Playing with P-Pie and Monkey

tyler and the shrinking cowboy teddy - 1 month

2012-02-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

it is hard to believe a month has gone by since you entered this big world. it seems like just yesterday i heard your tiny cries in the operating room. we finally got you back up to birth weight after 3 weeks. you are a slow eater but are getting the hang of it now. you do a lot of sleeping during the day and a little less than i would like at night. i know we will get you turned around. you are a snuggle bug. you prefer to be close to your mama all the time. in fact as i type this post right now you are in your bjorn snuggled against my chest. last night you loved having your older brother brady sing to you. you stared up at him and even cracked a couple of smiles. we can't wait to see what this next month holds as you continue to grow. we love you little bit.

we welcome tyler jacob

2012-01-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

we waited so patiently for these little shoes to be filled with adorable little wrinkly feet.

this would finally make our family complete.

we welcome the newest member of our family: tyler jacob.

the sweetest little face you have ever seen, and as quiet as quiet could be. i know in time this all will change once your older brothers have the opportunity to show you their ways. until then we will snuggle you and love every minute of your new life. what a blessing we have been given. we love you little ty.

Happy 3rd Birthday Logan!

2012-01-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

i can hardly believe you are three. it seems like just yesterday we welcomed you into our arms. this past year we have watched you blossom. your personality is one of a kind and often reminds your mommy of herself at times. you are an ipad wiz and talk our ears off, a welcome noise to my ears. you love to rhyme especially with peoples names. your favorite is, "mommy, fomey, domey." your one dimpled smile and big blue eyes charm everyone in the room every time. your shy yet devious ways will surely make all who meet you remember you for the great young man you are becoming. we can't wait to see what the next year holds. we love you very much logey roo!

single blades

2012-01-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

just when you had your skating legs all figured out, he threw you for a loop. santa brought you single blade skates, you asked for them anyway.... a little less sturdy than those double blades you learned on.

watching you two move slowly around the ice was one of the most heart warming things i have seen.

your daddy's strong arms, patience and steady legs helped you to get around.

you are so lucky to have him as your daddy and in no time you will be floating around on the ice with grace and speed while both of us watch proudly from the bleachers.

memories of christmas past and present

2011-12-26T03:42:00.000-07:00

what you can't see in this picture very well is the two carrots in the grass and the bag of magic reindeer food in brady's hands. the anticipation and constant reminders for the last week about making sure to feed the reindeer have been rather cute. so as soon as we arrived home tonight daddy trampled the snow and the boys headed out to the front lawn to make sure the reindeer knew just where to land and had plenty of food to keep them occupied while santa delivered the presents.

for brian and i every christmas is a new experience as we map our way through traditions old and what to continue on with as well as what to create new for our family.

as a child i have many fond memories of christmas eve and christmas morning. there was something about walking into my grandma betty's house on christmas morning. she would be sitting in her chair sipping her tea. a christmas record would be playing out in the family room and the crackle and glow from the fire and christmas tree would add to the ambiance of the morning. i still remember the smell of her house around every holiday, one of comfort, warmth and homemade rolls.

the year i started to not believe in mr. c, he landed on the roof of our home, sleigh bells came from right outside my window. i even heard a "ho, ho, ho, merry christmas." a sign for me it was definitely time to get to bed so mr c. could come to do his job. the next morning their were reindeer hoof prints in my front yard along with a bag of half eaten hay. i am pretty sure that renewed my belief for another couple of years, maybe even a lifetime.

the point is, the magic of the season doesn't have to be complicated or over thought. sometimes you can even follow the lead of your children. as this year comes to an end i sit here feeling completely blessed by all that i have. i look forward to the new year and all that it holds for myself and my growing family. it's a great life.

merry christmas to all and to all a good night.

diy wrapping paper wreath

2011-12-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

my front room was looking a little bare. i decided it needed a little something since we would be eating christmas day dinner in there. i read about this diy paper wreath here what a great idea! it took me sometime to find some paper i liked. i ended up using what you see below. i chose it because it looked christmas enough but also looked like something i could leave up for a while after the holidays. after going to all the work this late i didn't want to take it down right away.

i originally wanted to wreath to be twice this size, however after cutting out several leaf shapes i decided i didn't have it in me to double the size and after doing this if i don't cut out another leaf shape for a while i will be happy. the wreath is made completely out of paper. the wreath itself is simply poster board cut into a wreath shape. you then cut out the leaves and start arranging a stapling them on. i made mine a little fuller than the one on the red thread blog. i also would suggest using a higher quality wrapping paper. i paid $5 for my roll as opposed to a $1 or $2.50. the higher quality paper is much easier to work with. overall the entire wreath cost me $5.69 and i still have wrapping paper left over to wrap gifts with.

the chalkboard looked a little bare after hanging my wreath so i decided to add a little something below and overall i am happy with my simple christmas flare in the front room. it is a whole lot better than what was there before which was nothing!

merry christmas!

