through because it took me a few hours more than I had over a couple of days) a couple of pillow covers for the pillows on our porch that were in dire need of clean ones.  Plus, I found this amazing outdoor fabric at JoAnn’s and had to have it so have it I do.1001512_691218696480_1114768472_n (Stolen from our Instagram feed)

I’m not here to give a full tutorial however, after a little more pillow practice maybe I’ll type out all the teethy ‘tails but if you’re hankerin’ to make your own zippered covers, I recommend this tutorial.  It got me through and has really good visual aids and my resulting pillow covers are functional and not falling apart (yet).  There are a few spots where I could’ve used a little more explaining but, like I said, it got me through. 

zippil 002 zippil 001
(Our wicker is in obvious need of repair and our porch in obvious need of a sweep but let that glorious geometric take you to better thoughts.)

I’m a sucker for being able to change my mind on a whim so of course one side is one fabric and the other, the other.  They’re not the most coordinating when it comes to the relative science of fabric marriage but they’re both super-cool, geometric, and invisible when the other shines.  Today it’s the navy, yesterday was the yellow, tomorrow?  Well, let’s just hope this pattern doesn’t continue because the girls scream and cry when I walk out the front door and I really don’t want kids with PTSD so…

What’s your fave side?

Anyway, like I mentioned above, the fabric is from JoAnn’s.  I happened upon it during a 50% off outdoor fabric sale with an extra 10% coupon in my hand so when all was said and done I walked out the door with two half-yards of each for a total of 10 beans.  The zippers cost me $1.50 at Wal-Mart bringing my grand total to $13.  Just like I like it…small and virtually unnoticeable to the budget nazi, me.  I love that the covers can easily be removed, washed, and replaced.  My relationship with zippers is still “complicated” moving towards “like” but you know I’ll keep you updated on that one.  It’ll be better than the Bachelorette right now, I can tell you that much.

zippil2

So, about pesky zippers.  What’s your relationship status?  Do you prefer them only pre-inserted and from stores, is your fear holding you back, or have you mastered them?  If you’re a zipper master, what’s your fave tutorial or are you one of those greats that just figured them out all by your lonesome?  Let me in on it and then go out and have a great weekend! 

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P.S.  I’m still planning on pounding out a whole series on twins and how we’ve survived along with a few other things (beware or come read and have fun) – a day in the life, cloth diapering, you know, I’ve mentioned it before – so if you’re up for that sort of thing, stay tuned.  :)