Toy Storage...

Wow!
The Holiday's kicked my butt to say the least! I'm exhausted and exhausted and exhausted.

So what's new? For me... it's wrapping my head around all these toys, trying to figure out how to organize them all!

On Sunday after Christmas, Ryan and I spent around 2 hours looking for toy storage solutions... on every website on earth it seemed.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of kid-colored toy storage furniture. My favorite would be a navy blue if anything, but the CARS themed stuff, and the primary colored storage units... NOT A FAN. I wanted something at looked like furniture for our living room.

I came across these amazing "veggie" style storage units from THE LAND OF NOD a few months back and thought "BINGO!". But they are at a hefty price tag at $149 a piece. I liked that Zach will still be able to see his toys in this. We have one of those 6-cube storage things with the canvas bins that pull out. But Zach doesn't understand yet that toys are in the canvas bins... so it's kind of like out of sight, out of mind. So toys in those bins are forgot about.


I couldn't justify the$300 + for these two pieces. Especially after Christmas. It wasn't in the budget for these. I kept searching... and then I think I actually yelled out loud when I found them on Walmart's website!

Ta-da!
Ta-da II!

(click the links above) At $69 a piece I could justify buying both! I plan on stacking them as shown in the picture.

LOVE THEM! They are currently on their way to our local Walmart (free shipping site to store people)So that is what I have planned for our living room, where most of our toys are.

I also purchased these little babies from The Container Store for $6.99 each (bought 3). They have some at Target (navy and pink), but the blue ones were all sold out at the 4 (yes FOUR!) Targets I went to (there are lots of pink still available in the Columbus Area for all you moms with girls!).

The ones at Target are bigger than The Container Store. I thought these would be good in his bedroom closet. They would be perfect for anything really, not just toys. I like how they are stackable, but you can still reach in to them.

Here are a few more links to storage systems that I may consider in the future:
Stacking bins on Wheels (comes in white, blue and red)
Espresso Toy Organizer (I like that it's not in primary colors like you see everywhere)
Tutor Storage Unit (love this concept, not the light wood though)


So that's about the gist of it. I'd love to hear of any other ideas you mom's have!

HandStamped Love...

I have been anxiously awaiting. OOOOOOO- I can barely contain myself. I ordered a few weeks ago this handstamped necklace from Crazy4Handstamping shop on Etsy.

I got Ryan + Erin on the silver disc, Zachary on the long bar with the November crystal, and then added another bar with Est. 05.20.06 (our wedding anniversary). And I requested the words all be lowercase.

I am so pumped to get this. I should be coming any day now. And I can add pendants as our family grows too.

Plus, her prices are so much more reasonable than other handstamped jewelry I've seen. Some more famously known handstamped jewelry, I've seen necklaces for over $120 bucks! No way! That is crazy.

So I am anticipating that this will be a piece I wear often and with great pride.

50 questions...

So everyone is doing this... so I got pressured and here it is...

1. High heels or boots? boots

2. What time did you get up this morning? 6:20am

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Friday the 13th remake

4. What is your maiden name? Kreim or aka Kreimdogg

5. What is your favorite TV show? Modern Family

6. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee and maybe a bagel

7. What is your middle name? Nicole

8. What food do you dislike? Weird fish from the ocean (swordfish, oysters)

9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together. This is a staple in the Nusbaum Household

10. What characteristic do you despise? Jealousy

11. Favorite clothing? tank, cardigan with dark jeans and fun jewerly

12. Anywhere in the world on vacation? Hawaii

13. Are you an organized person? Of course!

14. Where would you retire to? Colorado or Florida

15. What was your most recent meaningful birthday? Nothing was as good as my 21st. That was the first time I ever drank. Ever.

16. What are you going to do when you finish this? Get back to working on direct mail postcards

18. Person you expect to send it back/blog it first? No clue

19. When is your birthday? January 10th

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning

21. What is your shoe size? 9

22. Do you own any animals? A Yorkie named Fender

23. Any news you'd like to share? Not yet, but maybe in the future

24. When you were little, what did you want to be? A Police Woman

25. What is your favorite flower? Peony

26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? December 25th or October 31st

27. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? navy blue

28. How is the weather right now? Gloomy and rainy

29. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sister

30. Favorite drink? Right now, a Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks

31. Favorite restaurant? Florentines

32. Hair color? light brown with pale blonde highlights and brown low lights

33. What was your favorite toy as a child? Cabbage Patch Kids and Trolls

34. Spring Summer, Fall or Winter? Fall

35. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate

36. Coffee or tea? Coffee, wouldn't survive without it!

37. Wish you were still young? No.

38. Do you want your friends to email you back? Absolutely! Blog it!

39. When was the last time you cried? On the way home from work after listening to a song from John Denver & The Muppets. The ending sings "Merry Christmas Little Zachary, Merry Christmas everyone." And I was thinking of my little boy and how much I love him.

