Normally I share ideas, furniture pieces, home accessories, projects, etc. that HH and I love. Today I thought I would do the opposite and share five things around the house that we’re not too crazy about. Our house is far from perfect {um, still LOTS to do} and I really don’t want you guys thinking otherwise. Plus, maybe knowing the truth about our unfavorites might help you make a decision for your own home. So, here goes…five things we’re not in love with starting with the things that bother us least and ending with those that are most bothersome, the pros and cons of each and what we plan to do about them. {Keep in mind these are things we’ve bought or done already…there are plenty of other incomplete projects/rooms that we aren’t especially in love with right now but maybe someday?!}

First up, is our shower curtain rod. It’s a basic tension rod that HH picked up out of necessity right before we moved in last year. Since then, it has come crashing down probably 10 times – and always at the most inopportune times. Like when someone is taking a shower or when everyone is sleeping soundly in the middle of the night.

In the rod’s defense, it doesn’t help that we butt it up against slick, textured tile. The pros? It was cheap and when it stays put it’s great. The cons? It loses tension over time and slides off the bumpy tile. We’ve considered replacing it with a ceiling track when we finally get fed up with it but, for now, it’s something we’re living with because it’s not a big deal. Just inconvenient at times.

Next up on our “not over the moon about it” list is the kitchen faucet. While good reviews are posted on Overstock, I have a few issues with ours.

The included soap dispenser is awful. It must be rusted inside because when we pump soap out of it, it’s brown and smells like metal. Yuck! We’ve stopped using it all together. That’s why you see a bottle of hand soap next to it.

The online product features claim a “two function spray” but that’s not true. The extendable faucet only has one option: power stream. No spraying action. Not having a true sprayer is not the end of the world but it would be nice.

My third complaint is that the pull-out sprayer doesn’t retract all the way back to the faucet on its own.

I have to give it a little push to get it back in position. Again, it’s not a huge deal but it is something that irks me.

The pros? The faucet is solid stainless and has a good weight to it. It’s very high quality. The kitchen faucet in our previous house was chrome and plastic and I can definitely tell a difference. The single lever works great. We love the minimal look of the faucet. We haven’t had any problems with the faucet leaking, dripping or clogging. The cons? Pricey, no spraying action, the soap dispenser is rusted and unusable and the pull-out feature doesn’t retract all the way back to the faucet without a little help. I think we’ll probably remove the soap dispenser, plug the countertop hole and get a soap caddy of some sort to sit on top of the hole for bottled soap. The faucet stays. The negatives aren’t really that bad to warrant replacement and, for the most part, we really do like the way it functions/looks. For the price, though, we were expecting perfection.

Then there are the magnetic spice containers that I previously praised. Well, they worked great for about two months then things got a little hairy. {Several readers warned me these babies were too good to be true. They were right!} The containers that hold grainy or fine ingredients {salt, cinnamon, cumin, etc.} have become extremely difficult/impossible to open. So frustrating! The ones holding dried herbs {rosemary, oregano, red pepper flakes, etc.} are fine.

The finer spices are getting caught in the canisters’ thread and causing the lids to stick. The pros? They were cheap and work fine for dried herbs. The cons? Now we have a bunch of spices we can’t get to. I need to find a better way to store the spices. Ideas?

Now we’re getting to the things that are our most unfavorite. These ceiling fans are one two of them. We installed them on the ridge beam in the great room to circulate air. That, they do. But with an accompanying whirring sound. They are LOUD. We only run them as a last resort and have to turn them off to hear the TV. In their defense, technically they are commercial ceiling fans. In a busy restaurant or noisy warehouse, you probably wouldn’t notice the whirring over all the hustle and bustle.

It’s difficult to see from a distance but there is a gap between the ceiling canopies and the ridge beam. We haven’t been able to fix this. I think I remember HH mentioning something about the type of hardware the fans need to hang from. We tried mounting ceiling medallions to cover the holes but the gaps are too big/the medallions were too thin.

The pros? We do like the way they look. They are simple, industrial. We left the white protective tape on the gold ring around the motor for a more cohesive look. They do their job well. On extremely hot or extremely cold days, we can tell a difference temperature-wise when we run them. The cons? THAT NOISE. Ugh. The gaps too. HH dislikes them more than I do. I’m okay living with them for several years. HH wants to replace them ASAP. We’ll see.

