Sand Pail Vinyl {an update}

I always feel like it's important to update projects to show how they've held up over time. Especially because I sell these items. I thought it was high time for an update post about my vinyl sandpails.

As a refresher you can check out where I made some sand pails as an order here.
Of course when I make something for someone else, I can't be sure how it will be treated or how long the vinyl will actually last. But I was willing to make one for Luke and put it to the ultimate test!

Last summer we visited 3 beaches, in 3 states in 3 weeks. More on that here. We brought his sand pail to each beach and it was submerged in the salty Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and spent alot of time in the sun. It was rolled around in the sand and it was used to carry sand from the shore to our sitting spot. Also he used it at the pool to carry/dump out water. And Luke was 2.5 years old. Point taken? It got a lot of use!


I can say that today- over a year after I made his sand pail- the vinyl is still sticking strong with no peeling! Yay!! He uses it to store his outdoor toys that he'll pull out of our deck box and play with. Sometimes it stays out in the sun/rain. Other times it's protected in the box. But over all, it's seen alot of wear/tear and it's holding up well!


My Hospital Bag {for c-section mommas}

I've seen several posts out in blog land about what to bring to the hospital for baby's birth. My bag is a little different because I had a planned c-section.

The first time around my c-section was NOT planned therefore I depended on the hospital to provide most of what I needed. This time around I was determined to be more prepared.

I'll start with Emberly's stuff-
Of course we didn't use half of what I brought, but I'm still glad I brought it! I packed a few onesies, some sleepers, a couple diapers (we still relied mainly on the hospital's stash), some pacis (that I taped the receipt to in case she didn't take one), some mittens, of course some hairbows, a few hats and socks, and a couple blankets.

I was glad we had our own onesies and hats. Once I felt strong enough to change her diaper, I wanted her out of the white shirt they provided. She is a GIRL afterall and I've waited a long time to dress my baby girl!! Also since she was swaddled the whole time we didn't use any of the sleepers we brought. She still hasn't slept in a sleeper (with feet). It's just too warm to be swaddled and have long sleeves/footies). I was SUPER thankful for the mittens. She had claws at birth and she scratched her face once- lesson learned. She'll be wearing mittens for a while (even after I trimmed her nails, they are still razor sharp!).

**just a disclaimer- if bodily functions/certain anatomy talk bothers you, you may want to skip past the next picture. Birth isn't always pretty...
Speaking of c-sections: there are special things we mommas need. Things I wish I had known about the first time around. I tried thinking back to every part of my stay and what would have made my first recovery easier. Some of these ideas aren't even totally c-section related. Just things I didn't have the first time around (or someone had to run out and get me).
Like I said these are things I wish I had the first time around. I've learned alot since then and I'm glad that I felt a little more prepared this time.

Cloth diapers- these are simple plain {soft} prefolds. I needed these for my incision. I prefer to wear yoga pants when I lounge/recover {I'm not really into night gowns} so I needed the cloth diaper to lay on my incision so the elastic from my pants wasn't cutting into it. I wore this around my waist for almost 3 weeks last time! Also the cold peri-pads they give (with an icepack inside) are awesome for laying on the incision. I always get this burning feeling on the left side of the incision site and the cold peri-pads are so comforting!

Gas relief/stool softener- pain killers do some pretty gross stuff to your digestive system. Constipation anyone? Stool softner is an absolute MUST (they did give me some in the hospital this time around). Also after being cut open and sewn back up, air gets trapped in your body. I had shooting pains all the way to my collar bone. It was awful and something I wasn't prepared for. The simethicone in the gas relief is a miracle medicine! I complained of the shooting collar bone pain again this time and they brought some kind of chewable medicine that did NOTHING. After that I started sneaking my own. Best advice? Probably not, but it did relieve alot of that unnecessary pain!