THANKFUL

2011-12-03T04:20:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to get this post out since Thanksgiving. I have been a little tired and a little overwhelmed with all my nesting duties lately. However, I am so thankful to be pregnant and welcoming a new life into this great big world. I am thankful for these two adorable boys pictured above and all the joy, frustration, laughter and tears they bring to my life. I am thankful for my husband who is also my best friend. I am thankful to have such a loving and supporting family who will drop anything to come help me in a moment of need no matter how last minute the notice. I am thankful for all my sweet, sweet friends.

It is so easy to forget all that we have to be thankful for in life. We get caught up in all the craziness that surrounds us daily. But here in this peaceful moment on my couch at 4 am (thank you sweet baby for making it less than comfortable to get some z's.) I have a moment to reflect on all my blessings. A moment to be thankful for God and all that he has provided me in my life.

Tanks to my sweet friend Meghan for taking some beautiful photos of my family. One of those is the one pictured above. It is undoubtedly one of my favorites on the disc. xoxo

Ahoy Matey!

2011-11-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

today we were in need of an adventure. so with a little imagination we built our own little pirate ship. thank goodness we had a hockey stick, packing tape and left over material from a sewing project. we built our sail, tied on our pirate bandannas got our swords and set sail on the sea. we are in search of our treasure. now we just need to agree on where to sail first.

nursery chair slip cover

2011-11-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

well i have eight weeks left until this baby gets here. i am finally done sewing for the nursery. just put the sewing machine away this morning and finally have my formal dining table back just in time for thanksgiving! wohoo!

i was given this rocking chair by a sweet dear friend of mine. thank you sweet christy!

the color was not a bad color but did not go with the vintage cowboy theme that i am doing. so, my first attempt at sewing a slip cover began.

first of all if you plan on washing this baby at all i highly suggest you run it through the wash before you start sewing. i washed mine on hot and dryed it on hot, that way it won't shrink after you get it all done. you start out by measuring your chair and cutting your fabric section by section. i added an inch to each measurement for hems. i bought cheap $4 a yard fabric so if my first attempt did not turn out i wouldn't be sick to my stomach.

i sewed the hems as i went so i wouldn't be dealing with 5000 pins or trying to stuff too much material through my machine. every once in a while i turned it right side up to make sure it was fitting the chair appropriately. i would suggest this so you don't have to go back and rip out several seams if there is a mistake somewhere.

the back of this slip cover was a little trickier than i anticipated and since i had such a snug and tailored fit on the front of my chair i knew i would need to leave the back loose to take on and off so i could wash it (you know for those times that spit up gets everywhere.) so i added ties to the back sides and just tied it up.

the finished result is this beautiful chair that now goes with the reds, blues and whites of my vintage cowboy nursery. i thought the white chair needed a little pop, so i sewed up a quick pillow, i have to say i won't mind having the back support behind me either.

i added a little applique star to the fabric. i found a website with all kinds of free applique patterns. i printed out the star, cut it our of my left over white fabric and stitched it on with the sewing machine really quick with a zig zag stitch. just the right touch and happily i can say my whole nursery should grow with my little man for at least a couple of years until trains and cars are cooler than cowboys. more to come on the nursery later we are still piecing it together. i can't wait to share some of the other projects with you that have helped pull this whole vintage cowboy nursery together!

painting your kitchen cabinets

2011-10-25T15:03:00.001-06:00

we started and finished this project so long ago. let me say that painting your kitchen cabinets is not for the faint at heart. you can certainly hire someone to do this for you, but to save money my husband and i decided to do this ourselves. my husband did most of the work and i love him dearly for the end result. going black was a huge decision and a little risky but the end result is absolutely awesome and i couldn't be happier. here is a break down of how we did it.

take all the cabinet doors off

sand down the doors and the shells. this is a very important step. you do not want to leave any finish on because the paint will not stick well. in a kitchen you need a good base because of all the water and touching that goes on with cabinets.

then we applied two coats of primer if you are going dark tint the primer so you don't have to apply several coats of paint to cover a light shade of primer. we also chose to spray on the paint to avoid the brush strokes look. you can either get a sprayer attachment for your compressor which is what we did or you can buy and individual sprayer.

then we painted two coats of black paint.

to do the shells we taped off the whole kitchen and sprayed those as well. it made a huge mess with over spray but the over spray did wipe off with a little elbow grease and soap. you can take your shells off we just didn't want to mess with hanging them again.

we also applied wanes coating to the exposed exterior of the cabinets around the island and also on the upper cabinets. this gave it a custom look as well as solved the problem of the outside of the cabinets not being paintable as they were not real wood.

once all was painted my husband applied three coats of polyurethane to the shells with a paint brush using long strokes, this did not leave any brush stroke marks and has given the cabinets a good protective layer from chipping.

once the shells were dry he hung all the doors back on and then applied three coats of polyurethane to them as well.

after all was dry we added our hardware and did the tile black splash.

the end result is a completely updated kitchen at the fraction of the cost one would have paid to have all new cabinets put in!

we got another pet or two....