Finally, the thing that has caused us the most problems is the inability of Behr to successfully color-match Benjamin Moore paint colors. Originally, we chose Benjamin Moore paint colors and had them color-matched in Behr paint at Home Depot. It worked okay for some colors but not so great for others. Lesson learned.

The pros? None really. The cons? We ended up with colors we didn’t truly love and have spent more money and time making it right. I’ve repainted several rooms – some twice! To be honest, I no longer have a lot of confidence in color-matching between paint brands. From now on, when I find a paint swatch I like I will get it mixed in that brand so I know I’m getting what I want.

Those are five things that have us not singing their praises. Is there anything in your home that hasn’t lived up to your expectations?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 

My boys have been asking for a plant in their room. Seeing as how things can get rowdy in there on a regular basis, I’m thinking a hanging plant would fare best.

I came across this brass himmeli hanging planter on etsy. Isn’t the design perfection at its simplest? The modern style is a nod to Finnish tradition. The Swedish word “himmel” means “sky” or “heaven.” Prism-like ornaments were originally created to celebrate the winter solstice and bring good fortune but they’ve grown in popularity and now you’ll find them all over the world any time of year.

I want air plants. Like, bad. How adorable is this beaded planter? Each bead is dyed and strung by hand. It’s sort of the modern version of macrame hangers. I could see it hanging out in a small office or nursery.

Speaking of nursery…this mobile is would be perfect for a baby’s room. It’s so delicate and dainty.

Each of the items above is available through HRUSKAA, an etsy shop specializing in Scandinavian decor. The shop’s owner, Melissa, says that all of her designs are created keeping small space living in mind. She believes everyone – even those of us not living in McMansions – deserves beautiful pieces to display in their home. True!

Do you have any hanging plants in your home? Any suggestions for me plant-wise?

images: HRUSKAA

I’ve been itching to repaint the master bathroom. We painted it Benjamin Moore’s Tapestry Beige before we moved in. Don’t get me wrong. I love Tapestry Beige. It’s in our living room, kitchen and hallway. But in our naturally dark {boo} bedroom and bathroom it looks dingy. It’s not that noticeable on the blog because I’m able to lighten the pictures. In fact, you might not even be able to tell that I repainted.

I wanted there to be less of a contrast between the walls, trim and ceiling so I repainted the walls to match the trim and ceiling – Benjamin Moore’s White Dove color matched in Behr paint. I’ve never painted an entire room – walls, ceiling, trim, doors – one color before but I like it in our teeny master bath. With many of the small details painted the same color, the room feels less busy. I don’t know if I would like this effect in a different, larger room but in a really small bathroom it works.

The wall color helps camouflage the small cabinet {also painted White Dove} that we added last winter to house HH’s electric razor and toothbrush.

This picture better shows how the walls, cabinet and door sort of all fade together into a warm white abyss.

Because our bathroom is prone to splatters and drips {currently we’re sharing the bathroom with our three kids}, I chose a satin finish for easy cleaning.

With the master bathroom repainted, next on my list is the master bedroom. It will happen this week. I have no choice. My older kids’ last day of school is Friday and I’m banking on getting nothing done once they’re home for the summer. Our bedroom is naturally dark {it’s the room that gets the least amount of natural light in our house} so I’m going to play up that effect and go for something cozy. I’m tweaking my original plans just a bit. Here’s a peek.

More progress to come!

For those of you keeping track, the bathroom makes four rooms {the bedroom will be the fifth and last!} I’ve repainted since moving in not even a year ago. I shouldn’t be allowed to pick paint colors when I’m pregnant.

Click here to see who won last week’s Teal & Lime giveaway!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Friday seems like a good day to be spontaneous and step off the beaten path. I’m going to try sharing five things on Fridays. They might be five things I do every day, five things I would buy if I won the lottery, five things every stylish house should have, five things in my wardrobe, five things I’m good at, five things I’m awful at, five things I love to eat, etc. You get the idea. So, here we go.

I have not been a very good pinner. My pinterest account was lacking. But if I had to choose one thing to fall by the wayside, I would choose pinterest over my kids, piles of laundry, blogging, a DIY project, sleep, New Girl and wine. Yes, those are things that have been preoccupying my pinterest time. Sorry pinterest.