41. What did you do last night? Made Chicken Tenders and Oven Fries, played with Zach, bathtime with Zach, watched Modern Family and finished Zach's little Christmas tree for his room.

42. What are you afraid of? Cancer, losing my loved ones.

43. Salty or sweet? Salty. I enjoy a good binge of salsa and chips.

44. Car or Truck? Car

45. Best quality you have? I guess I would have to say my ambition and zest for life!

46. How many years at your current job? 4 years at OSU on November 27th!

47. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

48. How many people will you send this to? I'm blogging it.

49. How many will respond? Don't know.

50. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Yes!

Cute Headband Giveaway!

Check out The Weathered Bungalow blog today for a chance to win an adorable rosette headband!

It's super cute! Plus Meredith's blog is awesome!

Blog Winner...

I read alot of blogs. Most blogs that are very popular have sponsors who sometimes give them fun prizes to giveaway. I always sign up since 1: it's free, 2: you never know if you'll win, and 3: it's fun!

Well I received an email this morning from John Petersik from Young House Love that I won a $50 to Vol. 25 Etsy Shop! I still can't believe it!

I am super excited! I love prints like this, they are so much fun! Not sure what I will pick yet, but I'll let you know!

Gotta LOVE Garland...

Garland has taken new heights from that which we remember as kids. It is made out of fabrics, paper and basically anything!

I made a penant garland for Zach's room after he was born while on maternity leave. I found cheap quarters of fabric from JoAnn's and cut out two different shapes, glued the edges to make them two sided, then fabric glued them to the rickrack. It looks so cute.

Well the other day I got a catalog from The Land of Nod. O.M.G. I looked at it I think about 40 times in the past 3 days! The one thing that jumped out to me was this blue and green snowflake fabric garland: ADORABLE!


I just kept going back to it and going back to it... thinking how cute it would look in Zach's Room during the next 5 months of cold weather, and that there was no way I could have time to recreate it, and that I basically had to have it. So I looked it up on their website and after I saw the FREE SHIPPING emblem, I put it in my cart and bought it.

My favorite blog, Dear Lizzy, shows us so many ideas for garland. Liz is amazing in her work and so inspiring. Just look at her latest Halloween garland.

So then I started to look up some on Etsy. A MILLION types of garland. But my eye caught this Christmas Garland. I love that it's fabric... but not sure if I should just do some myself with two-sided scrapbook paper or pay the money and just buy it. I love to make things but it's so hard to find time to do anything crafty anymore. What do you think?

I am having an idea of making our front room where all of Zach's toys are and make it more of a colorful Christmas room, while our back tv room with the fireplace is way more traditional with the red and green, pinecones and such. The Land of Nod show's amazing ideas on how to incorporate colors as Christmas decor. Thoughts to this?

Love it, Leave it...

Love It: Infusium 23 Leave-In Conditioner

This is by far the BEST leave-in conditioner I have ever used. I've tried them all, but let me tell you- THIS STUFF WORKS! Plus you get a HUGE bottle for only around 7.00.

Love It: Tresemme Tres Two Ultra Fine Hairspray

I used to use a $12 hairspray I'd get from Target, but that was before a mortgage & a baby. Now I am SUPER picky about prices, since our budget is much tighter these days. I love this hairspray because it is perfect for spraying away flyaways and setting your curls without the stickyness or hardness of other hairsprays. It's ultra fine (as stated on the bottle) and works great when your hair is down and even up! It's priced great at around 4.00 and smells wonderful too!Leave It: Revlon Photo Ready Foundation

Again, I used to splurge on MAC makeup, but again, that was before a house and a baby. I have tried many types of foundations. My dermo told me never to use mineral makeup, it caused me to break out really bad due to the minerals in it... along with Covergirl, Almay, Arbonne, MaryKay and Avon. I was shocked to hear this, but she said there is ingredients in these that will cause my pores to clog and which leads to acne. So I tried the Revlon Colorstay and I loved it! I wanted to try another Revlon foundation and so I went with this Photo Ready makeup. I will say it does a nice job of evening out your face, but it doesn't last but a couple hours and it's all off my face. I am going back to the Revlon Color Stay.