2011-10-20T14:39:00.000-06:00

logan made a pet rock at school today. i am unable to even post a picture of it here because he is currently napping with his new little friend. as we drove home this afternoon i hear logan say, "mommy brady is not being my friend." i respond, "brady why aren't you logan's friend?" i hear a quiet quivering voice in the back seat respond, "because logan did not bring me a pet rock." sniff, sniff, sniff.........

i then suggest as any mother would, "brady can we find the perfect rock when we get home and make you a pet rock just like logan's?" he responds, " that would be nice mommy."

once home we find the perfect rock, some sharpies in our drawer, a piece of felt for blankie and an old small gift bag for our pet carrier.

i wish all of life's problems were solved this easily. for now i have two new pet's in my house and thank goodness they don't require water or food because we already have our fair share of those. more importantly i have two little boys with smiles on their faces. sometimes the simplest of things in life are just enough.

hoist the sails!

2011-10-11T06:28:00.000-06:00

grandma and grandpa treated us to a pirate dinner show in anaheim. it was quite the event. the boys to my surprise sat through the whole thing and watched with amazement. while they were serving dinner they came around and handed out paper pirate hats to a select few little pirates. brady got one and logan did not. i didn't even think twice about it at the time.

as the show progressed they asked those with the paper hats to come up on stage. we were team purple and our team purple pirate that we had been rooting for the whole show came by and snagged brady to go on stage. they sang a song and took a pirate oath. i was so proud of brady for going up on the stage with out a parent and with a lot of strangers. he is so brave as a little pirate should be. then they dismissed all the little pirates off stage except for one.

my sweet little brady was asked to stay. he was asked by the captain of the ship you see. they asked him if he would go back to his parents and take all of their jewelry and return to the ship and give it to the captain. in his sweet little voice i heard, "yes."

say hello to pirate brady!

take a moment

2011-10-08T07:00:00.001-06:00

yesterday i took a moment and escaped from the heaviness that seems to be looming over our house. i couldn't help but watch what was unfolding on our leaf and sun soaked front yard. these boys have the most contagious laugh i know. they diligently raked pile after pile of leaves together for the sole purpose of jumping and wrestling around in them. life is short and when feeling overwhelmed or stressed about it, take the time to realize all that you have around you. for in this moment i took yesterday i realized that family and these boys are the most important thing. everything else will fall into place with just a little faith.

the happiest place on earth

2011-10-05T07:24:00.000-06:00

a day spent at disneyland.

at the end of the day in the words of logey j, "this is the best day ever."

amen little man!

the girl with the mask

2011-10-03T14:50:00.001-06:00

i have been reading a new book Grace For The Good Girl at a perfect time. i can honestly tell you my life has not been that of a "good girl", but i follow emily's blog, chatting at the sky. her messages are inspiring and her words captivating, so i picked up her book. changes are happening in our household. i am having a hard time wrapping my mind around them and wondering what our outcome will be. i am the type of person that immediately wants to adjust everything "just in case" the worse happens.

growing up i did not have the childhood of most children. a single mother who worked two jobs to make ends meet and a father who was no where to be found, nor did he want anything to do with me. while reading the book i read a story of a friend of emily's. one who had some rough times in her life early on. as a result she wore a mask. this mask enabled her to hide her fears and appear to be so put together on the outside. she worked extra hard to prove to those around her she could achieve at a high level and conquer anything she put her mind to. she trusted no one but herself to determine her life success. i could not have read all of this at a better time. i have been that girl most of my life. mask up and working hard to prove to everyone around me that i could do it despite my early challenges in life and i did.

my past comes back to haunt me at challenging times in my life. i lack the ability to trust anyone but myself, when i know i can trust others around me. most of all i can trust my husband but it is so hard for me to sit back and let things unfold. i want to run ahead and put a y in the road and then check both ways to see which will be the best to go down. do we stay on the current path or veer off to see what the other road holds? i fear change, i fear the unknown, i fear risk. change is not always bad, it can lead to great new opportunities.

time for this girl to take the mask down, face her fears, open her heart and mind and believe that God has a plan for my family. we just need to listen.....

the beginning of the vision of the nursery...