A little over a year after welcoming #3, I finally feel like I am starting the slow return to normal. Whatever normal is. Is it just me or does it take longer to find “normal” with each sequential kid? #3 was a doozie for me. My worst sleeper by far. But the good news is she’s developed into a great little sleeper {hallelujah!} and she’s pretty much the cutest thing ever {I might be biased}. And, yes, those two things go hand-in-hand. The better she sleeps, the cuter she gets. So keep sleeping, pretty girl.

Anyways, I found some time last week to update my pinterest boards. I deleted some {goodbye pregnancy} and added others {hello shelf styling}. They are by no means a done deal but they reflect my style much better. I want to keep curating and adding as I discover inspiration online and now I have a good foundation to do it. Here are five things I added to my pinterest boards.

Sources: design*sponge // Olson Kundig Architects // Emily Henderson // Miles & May // Chez Larsson

I love the feel of that living room. Simple and laid back. The modern cabin on stilts is HH’s and my dream abode. Emily is so good a creating little moments within rooms. I wouldn’t be upset if that wood and wenge bench decided to take up residence at the foot of my bed. And the literal indoor/outdoor mat puts a whole new spin on “cuttin’ a rug”.

What have you been pinning lately? If you want, you can follow my continued pinning efforts here.

My below average, off-the-shelf iPhone case broke a few weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been on the hunt for a new one. I would love a leather one. {On a side note: did you watch season 5 of Project Runway a few years ago? Anyone remember Stella and how she always referred to leather as “leatha”? Well, that’s how I always pronounce it now. Leatha.}

Whilst browsing etsy this week, I came across TRIMleather. The shop offers quality handmade leather accessories – everything from belts to phone cases. The craftsmanship is impeccable. The pieces are constructed using vegetable tanned vintage leather. The stitching, embossing and metal details give a luxe look.

Whenever I come across a new {to me} creative shop, I’m always interested in the story behind it. It turns out, the creator of TRIMleather is Corey Le Me, an interior designer by trade who quit his day job and decided to teach himself how to craft with leather. He says his very first coin purse was a disaster but he kept at it until he reached the high standard of quality that his shop is known for today.

Corey keeps three things in mind when designing new pieces: user friendliness, environmental friendliness and minimal design. “Easy isn’t interesting” is one of his favorite mottos.

Personally, I would love to own a piece of Corey’s work. I think the leather phone cases would be a hit with guys {father’s day gift?} as well. Leather is so versatile and durable.

P.S. – I have received a few emails from House*Tweaking RSS subscribers saying they are having trouble receiving posts via the feed. Anyone else having problems? If you wouldn’t mind letting me know what you use to read your blog feeds, I’d appreciate it. I’m trying to figure out what the problem might be. So far, everything looks okay on my end. Sorry for the inconvenience!

images: TRIMleather

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Elizabeth who needs help with her two-year-old triplets’ {yes, TRIPLETS!} shared bedroom. Forget the bedroom, I would need help with the kids alone!

Do you know Jackie of Teal & Lime?

Well, she’s one of H*T’s sponsors and she’s pretty amazing. Jackie quit her dull job with a big corporation last year to focus on her family and her passion for decorating. {Sounds familiar, right? But I think her focus is better than mine!} She believes that the best person to decorate your home is YOU although we all need a push in the right direction sometimes.

One of my favorite tweaks of Jackie’s is her faux malachite knobs. A teal Sharpie never looked so good!

Earlier this week Jackie launched Teal & Lime Interiors and now offers a range of design services online. She’s celebrating by offering up a FREE mood board to one lucky H*T reader. Need a gentle shove in the right direction? See entry details below.

PRIZE: one custom mood board for any room of your choice {$295 retail value}. Winner must complete a questionnaire and provide as-is room pictures within two weeks of being contacted. The winning mood board and source list will be shared on Teal & Lime. View Jackie’s portfolio here.

RULES: You must be a U.S. resident and at least 18 years old. One entry per email address.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “I’M MOODY!”

DEADLINE: Enter before noon EST on Sunday, May 19th. One random winner will be chosen and announced Monday, May 20th.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Since we’re talking moody…what room/project/decorating conundrum has you feeling moody these days? Can’t find the perfect dining room table? A DIY project didn’t turn out as expected? I’ll go first. We’re in the beginning stages of adding a platform deck onto the back of our house but, so far, my kiddos think it’s just a big mud pit to play in and then track inside. Ahhh! I’m patiently awaiting the day the mud pit is transformed into a deck.

images: Jackie for Teal & Lime

Notice anything different?