Razor- I can't go a day without shaving my legs. With Luke's birth as soon as they cleared me for a shower, I was up out of bed (I had labored for 23 hours, been through surgery, and then had to wait another 12+ hrs for the epidural to wear off)! I couldn't wait to shave my legs. Only problem? Bending over with a 6 inch incision is pretty painful. Josh actually had to shave my legs the first time around. This time I grabbed the razor with the shaving cream already added (you can bet I got it almost for free with coupons). It made my "after" shower 1,000,000x's easier! I think Josh was thankful too!

Hand sanitizer/chapstick- self explanatory

Depends- it's really embarrassing to checkout at a store buying Depends when you're 26 years old. However, the mesh undies they give you at the hospital are pretty insulting. Not to mention the pads that are 12 inches long and 4 inches thick. I did the mesh thing while I was there, but after I ran out of the hospital pads I switched to the depends. It was so nice to not have to worry about underwear AND a pad. It was all built in together.

Lanolin/Nursing pads-  I used these the first time around and Lanolin makes all the difference. Nursing pads are just something you have to use unless you want major leakage. This usually doesn't happen until after your milk comes in {mine came in 4 days post partum with Luke and 2 days with Emberly}.

Soothies- Oh how I wish I knew about these the first time around. After having some majorly painful nursing sessions {like I cried when it was time to feed Luke}, the hospital gave me some medela hydrogel pads. They only gave me 2 as a sample and by the time I used them they didn't really help {the soreness was beyond anything I could stand}. I grabbed some soothies this time and they claimed to last 72 hours. They were amazing!! The soothies didn't have to be run under water (like the medela) and the  cooling gel soothes sore nipples.

Nipple Shield- I really believe this is what's made our breastfeeding journey successful so far (along with the soothies). I didn't have one with Luke and it was recommended by a friend to try it out this time around. I grabbed one and began using it on day 2. Not only did it stop the friction pain, but it allows for proper latch. We had major issues getting a proper latch with Luke and I ended up giving up. Although I'm not nursing every feeding (some UTI medicine is to thank) the sessions I am nursing it does help tremendously!

Nursing cover- pretty explanatory. I'm just not comfortable baring all when visitors stop by!

Itzbeen- this is borrowed from a friend. It keeps track of feeding, diaper changes, etc and tells you how much time has past between each! We kept track of everything on a spread sheet (OCD anyone?) but this makes remembering those little details a breeze.

One thing that wouldn't fit in the picture was towels and washcloths!! It was so nice to have my own towels after the shower. The hospital ones are small, thin, and smell like bleach. It was nice to have familiar smelling towels from home.

I also used the hospitals pads for bleeding until I got home. They also sent us home with a bag of peri-pads (hot and cold packs). I know I mentioned this earlier in the post, but I didn't use these for their intended purpose. I used the hot packs for nursing/as a heating pad, and the cold packs on my incision when it started burning between the hours of taking my pain medicine. I still need to occasionally sit with an ice pack on my incision for 10-15 minutes to help this (I'm 12 days post-partum today), but I am only taking 2 IBuprofen 800mg a day! Feels so great to wean off all that medicine! Detox anyone?? You can be SURE as soon as I am cleared to take a bath that a detox bath will be in the near future!

Of course I packed other essentials- pjs, toiletries, slippers, snacks, camera/charger, laptop, boppy, etc. I figured if the above list could help someone with packing their bag then I've done my job! I'm also making sure to pack some things for Josh {a blanket, pillow, cash for the vending machine}.

I can honestly say that after this stay I felt fully prepared with what I packed. There were no "oops I forgot this- can you run home and grab_______" trips. I actually packed WAAAY too many clothes for me (since I was in a hospital gown until Thursday PM- birth was Wednesday AM). But it's so much better to be prepared!

What is it...

about babies that is just so peaceful? Their presence forces us to slow down, breathe a little deeper, and relax. They are so innocent, helpless, and completely dependent on their caretakers for every need. I want to soak up each squeak, snort, and grunt.