2011-09-20T15:40:00.000-06:00

with my vision of little singing birdies dashed once we knew it was a boy, i searched and thought a lot about the theme of the nursery for baby boy smith #3 and alas it starts to take shape....

i see a little vintage buckaroo room coming together piece by piece. best of all we have daddy's old cowboy boots complete with a hole in the toe from when he was a little buckaroo to add to the charm.

more to come as the sewing frenzy begins....

and then there were three

2011-09-11T14:28:00.001-06:00

boys that is. that's right, me the mom of three boys. i am feeling slightly out numbered here in our house. i see lots of air fresheners and stinky sports laundry in my future followed by huge bills at costco and yes costco i am thankful for you. after sometime i have wrapped my mind around being the mom of three boys and i finally think i can do it and survive. we are super excited to welcome this little man into our lives. we are truly blessed.

a new room to play in

2011-08-28T13:04:00.000-06:00

we finally have a dedicated space for the boys. after a couple of years of fisher price decorating my family room it is back to normal, with the exception of the straggler toys that get brought down from the loft.

we went and bought a bunch of cubby shelves and storage cubes at target and went to town organizing and carrying everything up. the end result is an awesome organized space for the boys! the cost was totally worth it. to be organized you have to have the right tools and it is not the most inexpensive solution but after two years of crazy bins and unorganized "toyness" it was worth every penny to me!

yellowstone

2011-08-24T10:19:00.000-06:00

we had a great time in yellowstone catching up with family from washington. we got to meet our cousin jaron for the first time. cousin chris was nice enough to crawl into this mock wolf den with us at the bear and wolf rescue in west yellowstone.

we had a great time climbing all over fallen trees and exploring in nature. this is when we had a lot of energy at the top of the great falls.

then our little legs climbed down 300+ stairs on uncle toms trail so we could see the beauty of the falls. we were especially excited about the rainbow we saw coming down. we went about 3/4 of the way down and then turned around to start our long journey up. brady made it the whole way up and down on his own and cousin chris only carried logan about 100 steps up. so proud of both of you for doing so much up and down on your own. (by the way the boys napped awesome this day!)

we waited patiently for old faithful and were less than excited when it erupted. brady said, "it looks like a cannon mommy." then we were off to explore the pools and other geysers.

we referred to many as baby pools and mama pools and were told that it did not smell so good around here but overall enjoyed our adventure.

our favorite part of this day was ice cream. by the way meg. i am a BIG fan of huckleberry ice cream. YUM!

grandma and grandpas

2011-07-28T16:47:00.000-06:00

there is nothing like hanging with grandma and grandpa for a week. lots of sweets, a really cool pool that the boys eventually liked towards the end of the week and the ability to see santa in july!

mommy and daddy love all of the good food and watching the boys play with the grandparents they miss soooo much. we wish you guys lived closer! thanks for a fun filled vacation and all the love you gave the boys.

i can't believe it finally fits

2011-07-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

this outfit was a gift from brady's great uncle stan. i remember opening it shortly after he was born and thinking to myself, this will never fit my precious little boy. today i cleaned out the boy's closet and reminisced about every outfit that no longer fits. this outfit hung in the back of the closet. i pulled it out and checked the size. sure enough brady was ready to wear it and it fits beautifully. where has the time gone? i certainly was not prepared for the everyday frustration of raising two boys eighteen months apart. my lack of preparation has also become evident in the feeling of sadness in how quickly time seems to be going by. yet another reminder to just roll with the punches, find more patience, laugh with them and love every minute we have for time is flying by quickly.

diy vintage summer fabric flower wreath

2011-07-10T15:03:00.000-06:00

my front door has been looking a little bare. so i finally had some energy to get crafty and put a little something in the works. i had all of this stuff just laying around.

i started with a wreath i got at the dollar store and some plain white fabric. i tore the fabric in strips and simply wrapped it around the wreath. When i was done i pinned it in the back.

i then cut circles out of some summery vintage fabric laying around the house. they don't have to be perfect, you will bunch the fabric while you sew on buttons.

i then picked out some vintage buttons out of a sack of buttons my grandmother gave me. any button will do!

as i sewed the buttons on i bunched the fabric underneath to create a flowery look.

after done i sewed them onto the wreath. this is the end result!

i hung it on my front door, however i did not post the picture. the wreath i used was too small for the door. sigh........

small oversight on my part but still a cute looking wreath!

Happy 4th Birthday Brady!

