Experimentation in Home Decoration

Every once in a while on my blog I am going to post different "home" projects i've been working on and it's going to be called "Experimentation in Home Decoration." Ok? So here's my first one. Don't make fun! I'm new at this stuff and on a tight budget! (I also have little creative ability, despite what I lead people to believe. Lol.)

Rickety old shelf that I think I got from a yard sale= $5
Pretty contact paper from Target= $6


BEFORE:



AFTER:




What do you think?
Should I cover the sides on the insides as well?
Have any advice for the little bubbles on the side where the screws are underneath?

BESTfeeding

My friend Sandra just blogged today about why she loves breastfeeding, and I thought it would be a REALLY good idea for me to post about it, as a reminder to myself for the next time I have a baby.
So, if you don't feel like reading about breastfeeding, go ahead and stop reading right here. :)

I LOVE breastfeeding.
LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
I remember before I had Katie, and even those first few VERY painful weeks, that so many women were telling me about how much they love(d) breastfeeding. About how they wish they were nursing right at that very moment. How they would have DREAMS about nursing a baby! I seriously thought these women were crazy.
They would look at me so longingly while I would be feeding Katie and I just couldn't understand it!
Sure, I knew that I was giving her the best nutrition possible. I liked the cuddle time. I loved saving tons of money by not buying formula. But longing to breastfeed? I didn't understand it. Especially not when I was in just-about-excruciating pain for what seemed like forever.
But somewhere around the 7 or 8 month mark I began to really enjoy nursing. Around the 8-9 month area, I began to love it, and from 9 months on, I now never ever want to stop breastfeeding!
I love how my baby cuddles up to me. How she knows exactly what "milk" means. I love seeing her sweet face and just how much she loves it. Breastmilk is definitely her favorite food. I love how she can be totally crazy and toddler-like, and then she'll settle down and be completely sweet and nurse.
Katie is 11 months old and honestly, breastfeeding is still her main source of food. I'd say that I breastfeed her about 5 times a day, and once or twice during the night. I give her some snacks throughout the day, and usually a little bit of cereal or oatmeal for breakfast and some fruit for lunch, and then she get's a real dinner at night. But for the most part, most of her food is still breastmilk. And since she is growing just right and is super smart for her age, I think there is no problem with letting breastmilk still be her main source of nutrition.
I'm sure many people think i'm crazy. Most moms at this point only nurse 2 or 3 times a day. Many moms switch to a lot more real food, or even formula at night to get their babies to sleep through the night. (Katie has still never slept through the night. Meaning that since before I even gave birth, I haven't slept for more than 4 or 5 hours at a time. and I am TOTALLY OK with that, since everyone asks.) But me, I'm doing what I feel is right for Katie. I'm feeding her her favorite thing, which also happens to be the healthiest and best thing for her. How awesome is that?! So many parents struggle getting their toddlers to eat their veggies or whatever, but the healthiest thing I can give my baby (for free!) is also her favorite thing! Yay!
I know this seems like a lot to say just about breastfeeding, but future Kim is going to need to read this and remind herself that she DOES like to breastfeed! That the pain goes away! That it is SERIOUSLY WORTH IT!
So future Kim- I know you are probably sad because Katie got too old to breastfeed, or stopped being interested. I know that you are excited to nurse your next baby because you have such fond memories of it. But beware! It is SO painful for a little while, and you might feel like giving up, but DON'T! You can have those wonderful memories again! You will absolutely love it again! Just be patient. Just keep truckin'. Breastfeeding is amazing.

Ever heard of cruise control? or your blinker?

(That title is referring to Utah drivers. Haha!)
Alright, sorry I haven't posted yet about our move, but i'm posting now!
The first couple days here were kind of a blur or unpacking and organizing as much as possible before I headed back to Rexburg! I got to Utah on Sunday night and then left for Rexburg again on Tuesday night.
After cleaning my apartment, with the help of my wonderful mother, on Wednesday, Katie and I stayed with my parents at a hotel in the burg Wednesday night and then headed back down here on Thursday afternoon and my parents left to head home on Thursday night.
Since then, we've just continued to unpack and get our home set up and just get settled in overall.
We've been to church 3 times now (only 2 for me because I woke up puking at 4 in the morning) and the ward seems good. There are so many young children, it's a little overwhelming, and there are SO MANY little boys! I'm talking boys under 2 years of age. They probably outnumber the little girls 5 or 6 to 1. Luckily Katie likes little boys more than girls. Haha!
Brad has been enjoying work and i've been enjoying living so close to some of my favorite stores. However, I deeply miss my Albertson's. Is it wrong to want to cry over a grocery store?
The weather has been better than Idaho, but the driving has been awful. (Utah drivers. I think most of you know what i'm talking about.)
I LOVE finally being able to have kittens but I miss my Rexburg friends, and ward, dearly.
It's been great to be able to finally buy real and comfortable furniture, but I really really miss free utilities.
There are a lot of positives and negatives but I won't get into them all.
For now, I am just going day to day and waiting for warmer weather so we can start swimming!

As far as Katie news, she is super crazy. She is not yet 11 months and practically running around the apartment 24 hours a day! She walks SO GOOD and has such great balance for such a little girl. Really, it makes me sad to not have my baby girl anymore but she is so fun to watch and play with that it's ok.
We'll just have to work on making a little little teeny baby for me to cuddle with because Katie is too busy to cuddle anymore.
She doesn't talk yet, but the sounds she makes have improved. Still no "mama" sound yet though. :(
She eats everything and only has a few foods that she doesn't really like including: bananas, strawberries that are too tart, broccoli (although she hasn't tried it pureed yet), and plain cheerios. Well, I guess she's alright with plain cheerios, but she would prefer something with more flavor.
She likes to dance and clap and she LOVES the kitties! I keep trying to get a picture of video of her with them, but the second she sees the camera, she forgets everything else and just wants to smile and grab it.
She likes to pick them up a lot, and while they don't particularly like it, I think they are getting used to it.
All the recent pictures are on my Facebook, so you can see them there.
I think that's about all the updates. I hope everyone has a great week!