Yep, there’s a new rug in town. But, first, the back story…

I love the sisal rug shown above. It’s crazy durable and after a year of living with three kids, it looks the same as the day the UPS man delivered it. One caveat. Not everyone’s feet are as seasoned as mine. I grew up in the country where it was okay normal to walk outside barefoot. I still prefer bare feet over the trendiest shoes. {That’s why you see my feet naked in nearly every photo of me on the blog.} But my HH and my kiddos have sensitive feet {the kids get all of their persnickety traits from their father – ha!} which deem the natural sisal a little too “scratchy” and “rough”. Sissies, I say!

To put the rug-related whining at bay, I made a futile attempt to layer a striped DIY rug over the sisal but it was welcomed with little excitement. Still not comfy enough for my delicate family. In an effort to secure the “Mom of the Year” award, I reluctantly started hunting for a plusher option. Two must-nots: 1) it must not cost a bazillion dollars and 2) it must not shed profusely.

About a month ago, after nearly six months of hunting, I found THE ONE. It is plush, oh so plush. In all, it cost me less than $275 for the 8′ x 10′ size. {Looks like the price has since increased.} And it barely sheds. BARELY SHEDS! I’ve been eyeing moroccan berber rugs for a while but they are so expensive and I was leery of reviews reporting beast-like shedding. So when I found this polyester version, I decided to give it a try.

What can I say? We are smitten. It is the rug version of clouds in heaven. I would say it has boosted our living room’s cozy factor 1000%. My feet are becoming more refined by the minute. But don’t expect them to start wearing shoes anytime soon. Another quality we were unexpectedly surprised by is the rug’s sound absorbing abilities. The vaulted living room sounds cozier if that makes any sense. HH and I noticed how the rug quieted the room as soon as we rolled it out.

The 8′ x 10′ shag is slightly smaller than the 9′ x 12′ sisal and doesn’t come with a non-slip backing so I just layered it on the sisal. The natural fibers of the sisal seem to hold it in place pretty well. I vacuum it once weekly and that’s plenty. My only complaints are that the rug is polyester and it does have an initial carpet smell. The odor was remedied with a week’s worth of open windows. And I will make my kids eat organic everything from here on out to counteract the negative effects of polyester. Kidding. A little.

I can’t keep the kids off the rug. They are like moths to a flame. Mabrey enjoys rolling around on the rug like so…

…when she’s not practicing her WALKING!

And, finally, proof that I have secured the “2013 Mom of the Year” award…

The day we received the rug HH and I rolled it out, vacuumed it, opened the windows then let the kids have at it. As noted, they were all about it. The very next morning Layne, our eight-year-old, woke up early, made his bed, got dressed and went out to the living room where HH found him planted face down in the rug at 7:00 a.m.

HH: Layne, what are doing?

Layne: Puppies and rainbows, Dad. Puppies and rainbows.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Mabrey Larew was born March 30th, 2012, at 5:00 a.m. on the dot, weighing 7lbs 12oz and measuring 21″ long. She has taught me how to live fearlessly. This is the story of her birth.

During week 34 of my pregnancy with Mabrey, I suddenly became fearful.

My last pregnancy {with Everett} had ended with an intense precipitous labor and delivery. 48 minutes start to finish. It might sound desirable but I wouldn’t wish that kind of labor on my worst enemy. I had no control, no down time, no vision – literally, I couldn’t see. What I did have was a hellacious kind of pain that makes my uterus itself curl up in the fetal position just thinking about it now. Fortunately, everything turned out okay even though babies born precipitously are at risk of complications from moving through the birth canal so rapidly. Everett was healthy, perfect.

When I unexpectedly found myself pregnant three years later, I was told I was at risk for another precipitous labor. I figured I had nine months until I needed to worry about it so I filed the idea of precipitous labor away in the back of my mind behind “holy cow! we’re having another baby.”