Before I share a few newborn pictures, I thought it would be a great time to share why we named her Emberly Grace, and share about a common thread between our children's names.

At our wedding (I.can't.even.believe it's been almost 6 years!) our preacher charged us as a couple and the audience to be a light in this world. Our favors were candles to follow suit. It's very important to us that we not just live life to get by- how mediocre life is when we just try to make ends meet and search for happiness! We want to be a light in this dark world.

Luke is really his middle name. Joshua is his first name. We couldn't agree on a middle name that went with Luke, so we stuck it as his middle name and that is what he goes by. Luke means "light giving" or "light giver". Ironically, we had already settled on the name Luke before we knew it's meaning. But after finding the meaning it was absolutely perfect and fit in with our wedding theme of being a light.

Emberly Grace was always the name we knew we'd name our first girl. We decided that early on in our marriage. It's funny to me how some people wait until after birth to name their children. Totally not unusual and I understand why people do that- but it just wasn't the way we worked.

Our boy and girl names were chosen long before they were ever thought of or created. Emberly is a form of Ember. Some may say it's a made up name- it's not. It's in baby name books under the name Ember. Ember wasn't really our style, but the meaning of an "ember" goes right along with our theme of being a light. It literally means "the smoldering remains of a fire." There is something beautiful about the embers burning after the fire has died down. The glow of what remains; what used to be enveloped in flames. It's peaceful and relaxing to watch. I first approached Josh with the idea of the name Emberly and it's still one of the only girls names we can agree on! We could never have 10 kids because we would never agree to name them all!

Grace is my middle name. Josh passed his name to Luke. I passed my middle name to Emberly. There are alot of people walking around with the middle name "Grace" but it holds a special place in our family. My mom was not raised in church. She didn't darken the door until her neighbor, Grace, invited her to church. Grace continued to be an influential part of my mom's life- financially helping her out to go to church activities/camps, being a role model in her life, and eventually when mom was old enough she babysat Grace's children. Her role was so influential it's eventually how my mom was saved and developed her personal relationship with Jesus. Imagine if Grace had never invited the neighbor girl to church?! When I was born it was a given that Grace was to be my middle name and I am thankful beyond measure that we were able to pass that down another generation.

I love names and their meanings. I love asking people why they chose certain names for their children!!

I mentioned last week that I would have some newborn pictures posted soon. Here's her birth announcement:
Seriously- look at how her chin is smooshing her hand rolls- LOVE.

I have been playing around in photoshop and I LOVE it! I haven't "touched up" anything on her face because I love her little blemishes. Like that white dot under her eye, and the little bumps on her nose. These are all things I want to remember! I've mostly just played with the black/white feature and the lighten/contrast/saturation feature. Love that I can lighten the background when the natural light just isn't enough!





and an outtake- because you never get full cooperation the first time :) 



Life Update: May Part 2

What a month this has been! We are getting into the swing of this 2 kid thing. I think Luke is having the most trouble adjusting because I can't hold him with my incision. I tried today for a couple minutes and he told me how he was happy I wasn't sick anymore. It broke my heart, but at the same time I'm glad that in a few days/weeks this incision will be healed and we can do all the snuggling we want!

First of all let me start by giving a HUGE thank you to everyone who has brought us dinner this week. What a blessing to have a full fridge. And let me tell you- it's filled. And both freezers are filled. Literally I can't even fit a bag of "mommy's milk" in our freezer because it's overflowing.

I had to turn down dinner for tonight and ask them to bring it next week because of our storage issues. What a great problem to have! We'll be working through leftovers the rest of this week and through the weekend!

I posted yesterday that Emberly turned a week old. I forgot to include this picture. It's the exact time she was born, 1 week later. I think I'll go back and add it in that post!
And here's a comparison shot at 40 weeks (from 39 weeks). 
She had her first bath this past week too. Luke was such a big helper. He is the best big brother!