2011-06-25T10:18:00.000-06:00

happy birthday brady boy! another fun filled year of "bradyisms". my personal favorite was the "indoor side pool" instead of indoor pool. your fun loving carefree attitude is exactly that of your daddy's. you have been fine tuning your big brother skills this year and to my surprise you have become quite the protector of him, don't get me wrong you still have your moments of picking on him too. you love to sleep in like your mommy and trains and cars are still your most favorite toys. you developed a few crushes this year. need i say lilly lake? you overcome each challenge with a smile on your face. you are still one of the best car singers i know, next to mommy of course. your independence is definitely becoming known and while it makes me sad because you are no longer my baby, i am so proud of the person you are becoming. your daddy and i are so blessed to have you in our lives and look forward to each new day ahead with you and all that they hold. we love you.

side table re-finishing

2011-05-31T20:02:00.000-06:00

i know this isn't the round tables below. sigh.... i forgot to take a before picture so i took a picture of their ugly step sister still in her original form. if you can picture her circular instead of a rectangle then you will know exactly what my two round tables looked like before they were made over.

i started with sanding. (actually my kind hubby did it for me.) thanks b. got all of that lacquer finish off of there for a nice clean surface.

i then mixed 1/2 cup paint and a little less than a 1/2 cup water.

i slowly brushed on the paint. waited for it to dry for about 20-30 seconds and then took a lint free cloth (you can buy them at the hardware store.) make sure to get the ones that say lint free as you don't want lint rubbing off on your paint.

you take the cloth after the paint has dried for 20-30 seconds and rub down the paint. the goal is to rub it into the grain. it gives a nice patina look to the furniture.

i did this on each piece twice allowing 30 minutes between first and 2nd coat to dry.

after two days of curing i sanded down the edges on the top and some areas on the legs to make it look a little more worn. i used 220 sand paper.

i then sprayed three coats of poly urethane on to keep them in good shape for their next owner.

i spray painted the bronze hardware with rustoleum oil rubbed bronze spray paint.

they are up for sale now on craigs list. hoping to fetch a good price so i can redecorate the boys playroom and add shelving to hold all of their loot. :)

end of the year teacher thank you

2011-05-17T21:35:00.001-06:00

here is a little something i put together so my boys could let their preschool teachers know how much they appreciated them at the end of the school year. i don't know how those ladies do it i tell ya.

i started out with some mini clay pots. remember that chalkboard project i did? well i had a lot of chalkboard paint left over. so i used it on these pots. that way they can re-use them and write herb names on them or whatever. two coats of paint brushed on is what it took to get these babies looking good.

when we were done we planted lavender in them, something that will grow and help them relax this summer. lord knows they need it after this school year. i added some torn colorful fabric around it as well as a little tag that thanked them for being them signed by the boys.

a simple little project that took a little time but will hopefully make the teachers smile.

sooooooo TWO

2011-05-13T16:19:00.001-06:00

this is the face i see most of the time these days. don't get what we want and erupt into a river of tears.

what's that you say? all this crying is still not working? well then...

i'll try something a little more dramatic like this. still crying and yelling NO. (our new favorite word, maybe our only word these days.)

tell me friends when does this end and why can't my kids be on the same page at the same time. brady is all smiles and cooperation these days it seems they have flip flopped.

sigh....

i know we will make it through this and i won't remember how terrible it was a year from now lets make that two years. i have forgotten, well almost forgotten what brady was doing at this age.

motherhood. not for the weak of heart. love you logey we will make it through this...

the new bedtime

2011-05-03T20:14:00.000-06:00

this is the new bedtime in our house. books on the ipad. the boys love them almost as much as their daddy does. what on earth are these guys going to read from to their kids? time will only tell.

the easter bunny hopped in

2011-04-24T07:58:00.000-06:00

the easter bunny hopped in and left us buckets full of goodies. candy and games and lip balm of course.

then we started looking around and realized that there were eggs all over our house. we had fun hunting and snacking as we went along. it should be a fun day of kids hopped up sugar. happy easter!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T09:28:00.000-06:00

We hope you have an "eggcellent" day!

today a little voice spoke with pure honesty

2011-04-20T21:33:00.000-06:00

today these little legs and i walked into a field littered with colored plastic easter eggs. today was the easter party at school complete with a pizza lunch. you see all the parents were invited. today i had to work, an appointment that i could not move. i hurried as quick as i could so i could get to the party with full realization that i would be late. but, he wouldn't notice. it won't be a big deal. i walked into the school with much on my mind and a cell phone attached to my head. secretly wondering how i was going to get it all done. i got to class just in time to do the easter egg hunt. my little man clinging tightly to my hand as we walked down the hall together. his easter basket swaying back and forth. we got outside and he was so excited. we held hands and walked through the field looking for eggs and that is when he spoke in a quiet hushed voice. "mommy where were you? all the mommies came and you didn't, you were late." my heart sank. i know i cannot be there all the time. things are going to come up. right? at the same time if felt a lot of love. he does notice, he does want me to be around and share in his experiences with him. i should relish in this moment for i know someday this will not be the case. i love these little guys, all the ups and downs and in betweens and will cherish our little egg walk today for the rest of my life. i am so blessed.