But by week 34, the fear of precipitous labor had climbed its way to the forefront of my thoughts. What if I’m home alone with the boys? Will I scare/scar them? What if Steve is at work? What if I don’t make it to the hospital on time? {Everett was ten minutes shy of being an in-the-car, on-the-highway birth.} What if this baby doesn’t fare so well? All of these what if’s.

I mentioned something about it on the blog and asked for suggestions to help me mentally during labor. I received many comments and appreciated them all but one really stuck with me. It was Kara Sue {Kara Sue, if you are reading this, you are my hero} who said:

Have you read Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth? I don’t remember taking specific breathing exercises from it, but the overall positive tone on unmedicated births, especially in the personal stories, greatly helped me through mine. The book made me feel very empowered, much more so than any hospital birthing class did.

Could reading a book – as opposed to actually learning a coping method – really get me through an unmedicated birth? I like any excuse to read so the next day I checked out the book from my local library. The librarian said “oh, this is about the midwife who delivers babies on a farm in Tennessee.” I froze. WTF? I am not giving birth in a barn stall.

It took several chapters to shake that WTF feeling. The majority of the book is a compilation of true birth stories attended by Ina May. Yes, the births take place on a farm in Tennessee but there are proper accommodations for delivery. Usually small cabins. No barn stalls. There are graphic pictures. It all felt a little hippie-ish and free-spirited to me at first. But by the end, I was empowered. I can’t explain it. Somewhere between page 1 and page 368, I discovered confidence. Confidence in myself as a woman. Confidence in my body. Confidence in nature. Confidence in the birthing process.

One of Ina May’s suggestions for pregnant women is to have a doula present during labor and delivery. Is a doula really necessary? I thought. I mean, Steve can rub my back and tell me I’m doing great. I’ll handle everything else. But the personal birth stories in the book kept coming back to me. Then I realized something profound. At nearly every single birth, the birthing mother was surrounded by other women. The women talked with her, laughed with her, breathed with her, pushed with her, sweat with her, swayed with her. The woman’s partner was usually in attendance as well for support but I couldn’t get over the women.

It wasn’t the same as having a mother, a sister or an aunt in the delivery room. No one crying and holding a leg. No one in charge of taking pictures. No one posting updates on social media. Okay, maybe social media didn’t exist when the book was written but you catch my drift.

That’s when I decided I needed a doula. I told Steve and he was a little weirded out but totally supportive, like always. Here’s the thing. Men {even male obstetricians} can read every book on pregnancy, labor and delivery but they will always lack personal experience. They do not and will not ever know what it is like to give birth. And my man isn’t all that comfortable with blood and pain {he once *almost* fainted at the podiatrist} and the fear of childbirth shows on his face no matter how hard he is squeezing my hand. That’s why I needed a doula.

The next day I found a certified doula on DONA.org. Her name was Janet. She was local. I told her my fear of another precipitous labor. She reassured me she would be present even if I couldn’t make it to the hospital. We met several times during those last few weeks of my pregnancy. Sometimes she came to our apartment. Sometimes we went to the park. Sometimes we met for lunch. She shared her own birth stories with me {one of which was a stillbirth}, recommended more books chronicling real life birth stories, helped me nail down a birth plan with my OB and gave me things to keep in mind during labor.

On Thursday, March 29th, 2012, I had a checkup with my OB. I was 4cm dilated but baby’s head was still high. I was due in one week. I had never made it to my due date with my previous children and I had an inkling that this baby would make an appearance over the weekend. The boys’ spring break started the next day so Steve and I decided to let them spend the weekend at my dad’s just in case it was the weekend. We drove them out to my dad’s, stayed for dinner and a movie then returned to our apartment.

At midnight I was wide awake in bed. Steve was sound asleep. I was waiting. Waiting for something. Anything. Then a mild contraction hit me. Then another. And another. They weren’t awful but I could tell they weren’t Braxton-Hicks either. I muffled my labored breathing during contractions with my pillow. I didn’t want to wake up Steve. By 1:00 a.m., I was contracting regularly but I could tell this labor wasn’t like my last one. It had already lasted fifteen minutes longer, the contractions weren’t as intense early on and I had down time in between them. While my doula wasn’t particularly worried about a precipitous labor again, she did think I would progress quickly and thought we should play it safe as far as leaving for the hospital. So I woke up Steve and told him I was in labor. I thought we should call Janet.