This picture was a complete surprise to me when I went through the pictures on my camera card! Josh let me sleep in a little and little man got in on feeding her. What a precious memory that my wonderful husband captured!
In other news, my debit card was stolen. Not the actual card- just the number. I got a call when I was still in the hospital last week, but I didn't recognize it (and hello! I was caught up in other more important things). Well my bank left a voicemail (that I didn't get until Monday) saying there was suspicious activity on my card and to call them ASAP. I checked my bank account and everything was exactly how I left it (with $4.90 in there). I only keep that account open so we can have an actual physical bank in town. Our main account is online only.

Anyways, long story short they picked the wrong account to steal. Since I only had $4.90 in there, all their transactions were denied. They tried to wire $50 through a money account order, and then tried to spend $75 at a Bed, Bath, and Beyond in New Jersey. I assured my bank that I was in the hospital giving birth and that I wasn't in NJ last week. haha.

Also have you heard about this? A BBQ place in town had an e-coli outbreak. Scary thing? The people were infected May 2-4. Josh ate there the 2nd. I am really thankful that he didn't get sick with all the other events going on in our life this month!

I am planning a post next week with Emberly's newborn pictures. I did them myself this time to save a few bucks. Here's a sneak peek! And I'm learning the art of Photoshop... this picture is unedited but I am learning a couple techniques to make them even better! I can't believe I've had photoshop for over a year and this is the first time I've opened it!

1 week

I'm sorry for all the obnoxiously annoying posts filled with pictures of my new baby. Actually I'm not sorry, but I just wanted to warn you that this is another one filled with memories from this first week home.

We got home last Friday afternoon. It was a whirlwind hospital stay and although I LOVED the care we received in the hospital there comes a time that you are just ready to go home.

First things first- we stopped at the pharmacy to load up on meds. I was on an every four hour pain killer rotation. We were released at 11:30am and my next dose was suppose to be at 12:30pm. We were so thankful that the pharmacy had everything ready in 30 minutes!

Here's our mini pharmacy at home:
This also didn't include the 3 nausea medicines I needed the first few days. Thankfully that all has passed!! I had 2 mini-complications (if you can even call it that): a pesky UTI (that I actually had before surgery but they were hoping the antibiotics would kick it) and super low hemoglobin counts (makes sense why Josh said the floor in the OR looked like a murder scene). So 2 of those med bottles were for that.

The rest of this past week has really just been recovering, soaking up these sweet snuggly days, feeding, diaper changes and adjusting to our "new" life. Big brother Luke doesn't really know what to think. When he's in a good mood he likes her and loves on her. When he's sleepy/whiny it's a whole different story!

I feel like adjusting to #2 has been a whole lot easier than adjusting to #1. I may change my tune once Luke is here all day with us (he's still at school until next Friday). But even with a little sleep deprivation it's a lot easier than I remember. I think with #1 you are just totally overwhelmed with everything- feeding (how much? nursing?), diaper changes (boys are WAAAY harder to change!), and just sleep in general. I can truly say that I've completely enjoyed this last week!

Just a few things I want to remember:

Some sweet flowers that were sent to the hospital for us-
Her beautiful eyelashes-
Her peach fuzz ears-
That newborn leg hair-
Her tiny feet and toes (with her PKU heel prick)- and the fact that her feet are crossed. They are ALWAYS crossed (even in both ultrasounds).

Her first trip to Chick-fil-a (5 days old on her due date):
And her first trip to the pediatrician (also on day 5)-
She had lost 7oz before leaving the hospital and at her five day check-up she had regained those 7oz plus 2oz! She checked out perfectly healthy and we don't have to go back until the dreaded 2 month shot visit!

I will be back with a "life update" on Friday that isn't all baby related!

Welcome to the world precious Emberly!

She's here! Here's her story- good thing hers isn't 2 years late!

