Sad Day

Today, we mourn the loss of a match made in reality tv.  Hey, at least she didn't do anything crazy like change her name!  Let's reminisce over the past 72 days:

We all knew this was coming, right?  I'm surprised that the wedding actually happened in the first place.  After watching "Kim's Fairytale Wedding,"  I'm totally Team Kris (H.)

Problem Solved!

So this was the problem that I had:

A fireplace that I didn't want (and was told this apartment didn't have) and a curious baby who couldn't stay away/out of it!

At first, I wanted some sort of storage for the front of it... something like this:

It would cover the whole opening... but then I thought that this has a pretty high center of gravity... and I have a baby who climbs.  So then I thought that maybe something like this would be better:

But, when I looked at the dimensions and measured our fireplace, it still left about 7 inches of fireplace uncovered at the top.  I didn't need him climbing on the bench and trying to dive into the fireplace.

So then Steve did some Googling.  (No lie, he typed in "cute ways to baby-proof a fireplace."  Cute??  Not a word he usually uses, so I got a chuckle out of that!)  And he found this:

Totally "cute," right??  It's a great idea... but the more I researched, the more involved this project actually looked.  More involved than I wanted to be, really.

So then I found some tutorials for magnet boards!  Genius!

And it seemed easy!  All I need is a piece of ply wood, sheet metal, and crown molding for the frame!  Do you see where I'm headed with this?  It's totally cute, but in my book, when something involves a miter saw and a miter box, it can no longer be called "Do It Yourself!"

So I started researching.  Turns out, Lowe's sells a sheet of metal (in the plumbing dept) for cheap... and it's 24x36".  So then I discovered that I could get a poster frame for that same size!

I loaded up and headed to the craft store!  Well, JoAnn's was having a sale on frames and I found one that I liked for 50% off!  Later in the day, G and I went to Lowe's and got a sheet of metal.

After I put G to sleep, I got to work!  I opened my frame, took out the plastic and framed the piece of metal. The metal was about 1/2" too wide, but it was so easy to cut it with a regular pair of scissors!

So now, instead of a safety hazard, we have this:

And it truly was DIY because it required zero obscure tools.  And G loves it!

UPDATE:  Kaley asked how I keep it from falling over.  I have adhesive velcro stuck to the back of the frame and to the tile.  We had to think of a way to attach it and do as little damage as possible!  For now there is just one square in each of the top corners, but in the event that he learns how to pull that off, I will put more up and down the sides!

My Baby Has a Big Noggin!

...but we all already knew that, right?  His head is in the 95th percentile.  So I knew it was big, but I always thought it was at least proportional.  Well, not anymore.  

I was babysitting today, and while the 3 year old ate lunch, G sat at the table and ate some puffs.  The following conversation occurred:

Boy:  I'm 3!  How old are you?

Me:  I'm 25!

Boy:  My sister is 0.  How old is George?

Me:  George is 0, too!  He's almost 1!

Boy:  Your baby is bigger than my sister.

Me:  Yes, he's a little bit older than your sister!

Boy:  Your baby has a fat head.

My poor baby!  I guess it's not as proportional as I thought...

Huh?!

I'm sure everyone has seen the news about my hometown by now!  It's not every day that dozens of wild animals are on the loose.  This has been a big story and one that has been met with mixed criticisms.  Personally, I think law enforcement handled the situation well.  It is a tragedy that so many animals died, but human lives were saved because they took action quickly.

I think we all agree that Jack Hanna is a pretty awesome authority when it comes to animals... even though his segments on tv always seem to go awry!  Well, Jungle Jack himself stands up for the Muskingum County Sheriff's Department and so do I.  So there.

Obsessed.

Disney Junior has little short cartoons in between shows and I am pretty obsessed with Small Potatoes.  Seriously... they are so cute!

Oh, Dear!

You really do meet all types at WalMart, huh?  I do my weekly shopping on Saturdays and this afternoon, I happened to be in the pasta sauce section.  An older lady (late 40s, early 50s) was saying hi to George (and I was smiling, but thinking "don't touch my baby.").  All of the sudden this girl that looked like a hot mess (maybe more of a mess) came up and the following conversation took place:

Hot Mess:  (to the older lady) Ummmm... can I ask you a question?

Older Lady:  Sure!

HM:  If you were making homemade chicken noodle soup, what kind of noodle would you use?

OL:  I really don't know!

HM:  Like a spaghetti?

OL:  No....

(I had to stop this)

ME:  Egg noodles.  You would use egg noodles.

HM:  What's that?  Like a spaghetti?

ME:  No, an egg noodle.

OL:  Oh, here's an egg noodle.

HM:  Are you sure?

ME:  Positive.

Oh my goodness!  What would have happened if I wasn't there to save the day?  I can only imagine what would have ended up in her soup.  Would she really have used spaghetti?  Was I being punked?

By Request.

So, after my last post, Kaley requested an update on me.  I promise it's not as exciting as an update on G, but she asked for it, so here it is:

I just turned 25.  I think I'm still about 5'6" and you're not getting my weight.  I haven't dyed my hair in about 3 years, so it's back to its natural color... which is some kind of auburn.  I am actually pretty lucky because I love my natural hair color.  So, no more coloring until I start to go gray.  My current favorite shows are:  Gossip Girl, Teen Mom (or 16 & Pregnant--depending on the season), Dateline, Parks and Recreation and The Office.  I have shows that I watch just about every night, but that's a list of ones I try my hardest not to miss!  I am obsessed with Taylor Swift's last cd... it has been in my car for the past year and Steve is really sick of it and wonders how I am not sick of it.  I am also obsessed with Pinterest... which also makes me obsessed with StumbleUpon so that I can find things to pin.  I am also obsessed with Steve--he's great and I love spending time with him!  I look forward to the time in our lives when we get to spend more time together!  Of course, I am also obsessed with G--I love playing with him and watching him grow!  By the end of the day, I also love when he goes to bed because he has a lot of energy.

So, there's an update on me.  I warned you that it wasn't going to be as fun as an update on G!

Still Here!

I get so angry when my friends don't give me something to read daily... yet I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks!  G now has 6 teeth and doesn't bite me too often anymore.  He loves fruit and refuses veggies.  He loves people and hates to be alone (seriously... he stands at the gate and cries if I go to the bathroom or the kitchen for 2 seconds).  Changing diapers and clothes is a struggle these days... I actually break a sweat trying to get him into his jammies at night!  He loves his Daddy and behaves much better for him than he does for me!  He loves to splash around in the bathtub like a puppy, but he stands up on the side and looks at me when he's done.  He learned how to climb stairs at a friend's house tonight and loved it.  He loves small dogs, but they don't care for him too much after the first poke in the eye or pulling of tail/hair.  He naps better, but he still doesn't sleep through the night... mostly, I think he just likes to cuddle when he's tired.  

So there's an all-over-the-place update on what G's up to!  I can't believe he's almost 10 months old!  It seems like just yesterday he was an itty bitty baby and now he's crawling all over the place and getting into everything!

So yes, we're still here... and we're still having a good time... I just haven't blogged.  Don't be as mad at me as I usually am at all of you :)