Janet arrived at our apartment at 1:30 a.m. My contractions were getting stronger. I was sitting on the bed with my legs bent under me. When I felt a contraction coming on, I instinctively raised up onto my knees, bent at the waist and buried my head down in my pillow. It felt so good to be on my knees blowing into my pillow during the contractions. Steve pressed into my lower back.

I was having a lot of back pain like I did with my very first labor. My first baby was posterior, pushing up against my spine and tailbone. This pain was familiar. I got a little worried because after 15 hours of labor my first time around the labor & delivery block, my baby was literally stuck. He was facing the wrong way for his head to properly maneuver through the birth canal. He was under distress. My OB had suggested a “walking epidural” to help relax my uterus and get me on my hands and knees. One hour later, Layne was born vaginally sunny side up with a huge purple cone head and a low Apgar score. But he ended up being just fine. {I put a hat on him until he was a few weeks old and his head was no longer molded and bruised.} Still, I worried about delivering another posterior baby.

Janet was reassuring. She was vocally encouraging during contractions, her voice soft and kind. Knowing. In between contractions, she smiled and talked. An hour later, I started whimpering during the contractions. Janet reminded me to keep my mouth open and my voice deep. She suggested we head for the hospital. Part of me wanted to stay at the apartment in my bed. I was leery of my labor petering out and slowing at the hospital because of its cold rooms, hard beds, bright lights and constant prodding.

Steve dropped me off at the emergency entrance. I waited leaning against a wall while Steve and Janet parked their cars. The receptionist offered me a chair or a wheelchair. I declined. Sitting was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to move.

We all made it to the delivery room. It was 2:30 a.m. I was 6-7cm. I had the best nurse. She upheld my birth plan without criticism and I was able to move around without being hooked up to an I.V. or fetal monitors. She even turned off the bright lights. I worked through more contractions and more positions. I circled my hips on a birthing ball. I got on my knees in the bed. I stood and wrapped my arms around Steve’s neck, swaying. If I stopped moving my body, my mind would take over. This is what you wanted? This hurts. It’s going to get a lot harder you know. You can’t do this.

And then I would hear Janet. “You are so strong. You are doing good work. You have progressed so well. It won’t be much longer. Baby will be here soon.”

I was still having intense back pain. I asked the nurse if the baby was posterior. She said it was a possibility. I took that as a yes. At 4:00 a.m., I was nearing the end. I was tired. Really tired. I was having doubts. I was having trouble staying on top of the powerful contractions. The OB on duty came in and introduced himself. He was from my OB’s office but I had never met him before. He was short and reminded me of the dad on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. He asked if I wanted to have my water bag broken to speed things up. He was on his way to an emergency D&C in 15 minutes and wouldn’t be able to deliver me until after that if I waited.

I thought he was an asshole and secretly hoped the baby would come during the D&C. I nearly got my wish.

Everyone says there is so much pressure at the end of labor but I say there is pain and burning and PAIN. Maybe a little pressure. My younger sister who is a marathon runner and not a mother once asked me about natural childbirth. I told her if she could run marathons, she could have a baby. She replied, “Yeah, but it’s not like I’m running marathons with my vagina.” So, I guess natural childbirth is like a triathlon for your vagina. And I was about to cross the finish line sounding like a dying cow.

I felt like the baby was coming any minute whether I pushed or not. I told Janet. Then my water broke. On its own. Not ten minutes after the OB had asked to rupture my membranes. Take that Rick Moranis wannabe. I was getting feisty. More nurses had set up shop in the room. Somehow I had missed all that while my vagina was sprinting. The new nurses were telling me not to push. To wait for the doctor.

Wayne Szalinski entered the room. I could barely see him over the delivery bed. I was already pushing. I couldn’t help it. It was the first time my back had touched the bed. It was so uncomfortable. The OB told me to move down towards him. In my head – not out loud – I cursed him. It wasn’t my fault he had short arms. I was squeezing Steve’s arm so tight. Janet said the baby had lots of dark hair.

Instant relief. The OB laid the baby on me with its crotch right in my face. “Congratulations, it’s a girl!” Well, yes, I can see that. Thank you, Mr. Obvious. I looked up at Steve. I will never, ever forget the puddles he had for eyes at that very moment. Janet was beaming.