For the love of Giada...

I must admit, when Giada first came on the seen, I was kind of annoyed with her. Well, alot of annoyed. Not sure yet, I think it was her explanations of the cheeses that I couldn't stand to listen to. lol

But in the past two years, I have came to absolutely love her and her recipes!

I love to cook, and I wish I had more time to do it! But during the week, it's a rush when I get home with Zach to... get him and all the crap I carry to work inside the house; get him settled in the living room with toys & Disney tv; me changed out of my work clothes into comfy clothes; letting the dog outside to go potty; unpack my bags and put dirty dishes in the dishwasher... by then I have about 1/2 hour to get dinner on the table for a hungry mommy and son!

Ryan usually doesn't get home until 8:00pm from training, so I have no help at all with doing all this and making dinner. I have gotten alot better with my routine, saving me time. But it's still a rush and I've gotta know what I am making for dinner BEFORE I get home or I end up standing in the kitchen with a plank stair and a screaming hungry toddler.

So in the hectic evenings of the week, I've tried to make supper time a time for real cooking- and not just throwing easy mac or hamburger helper on the table. I want to make healthy meals for my family and that comes by planning ahead!

To help with changing this mood from painful to pleasurable, I have invested and will soon be investing in some new cookware! We got a set for a wedding gift close to 5 years ago, but I wanted a really nice set, one that would help me to make better and faster meals. Having the correct utensils make all the difference!

In comes Photo A: Giada's Professional Cooking Set (Thank you Target for putting it on sale this week!) I asked my brother-in-law, who is such a great cook, he has catered for so many families in columbus, he's famous! And he said this was a great set and a great price. So I jumped on it since it was on sale. Well actually a woman at the Graceland Target "Jumped" on it as we were walking down the same aisle and she was ahead of me and grabbed the last one. Luckily Lennox had it, so it's all good!


Next comes Photo B: Giada's Pasts Strainer. I freaking LOVE this thing! I make ALOT of pasta dishes, probably 3 a week! I've never seen this before until a few weeks ago and I knew I needed it!

Next comes Photo C: Giada's 4.5 qt. Casserole Dish. The thing I love about this is that there isn't a long handle like a pot. It looks like a serving dish! Love it! I haven't purchased it yet, but plan on doing so eventually.

This next cooking utensil is not Giada's but a GREAT idea from Rachel Ray via Kohls! These come with a knotch in the handl that (wait for it.... wait for it...) SIT'S ON THE TOP OF THE POTS!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! Such an awesome idea, don't you think?

Elena & Travis- Engagement Shoot

Here are some sneak peaks from my engagement photo shoot with my college friend Elena and her fiance Travis. They were such a pleasure to work with! The shoot went amazing, and the photos surely show it!

Ghosts, Goblins and Birthdays... oh my!

We have a busy October and November ahead of us. Besides squeezing in OSU Games, Boo at the Zoo, and photoshoots, we have two big events arising: Our Annual Halloween Party and Zachary's First Birthday Party!

These are weekends back to back. God knows I am going to be running around with my head cut off... but it will be a blast.

I decided last year that Zach's birthday theme would be Dr. Seuss. I like it cause it's different and there is so many fun ideas I have in store. I made the invitations (above) and splurged on a Dr. Seuss personalized birthday banner for 1stwishes.com. Along with a few other items such as center peices and gift bags for everyone. The gift bags consist on Dr. Seuss pencil, notepad, candy, keychain and bookmark. So dang cute! I decided to get cheap red and blue plates and napkins, since they will be thrown away anways.

I usually do a themed halloween party, but this year I just didn't have the funds to go all out. So we are just doing a basic halloween party with the normal scary decorations. I decided I would be a witch. I ordered an adorable short black dress with bell sleeves witch costume from buycostumes.com. Buy costumes is my go-to place for all Halloween decor & costumes. The dress came with a witches hat and I order this black rhinestone spider necklace to wear with it. Isn't it adorable? Then I think I will wear colored tights (orange or green I am thinking) and my heels. Too cute! And the entire costume with the necklace and tights will only cost me $26!

FYI- Target has fun colored tights in the women's sock section for $5.00!

So I am thinking from now until after the new year, I am going to be swamped. Let the good times roll!