Because of the events of Luke's birth, my doctor decided a repeat planned c-section would be the way to go for any future babies. We set the date a few months ago- May 15th- unless I went into labor early. 

I have to admit that most of the pregnancy I was excited about my planned C. But the night before? I started panicking. Just the idea of surgery, the IV, the pain... everything started coming back to me. Not to mention the "newborn" stage, breastfeeding, counting dirty diapers, dispensing medicine, etc. 

I had 2 pre-op appointments on Monday. I had a final visit with my doctor and then filled out all the paperwork at the hospital. I was curious what pediatrician would be on call, so I popped into OB and found out. 

Tuesday was pretty much a complete day of cleaning, making sure everything was packed (yep, I left packing the hospital bag until the last minute), and tying up loose ends. I had to take a prep shower Tuesday night and rub this nasty smelling bacteria killing stuff all over my belly to prep for the surgery. My parents came up so they would have Luke first thing the next morning. We didn't go to bed until almost midnight (knowing the alarm clock would be going off early the next morning!). 

Wednesday morning came fast. Alarms went off at 4:45am and I had to take a second prep shower. I wanted to "get ready" so I at least felt somewhat human after surgery. I did my hair, and put on makeup (well I wasn't really supposed to wear makeup, but I snuck some foundation). We finished packing (pillows, blankets, towels, cell chargers) and we were off. We actually got out a little later than expected and arrived 5 minutes late to the hospital. I joked that if we couldn't get the 2 of us to our scheduled surgery, how the heck are we ever going to be on time with 2 kids?

We walked in and they got us situated in our room- Room 102 (right next door to the room I was in with Luke). I immediately fell in love with my nurse. I can't say enough good things about the nurses at that hospital. They were just all so wonderful!! 

I warned them that morning sickness had come back in the past couple weeks and since I hadn't eaten anything since the night before I was a little queasy. They wanted to get my IV in and started pretty quickly since I needed a full round of antibiotics before surgery (I was Group B Strep positive this time around as well). They also started some anti-nausea medicine. I wish I could say, "then they put my IV in and was whisked away to surgery"- but it wasn't that easy!

They started in my right arm... and when I say arm- I mean the TOP of my arm. After two failed attempts (the second time was in the side of my arm) and the comment "roley poley vein", I started seeing stars, everyone sounded like they were underwater, and I started throwing up. It was pretty terrible. I'm not a public thrower- upper and it was pretty embarrassing doing that in front of 2 nurses and Josh. They got me a cold rag and brought in a fan. It brought back so many memories of getting the IV with Luke. I've decided that the IVs are worse than the surgery- hands down!

The nurse then moved to my left arm/hand. I honestly don't know why I didn't speak up sooner because I have had multiple lab techs tell me that my veins are better in my left arm. She immediately found the vein ("threaded it"- that term totally gave me the heebie jeebies) and started the IV. Here I am recovering after that horrible process. See all the bandages on my right arm?
After all the hurry up, let's get the IV started, I had about an hour to "relax". They started a bunch of meds and it made me really sleepy. I wanted to fall asleep but I was so excited I just couldn't. I was also super anxious about the spinal block, so my mind was really focused on that. 

I met the anesthesiologist and he was absolutely fantastic. He talked me through the procedures he would be doing and he would be there if I needed anything. He seriously ended up being my favorite!

My doctor came in around 7:30am to say hello and she asked if I had anymore questions. She also said there was another patient who may need an emergency c-section before me- which would bump our c-section back about 2 hours. Although I was bummed, I've been in that other patient's shoes. I just didn't want to have to anticipate surgery for another 2 hours! 

Within 5 minutes of my doctor telling me that, the OR staff was in my room wheeling me away! It was GO TIME! No emergency c-section for the other patient (yay for her!) and ours was still on schedule! YAY! The ride down the hall was surreal. It's like there was NO turning back. Josh was with me until the door of the OR and they asked him to wait in the hall. I wish I would have snapped a picture of him in his "bunny suit". He was adorable. 