I couldn’t get over how cute, calm and alert our babygirl was. She didn’t cry. She was taking it all in – even lifting up her head to look around. I had always envisioned myself surrounded by a family of boys – big and little – and here was this girl. What in the world do I do with a girl?

Talk with her. Laugh with her. Breathe with her. Sweat with her. Push with her. Share with her.

Let her move freely. Remind her of her strength. Encourage her and tell her she is doing good work. Reassure her when she is scared.

Because even non-girly women need women.

images: Dana Miller

This past October we excavated the yard {it previously sloped towards the house} and had the uneven front walk {tripping hazard!} removed and replaced. Then there was mud everywhere. Outside and inside the house.

One of our neighbors is a retired landscaper and his yard is immaculate. On our family walks, HH will stop and pet this particular neighbor’s velvet-like grass. Not kidding. {HH would like me to mention that he would happily lie naked in our neighbor’s yard if he knew he wouldn’t get arrested.} But we’re always leery of perfect lawns. Green grass and no weeds scream “pesticides!” and “herbicides!” to us. So we were pleasantly surprised and intrigued when our neighbor told us he doesn’t use chemicals on his lawn. With our yard freshly excavated, he pointed us towards a specific grass seed mixture {which we promptly bought and spread} and told us to water for only 15 minutes during the hottest part of the day on days it didn’t rain. We followed his directions last fall and now…

…NOW we have grass!

It’s the kind of grass that kids want to roll in {yup, ours do it daily} and adults want to lie naked in. Okay, maybe HH is the only adult wanting green grass to touch every part of his body. But, still, did you see that grass?! The perfectionist in me needs to point out three obvious details: 1) the original curtains in the garage window {?!} need replaced with some sort of shade and 2) the window to the right of the front door is Mabrey’s room and her shade was drawn at the time these pics were taken because she was napping and 3) the front door is still an eyesore.

So, please, continue to feast your eyes on the green, green grass.

There were a few areas in need of reseeding this spring. Mostly they were bare spots next to the sidewalk – scars from the concrete install. HH spread the same grass seed over the bare spots and the rest of the yard {to crowd out any weeds} just a little over a week ago and baby grass is already filling in.

I like baby grass. The perfectionist in me needs to point out two more details: 1) the sun decided to peek out from behind a cloud halfway through my shoot of the yard so the lighting is different from here on out and 2) I’m currently taking an online photography class and tried my hand at shooting with my camera in manual mode FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER during this little outdoor photo shoot so I apologize for any exposure inconsistencies. I’m learning.

If you were able to peel your eyes away from the velvety grass, you may have noticed that we’ve done a little landscaping, too. On a whim, HH felt the urge to create flower beds around the house one weekend. He rented a small tiller for $25 and a bed edger for $50. I helped him map out the beds then he went to work while I wrangled the kids. The very next day we found ourselves at a local nursery “just looking.” When we returned home from the nursery, HH asked if I could figure out what plants we needed where and how many. He wanted to go back to the nursery before it closed that day to purchase plants. First, I was all, “What?! I need time! I do not have a green thumb. I have no idea what to do. I don’t know where to start.” Then, I was all, “Yes. Let’s do this. I’m so over having a yard that I’m embarrassed by. Let’s just get some stuff in the ground already. Anything will be an improvement.” And that was it. We’re usually not that spontaneous when it comes to home improvement but we were so tired of our shameful front yard.

Two days later, HH took a vacation day off from work and we planted and mulched the front beds. I dug holes for and planted each and every plant you see in this post.

After being the spectator/babysitter for most of DIY projects that have taken place here over the last year, I cannot tell you how good it felt to be involved. It was hard, hard work. But it was cathartic. Sure, I had to take breaks to drop off kids, pick up kids, feed kids, change the baby, put the baby down for a nap, etc. but it was so worth it. I might take a liking to this gardening stuff after all.

I don’t think we’ll be winning any landscape design awards but we did it ourselves and we saved a ton of money. We actually got several estimates last year for having professional landscapers come out and do everything for us. The numbers we got back were upwards of $5,000. In all, we spent less than $1,000 to buy and do everything on our own.

Our house faces south so we made sure the plants we chose do well in full sun. The hydrangeas are the only ones that need shaded from the afternoon sun. I really wanted ‘em so I planted them on an east-facing wall under the eave. They get sun until about 1:00 p.m. So far, so good. They’re blooming like crazy. No signs of scorching. We purposefully left some room in this bed for annuals. Someday, when my thumb turns green, I will attempt annuals.