diy wall chalkboard

2011-04-18T14:28:00.001-06:00

so it all started with these beautiful chalkboards from restoration hardware. however i could not choke down the $745 price tag for the large one which is about the size i wanted for our dining room wall. so i did what i do and put one together on my own.

my husband is the master mind behind the construction of this baby. he started with some thin smooth finish ply board. he then decided he wanted to support the ply board for fear if it waffled back and forth too much during the framing and hanging process it might crack the chalkboard paint. he simply put wood to frame the back side and we glued it with wood glue you buy in the tube. we then clamped it and allowed a couple hours drying time.

once that was dry we flipped it over and i started applying my chalkboard paint. i bought a small foam roller so it would go on smoothly. i applied three coats of paint following the instructions on the back of the can. (i have to say that i painted this on the dining room table that i swore i would never ever craft on when i bought it. super risky but didn't want to be moving this baby around too much after finishing it.)

once dry we put a frame around it i picked up at the thrift store. (my husband was so happy he didn't have to build one. that was originally what i asked him to do.) it was already antiqued for me so didn't have to do a thing to it. love it when that happens! my chalkboard is 4 foot by 5.5 feet. rather big you certainly could go a lot smaller and the project would probably be a little easier and less labor intensive to put together.

i love the finished product and all in total i spent somewhere around $80-$90 for all of my supplies including the frame. i love the end product and look forward to changing it up whenever i feel like it.

grandma smith

2011-04-12T15:37:00.000-06:00

rest in peace grandma smith. i certainly wish we lived closer and i could have gotten to know you better. i have heard tale of what an amazing life you have had. we take comfort now knowing that you are in heaven. smiling down on each and everyone in your family.

sitting chair makeover

2011-04-11T15:58:00.000-06:00

this chair was a thrifty purchase. i saw it went home, thought about it and went back the next day. truth be told it really wasn't that bad to begin with, gray velvet just doesn't fit our house. i was going to paint this beauty white and antique it. i had some decorator fabric laying around that i absolutely love so i threw it across the chair and decided that it looked awesome with the wood in it's natural beauty. my first instinct is always to paint wood, but this time i didnt' and the end result is pretty amazing, (especially for my first reupholstering job!)

the piping around the back was probably my biggest challenge and after figuring out i was not going to be able to staple it on without seeing the staples i resorted to my old stand by. mr. hot glue gun. he did a great job and it is holding beautifully. i love this chair! i sat and read in it last night. the best part was how little it cost to add such a great piece to my room. if you are patient things always pop up. a decorating lesson i have been trying hard to learn and has taken some time to sink in.

spring is here

2011-04-05T08:08:00.000-06:00

i have been crafting and redecorating for spring around here. i covered that letter in moss cloth. what a mess and what a project. not the easiest thing to do.

i used an old cheese board for a spring decorating item. i put some moss in it and some little white ceramic birds.

i added a little moss to our lantern collection as well.

i have a couple other projects under my sleeve that i will be putting on here when done. what have you been up to lately?

seed sowing

2011-04-02T14:20:00.000-06:00

remember those seeds we got last year? we are busy sowing them in our mini green house gardens. we are starting our vegetable garden and are super excited. brady is especially excited about the carrots. we will keep you posted on our progress. i was not blessed with my grandmothers green thumb so i am slightly nervous of the end result. do you think the kids will eat more vegetables if they put some hard work into growing them. (i am sure hoping so.)

a little of just being who you are

2011-03-29T08:33:00.000-06:00

i wish i had the confidence to walk out the door looking like this. to just be me and create my own art. no worries of what others think.

always a smile and a laugh. a pure joy for life and all that it encompasses.

with the ability to be silly but courageous enough to take that silly shot. it might just turn out to be the award winning piece.

hidden treasures

2011-03-17T16:09:00.000-06:00

this was my great grandmothers trunk.

don't you love the detail on the top? it runs down the sides too and all along the bottom. i won't lie it needs a little work, maybe a coat of black paint to cover up years of slight wear and tear, but overall it is in pretty good condition.

in my mind i placed it in our front room. do you think it is to tall for the sofa? it is the perfect finish to my rustic restoration hardware look of the room.

i also found these vintage suit cases and old military trunk. i love the idea of decorating with old vintage stuff. the top suitcase is a little on the stained and weathered side. i can't decide if it is too stained for my taste. after all i know that is part of the charm of this decorating idea. what do you think? for those of you who have decorated this way any tips on how to get the stains out of the straw like material covering the suitcase?

by the way found all of this in my grandmas basement. amazing what cool things you find if you go basement diving on a thursday.

thanks mamaw!