The OR was freezing. I had the shakes but everyone was so cheery, talkative, and friendly. It was such a relaxed atmosphere (much different than Luke's c). My anesthesiologist was there again and after they transferred me from my bed to the OR table he started the spinal block. It was a million times better than I thought, but it still freaks me out to have a needle stuck in my back. The nurse let me lean on her and she held my hand the whole time. After the spinal was in, I was thrilled that all the pokes and prods were over! I also requested that they wait to put my catheter in until after the spinal. Why feel THAT when you don't have to??!

My doctor, the pediatrician, and the other doctor all arrived and I knew it was go time! My OB always has a second doctor on hand for repeat c-sections. Because of the risk of uterine rupture, she always wants a second set of eyes overseeing everything. 

The prep took about 30 minutes total. To me it FLEW. I seriously felt like the prep was 5 minutes. Before I knew it they were telling Josh to come in. It was 8:21am.

Josh took the seat next to me and surgery began. They made sure that I couldn't feel anything and the suction machine began. Everything started coming back. One of the worst things I could remember was smelling something burning. I'm sure they were cauterizing something in my belly.

All of a sudden they said "lots of pressure" and then I immediately felt relief. I think she was screaming even before her whole body was out of me. She took her first breath at 8:26am.



My heart was totally wrapped around her little finger the second I heard that sweet cry. I typically don't cry during really important events (like my wedding or the day Luke was born). I've often times thought that was weird that emotions don't strike me at the time of an event. It was TOTALLY different this time. As soon as I heard her the waterworks started. I really think that because the whole day was totally planned out, I was able to relax and truly enjoy her birth. That sounds crazy since it was so hospitalized, but I'd been through it before. Now matter how babies come in to this world, it is a precious experience. 
Her initial APGAR score was a 9 and her second was 10! Talk about a perfect baby. She weighed 7lbs, 9oz just 2 oz shy of her brother. She was also born a week earlier than her brother (she was 5 days early, Luke was 3 days late). I'm fairly certain that she would have surpassed his weight if she had been allowed to make it to her due date!

They brought her to me and I was able to see those squishy warm cheeks. It was a sweet moment.
The next hour I was being stitched up and Josh went with her to recovery. I just closed my eyes and thanked the Lord for such a perfect baby and such a perfect birth. Josh later told me that he was pretty amazed at how messy the surgery was. He couldn't believe how much blood was on the floor. Yikes!

The anesthesiologist stayed by my head the whole time and about 20 minutes into sewing me up I started getting really hot and I felt nauseated. I told him I needed to be sick and he immediately got the vomit bag and waved an alcohol strip over my nose. The doctors both said that the area they were putting back together was very sensitive and it was common to get sick at that stage in the process. It was my worst nightmare to be sick on the OR table. I couldn't feel anything from the waist down and my arms were strapped to the table. All I could move was my head. Also the anesthesiologist added an anti nausea booster to my IV. I also have to throw in- with my epidural with Luke they just upped the medicine for the surgery. With my spinal they gave me a boost of Duramorph which kept me relatively pain free for 24 hours. I still had to have some Toradol for incision pain later in the day, but the Duramorph was wondeerful!

I was actually able to close my eyes for a few minutes while they finished. Again the whole surgery experience was COMPLETELY different than Luke's. With him, I fell asleep on the table, not because of relief but because I was so exhausted from laboring for 23 hours. This time around everyone was talking about just normal every day stuff and it was such a relief for everything to not be super intense.

Around 9:30 I was wheeled back to my room and I was able to hold her. I also nursed within that first hour I was with her (her second hour of life). It was sweet and she is a pretty great eater! They initially told me recovery would take 1-2 hours, but after about 20 minutes I was feeling great (no fever, blood pressure was great, etc) and asked if my parents could come in. They said "absolutely" and they got to meet her!