We also decided to use river rock {$30 for a ton! – crazy inexpensive} in the front beds for a different texture and to give the kids a place to walk through the beds since we know they’ll do it anyways. Eventually, the planter below the picture window will be revamped into a bench/outdoor toy storage.

HH and I both wanted bright greens and white/yellow flowering bushes to work with the red brick. We’re happy with the overall look.

HH created flower beds along the side and back of the house but we’ve yet to fill ‘em. The plan is tackle them this fall along with adding a tree or two in the front yard.

Other outdoor projects on this summer’s to do list: 1) install a platform deck off the back of the house 2) fix the front door already! 3) replace the garage door 4) replace the driveway.

The exterior of our house is in such a weird phase right now. I jokingly refer to our Underdog as “the crack house with the decent front yard.”

To keep things in perspective {because even we need a good look back to appreciate how far we’ve come} our house upon purchase…

…and our house as of today…

Slow and steady for the win. “For the win” is the cool blogging phrase these days, btw.

P.S. – Inquiring local minds want to know…

*Our grass seed is a mix of this and this. Pricey but cheaper than sod and totally worth it to us.

*We bought our seed from this sod farm.

*We almost always buy our plants from this nursery.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, I’d like to share one of my favorite mom-related etsy shops this week. Mod momME is a shop that I have personally purchased from and love. The shop offers stylish handmade mom & baby accessories – everything from diaper bags to cosmetic bags – for those moms not wanting to sacrifice style for practicality. You can have both! Here are my favorite items.

This is the exact changing pad I have in my diaper bag. I prefer to use a roomy, good-looking tote as a non-traditional diaper bag so it’s applicable long after my baby-rearing years. When the tote is fulfilling its diaper bag duties, I toss in this lightweight roll up changing pad for on-the-go diaper changes. The brightly colored pattern makes it easy to spot in the diaper bag amongst all the other baby paraphernalia.

If you prefer having your changing pad, wipes and dipes together, I like this all-in-1 diaper clutch. Great for quick trips {it can’t hold a bunch of diapers} and quick changes. Both the roll up changing pad and diaper clutch have a wipeable TPU changing surface. TPU is non toxic, hypoallergenic, fungus resistant, PVC free, BPA free, lead free and phthalate free. Yesssssss.

I wish I had this wet bag. We use cloth diapers on Mabrey most of the time. I bought a different wet bag before she was born and after two washings a seam ripped and it started leaking. Um, yuck. The great thing about a wet bag is that it isn’t just for dirty cloth diapers. You can use it for wet swimsuits or stinky workout clothes after your baby is potty-trained. You know, that’s when you start wearing a swimsuit and working out again anyways, right? Ha! The inner layer of this wet bag is made of TPU like the changing surfaces above.

Kristin is the mastermind behind mod momME and I was amazed to learn about how her little etsy shop came to be. In her words…

When my youngest child was turning 1 I wanted to make her a dress for her party. I did not know how to sew nor did I own a sewing machine but I was not going to let that stop me. I was on a mission so I purchased a sewing machine, fabric and some patterns. Those purchases led me to etsy where I fell even more in love with handmade. It is also where I acquired my love of fabric.

Over the next few weeks I taught myself how to sew. I discovered 2 things: I was actually pretty good at sewing and I hated following sewing patterns. I became inspired by all the original designs from the artists on etsy and I decided that I was capable of creating my own designs.

I chose to create products for mom and baby. The products had to be innovative, practical and stylish. I prefer to steer clear of cheesy character prints and offer prints and designs geared more towards mom’s liking. As moms we often define ourselves by our children and we lose sight of who we are. I wanted my products to help moms ‘rediscover the ME in mommy!’

How awesome is it that Kristin didn’t let her shortcomings {not knowing how to sew & not owning a sewing machine} keep her from doing something she really wanted to do? Instead, she tried and learned something new and solved a problem in a creative way. I’m always inspired by moms who go after dreams – no matter how big or how small – with kids in tow. What great role models. For me and for their children.

Have you ever tried something new or something just for yourself with a family in the mix? Was it easier or more difficult than you thought it would be? How did you feel afterwards? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

images: mod momME