lamp makeover

2011-03-13T20:52:00.000-06:00

i have been feeling not very crafty lately but finally got back into the swing with this find. i found this beauty at a thrift store for $4.99.

i love it's chunky body. it is less than beautiful right now but a little wood putty, some sanding and yes some heirloom white spray paint. (i did spray primer on this lamp as well before painting it it's final color. i wanted to make sure the wood did not start bleeding through the paint. it took four coats of paint and two coats of primer to achieve my final look.

and you get this.

i bought the lamp shade at target and got it on sale for $13.99. it looks a lot like a lamp that i have been eyeing in the pottery barn catalog, but for a lot less!

what i am learning is be patient and you will find unique things to complete your look. a room does not come together over night, but over time.

who's the puppy?

2011-03-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

in these guys eyes i think both think each other is a puppy. fun was to be had this weekend. we ran around in the back yard together. if kenzie sniffed, logan sniffed. if kenzie licked the tree, logan licked the tree.

we ran in circles, laughed and barked. overall we had a really good playtime. whenever i feel tired from all the work two kids and two dogs create for me i will remember these moments. it makes it all worth it.

kenzie grill

2011-03-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

happy to report on this little lady we are making some progress. i owe it to her to stick with this and get her socialized and a little less crazy. doggie xanex anyone? after all she has gotten me through a rough patch in my road. we are bonding, she is getting into less trouble but it still is tempting sometimes. she has learned that her bathroom is outside now and is generally adjusting well. the barriers have come down off of the furniture. (hoping i don't regret this decision.) she comes when called and even gives us a tail wag most of the time. to achieve great things you have to put a little effort in or in her case a lot but we are getting there and we are so happy you are a part of our family.

yogurt inspired colors

2011-02-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

this morning as we eat breakfast and color waiting for brady to wake up, we worked on our colors. logan is starting to repeat everything you say so it is a great time to teach! when i asked him what color he was coloring with this morning he confidently said "otton andy" logan language for cotton candy. our favorite flavor in tubed yogurt. i said, "i think it is blue" and he repeated, "blue?" i said, "yes." then he sat quietly for a moment and said, " no mommy. un dat otton andy." love this age.

ipad generation

2011-02-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

i hate to admit this but these boys show me a thing or two on how to use the i pad. yes i repeat a three year old and two year old are showing their mommy how to work this little pad of magic. we like watching movies on here and playing games. the newest obsession is scrolling through the you tube videos and watching random clips of kids or little animated unicorns. you name it they can do it and they have the finger swipe down better than most of you i pad junkies out there.

what's next?

vintage cooking

2011-02-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

my mom surprised me with this book last night. my grandma gave it to me back in 1992. (gosh i feel old.)

my grandma had the most amazing handwriting and she dated everything she gifted if she could. every card was dated, book etc. her sweet words inside brought a smile to my face. i can't wait to dive into this with the boys and make some "simple" recipe food.

thanks for keeping my stuff mom it is fun to get little things like this from my childhood to pass onto my boys.

strength

2011-02-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

i walk by these beauties several times a day. a dear friend of mine brought them by to me on a day that i wondered if i would make it through. i couldn't even show my face at the door when she dropped them off. it is amazing to me the emotions that i have been feeling over this particular road block in my life. i have felt many feelings i never knew i could feel. the roller coaster ride has been one i will choose to forget as soon as i am done healing.

today i walked past these and noticed they were bone dry. all the water had been sucked up and yet they looked as beautiful as they did the day they were delivered. you see the great man upstairs has a plan for all of us, a hard thing to remember in the face of adversity. there is a time and place for everything. i remind myself every morning, god never gives us more than we can handle.

home made valentine cards

2011-02-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

don't get me wrong the store bought pre-made valentine cards are good. however, don't you think that making valentine cards with your little ones mean so much more? these were simple. i found some cute scrap booking paper and cut hearts out and we glued them with a glue stick to card stock paper. with a couple little cupid like phrases written in..... we are good to spread our love to all of our classmates! brady had a great time punching out the hearts with me and gluing them on. the best part of this project was how many times he said, "mommy i love you, you are my valentine."

weekend fun in the mountains

2011-01-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

so someone definitely got the better end of this deal..... don't you wish someone would pull you up a steep hill so you can sled back down it?

logan tried sledding. not really his most favorite thing..

ice skating for the first time. the boys did fantastic. both are naturals. i see hockey in our near future.

after skating a nice little treat at the rocky mountain chocolate factory.

mmmmm marshmallows on sticks coated with sprinkles.

we had a great weekend. relaxing and playing in the high country of colorado. did i mention what a gift it is to live in such a beautiful state?

today we....