Around lunch time I started getting hungry, but of course I was on a liquid diet for 24 hours. I started with gatorade, jello, chicken broth, and water. Of course after my first round of Toradol for pain it all came back up. I was just thankful it wasn't when some sweet visitors came to see her (they left about 5 minutes before I got sick).

Big brother Luke got to meet her that afternoon. He was so sweet and we had them exchange presents. Emberly "gave" him a train to go with his train set (the train's name is Luke). Luke gave her a baby doll- her first one. It was a sweet moment that we captured on video.


The rest of the time in the hospital was pretty uneventful. I never got sick again thank goodness. I was up walking around the next morning and was able to shower that evening. Also I was unconnected from everything (IV, catheter, leg cuffs that puffed air, etc) the morning after she was born. It was nice to feel human again and do things for myself!

We left Friday morning. I was actually sad to leave!! Our nurses were some of the best and I really missed all their help! I did feel waaaaaay more prepared to come home this time though. All the bottles, pumping, nursing, etc has come back and I remember it all. But this time I feel like I know what I'm doing and I don't feel like "something's wrong" every time she cries.

Here she is all dolled up and ready to go home!
And before we left the hospital I wanted to snap the after shot! 
Here's a before and after: 5:45am Wednesday and 11:30am Friday. 
 Our new family minus Luke-a-duke.

More vinyl-ing

Every once in a while I get on a vinyl kick. I keep a list of projects I'd like to do with my Silhouette and I try to tackle them all at once. Now that I don't have a set aside craft space, I don't like to randomly pull out my supplies. It's easier to pull them out once every couple months and get down and dirty- make a huge mess and then be done for a while! So that's what I did!
and what a mess I made!
I loved this idea from pinterest... a place to put everything travel sized. When you go on a trip you can raid this jar- OR when family/friends come to visit, put it out on a stool with some towels and the vinyl speaks for itself! We keep it over the door on a shelf with our bath towels. The shelf was also pinterest inspired. Using the space over the door makes SO much sense!
We also had a dilemma with bed sheets. Again, we don't have a set aside linen closet. This is the same reason our bath towels need to reside in the bathroom. Our bed sheets were getting mixed together and it was such a pain to pull out a new set. In fact, I'm guilty of stripping the bed, washing the sheets, and putting the same sheets back on the bed. It saved the trouble of folding/putting away and I didn't have to fight massive piles in a dark storage closet (that holds our tools, vacuum, sewing supplies, luggage- you get the picture).

These bins fit hold our sheets perfectly. See we have a king bed, the futon takes a twin sized sheet, and the air mattress takes a queen. So we have to be prepared for anything!
I finally got around to labeling the attic box. This is the storage system that holds our notecards that tell us what is in the attic. More on our system here
My favorite part of this post, and the main reason I got around to vinyl-ing this time was my new planner! I look forward to the summer all year because it means I get a new planner. My old one usually ends in June and a new one needs to start in July. Yes, I am old school. I use paper/pencil to keep track of my life. But it works. Josh and I use our phones with our calendars synched, but in order to sync our phones, it needs to be written in here first. 
I found this beauty at Target, but my joy was quickly overturned when I pulled the "advertisement" sticker off... look at that nasty residue. I am usually the queen of getting goo off things. Between nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, baby oil, and WD-40 you can usually cut through anything. I've gotten white out off a red shirt and red sharpie out of khaki pants. This residue wouldn't budge. {this picture was taken after I tried all my go-to remedies}.
So I turned to vinyl. I figured I could cut out a strip a little wider than the goo and cover it right up- worked like a charm. 
Next I cut out a "frame" to place over the strip.
beautiful!
Next I simply added my initials! It looks like it was always meant to be that way and it added so much personality it just makes my heart happy!
And I love that my teal vinyl matches PERFECTLY to the inside color of the planner. It was meant to be!
Have I mentioned I am totally smitten by my Silhouette??