this ain't yo mama's cloth diaper...

While disposable diapers haven't completely left our household, we are proud to say that cloth diapers have successfully entered. At $6.99 a pop you can get yours here While comparable to BumGenius cloth diapers, they are a third of the price. Jackpot. We were blessed to have them (18 of them. that is) gifted to us at a shower, so the cost to get started was the purchase of this lovely diaper sprayer: It attaches to your toilet (with the help of your hubby) and sprays the dickens (or the poop) out of your diaper! So, without further ado, I give you, the Kawaii one size fits all, all in one, snap closure, cloth diaper:

Each diaper comes with 2 microfiber inserts and a waterproof shell. The diapers can snap up to make them small enough for a newborn, or big enough for a toddler.

Just snap away till you find the size that fits your little bean.

Tada!

Soiled diapers get sprayed first, then put into a "wet bag" to be washed later. Wet (peepee) daipers also go in the same bag. We use disposable wipes still- but those go in the trash.

We wash them daily right now because there are so many soiled diapers at this stage, but eventually we will wash them every 2 days or so. Cold water soak, then a hot water wash.

Pretty easy really.

And the best part.....

saving money!!

Frodo

In honor of Frodo's birthday this week (St. Patty's day), we would like to dedicate this blog revival to him with some of our favorite Frodo blog posts. Take some time to click on the links and get to know our dog. I think you'll like him.

Meet Frodo.

He is one HUGE ball of fur. He likes the snow. A lot.

He really is a super dog (http://russellandamy.blogspot.com/2006/10/super-dog-super-dorky.html )

And a "smart" dog... (http://russellandamy.blogspot.com/2007/09/professor.html )

And he once was a skinny dog...(or as I called him "Rat Dog")

He likes to take baths but does not like hair cuts (http://russellandamy.blogspot.com/2007/03/monday-march-26th-2007-dear-diary-today.html )

He sometimes is a naughty dog (http://russellandamy.blogspot.com/2006/07/solved-mysteries-case-number.html )

Happy Birthday Frodo!

My first "Knock-Off Wood" project

For those of you who know, I have been on a dining room search for quite some time . I sold our counter height dining table on craigslist (see below) and decided that I wanted a long rectangular table that would seat at least 8 and would be, of course, stylish.

I searched and searched....and searched.....and couldn't find what I wanted. I ended up buying an antique dining set (see below) that I spruced up, but after a month with that, decided that I STILL wasn't happy with it. As you can see, I also decided to paint the walls a more neutral color instead of the orange (which was a HUGE project....and now I miss the orange....see, I'm just never happy!)

Sooo, a friend told me about http://www.knock-offwood.com/ and, I was hooked!!! I made a list of projects that I would tackle, starting with the "rustic table".

The plans were REALLY easy to follow and the supplies for the table were around $150 (and that's only because I went wood shopping with my husband and he had to get the "best" wood....so, we did).

Assembly went quickly, but it was the staining that stretched out the project. True, it only takes a couple of minutes to stain, but then to wait 6-8 hours inbetween stains, when you put about 8 coats on....and then a couple coats of varnish....well, you get the point.

And the results:

Here are the details:

Wood- Pine

Stain- Dark Walnut

Varnish: Clear Satin

Chairs: purchased on craigslist (all 8 for $50!!) and stripped them down, painted, then reupholstered.

Paint- off white.

Fabric: Purchased at Joann Fabrics with my 50% off coupon (paid about $20 total, and then purchased some scotch guard for it with y 40% off coupon)

TOTAL COST (for the entire dining set).....drum roll please..........

$250!!!!

Now.....go out and start your knock-off wood project. If we can do it, YOU CAN TOO!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

18 month update

Top 10 things about my 18 month old...

#10. He surprises us every day with another new word.
#9. He likes to pick lint out of his toes...he calls them "ishies"
#8. Multiple times I have caught Caleb eating those ishies.
#7. He doesn't like his hands to be dirty..."Eeewe"
#6. He likes noise, banging, throwing, and hitting.
#5. He will not say "love you" unless he is trying to get our attention.
#4. He has formed an alliance with Frodo at mealtime...and now that we know and have put an end to his "sharing", he has found various hiding places to store food.
#3. He's a ham (as you can see from the picture above)
#2. He likes to shout "AMEM" at the end of prayer....and after the songs during worship at church.
#1. He thinks he's the boss. He's not.


Now for the boring stuff that moms want to know...

He's about 75th percentile all around. He's a good eater. He still sleeps about 12-13 hours a night and takes 2 naps a day.

Busy times

So, ya....I pretty much stink at keeping up on this and I am not really sure who really looks at our blog anymore....but oh well.

I have been a busy bee lately changing things up a bit. As you may or may not recall, this USED to be our dining room...

Welllllll, one wintery day, I got cabin fever and decided that I needed a change, so I sold our table on craigslist. I had been wanting to do so for a while since it was counter height and our shorter guest *ahem, Mitch* couldn't scooch themselves in when they sat down. Anyway, the table sold quickly and before I purchased a new one, I decided that I would also change the orange paint to something more neutral, so that I could bring in a different accent color.

Using the money from the table, I purchased a hutch, a table, some cute wall decals, paint, fabric for reupholstering the chairs, and even more! What a bargain shopper, I know.

A couple of weeks later, and a few tears and cuss words later, this is what the end product turned out to be:

It's dark and kinda difficult to see, and for some reason the OFF-white table looks bright white in the picture, sooooo, I guess you are going to have to just come over and see the changes for yourself.

As for my cabin fever....well, it's raining outside right now.... so.... time to redo the bedroom???

Nah.

Or maybe....

Christmas with the Millers

Snow (or as Caleb calls it, "NOOO!")

Santa

This and that...

Caleb loves horses :)
All bundled up!

Caleb and Dadda on their way down the trail at my parent's house in WI... on the way to see the horses again.

Of course, we had to sneek in some bath time with Caleb's cousin Emma- and of course we had to take a picture so that it could end up on their graduation picture boards someday :)

And here is Caleb at home, helping me clean :) Sometimes, it's nice to have a child with mild OCD.

ya, it's been a while

Here are a couple more pictures from Caleb's photo shoot back in August. Beth did an outstanding job. Check out her site at http://www.adoreuphotography.com/

Orchard Day!

Well, we are back. Sorry it's been a while for our few blog followers. I've noticed that we've slacked on blogging since becoming big "facebookers"...

Anyway, here are a few pictures of our day at the Orchard. It was a beautiful day with great friends :)

First Steps

Caleb took his first steps yesterday while the Millers were all here! In 2 weeks, he will be 1 year old, which is hard to believe. We celebrated his birthday early with the Millers yesterday so that Rhianon could be with us before she leaves for Guam tomorrow. I'll post those pictures as soon as I get them from Rhianon. Enjoy!

-am

Rachel and Brandon's wedding

Well, it's finally over....thank goodness!! Weddings are so much work!!! It was a beautiful ceremony though, and a FUN reception. Rachel was a stunning bride. I'll post more pictures once I get them...

Summer, Summer, Summer-Time....time to sit back and unwind...

As many of you know, I am on summer vacation- for 3 full months! Woot woot!

I am enjoying my time and my family. I just got back from WI and had a great time! Unfortunately, Russ was not able to come with us- so that made it not as great of a time as it could have been...but here are a few pictures to share with you all...

No pictures please!

A Day With Grandpa Miller