2011-01-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

hung out in our pj's this morning a little longer than normal....

we played a zoo game we really, really love.

we jumped like kangaroos when it told us to and sang happy birthday to panda in tune.

we acted like monkeys and walked like bears.

it was so nice to just hang around and play this morning with these two adorable boys.

valentine garland and letters

2011-01-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

the heart garland idea, i stole from here. it was super simple to make. start with any kind of string you have in your house. i used twine. then take a heart puncher and punch out hearts. (don't have one? do the old fashioned way by folding paper in half and cutting out half a heart shape.) i chose colorful pages out of an old magazine i had laying around. you could use scrap book paper or other fancy stuff (if you so desire.)

then fold the hearts in half. then i used a glue stick to glue three together, leaving the center open so you can string your string through it. (only glue the outside edges of the heart. leave closer to the fold unglued.) the end result is the garland strung along my mantle above. the cost. minimal to almost free :) the boys also had fun cutting out hearts with me and helping me glue them.

i wish i could take credit for the above it is a great idea. i actually found these at a thrift store for $3 when i was crafty shopping. someone took a two by four and cut four pieces all the same size. then they painted them a pretty red. after that they glued on some pretty scrapbook paper and then cut out letters in paper and glued that on top of the paper. when they were done they mod-podged the front. the end result. super cute display letters. perfect for the holiday. i love, love, love these. what have you done to decorate your home for valentine's day? i would love to hear!

diy wall letters

2011-01-20T08:00:00.003-07:00

i was at a craft sale one day and fell in love with the idea of uniquely covered wall letters. you can use them anywhere in your home. the vendor at the show wanted something like seven or eight dollars a letter. in my true fashion i studied them and then went to the craft store myself to create.

you start with wall letters sold at any craft store. there are wood letters or there are also compressed card board letters. they are on sale quite often and you can pick them up anywhere from fifty cents each to upwards of two to three dollars.

then visit the scrap booking section and pick out your favorite patterned paper. i was making these for a cousin of mine who did their nursery in owls. hence the adorable owl paper. however you could make letters for your family room or kitchen. they have a fantastic selection of vintage paper these days.

you then glue the paper to the letter. after the glue has dried use and exacto knife to cut around the letter.

once it has been cut out you can use sand paper or a nail file to sand around the edges. you can even sand the front of the paper to give it a worn look.

when finished you can hang on your wall, set them on a shelf or you can tie up with some old fabric and give them as a gift!

hearts for haiti

2011-01-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

(photo courtesy of sweet pea and beans.)

i spent my sunday afternoon sewing some hearts to help out a dear friend of mine, who is going to haiti in a few days. i could not be more proud of her courage and initiative to take this trip. i really enjoyed our time together on sunday chit chatting and sewing. please join me here at her blog and if you can or are so inclined buy a heart or two and help those in need.

diy - valentines day wreath

2011-01-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

here is a fun little valentine's day diy wreath project for you. so simple and inexpensive. start out with any heart shaped wreath. i found this one at my local thrift store for $2.

cut a strip as a template and test tying it around the wreath to make sure that you have the desired length and look you like. i purchased cheap linen fabric. i bought a yard of each color and had a little left over. i chose white and light pink for my wreath but you could choose any colors or patterns you would like. then start tying them until you get all the way around the wreath. i alternated my colors.

the finished product is a cute little wreath for your front door so cupid knows where to stop! total cost of this project was $8.

everything in due time

2011-01-12T14:33:00.002-07:00

when you least expect it but have been hoping it would happen. that is when things creep up on you. you may have been asking for them for a while, like a good snow in the metro area of colorado. as you can see by my picture we finally got it. now i pray for it to get warm enough for it all to melt....i digress. as a mother we expect a lot and often receive a little in return. (the little bit we do receive is often a lot since it is coming from such little people.) life throws a different surprise your way everyday. you learn to roll with it.

today two amazing things happened. one being my oldest son disappeared and went number two on the potty and wiped all by himself. he was so independent in his actions. he didn't even tell me he was going to go. the pride on his face was prize enough for me to see and an accomplishment in itself. i praised him and told him how proud i was several times. after all reward the good and try not to over react to the bad (my new parenting motto now that we are full blown in the terrible threes.)

then our newest family member (kenzie the puppy.) followed me upstairs this morning so i can could crate her before we left. instead of me having to coax and be patient, she just walked into the crate and sat down. i rewarded and praised her... then i thought to myself, what is going on this morning?

truth being told, amazing things start to happen when you least expect them, possibly just when you need them. look around you and take a deep breath. enjoy the moments you are in. you rarely can change them, so be blessed that you have them.

boys train party ideas

2011-01-10T09:00:00.001-07:00

my son logan just celebrated his 2nd birthday. like most boys he is really into trains. i thought i would share with you some ideas for a boys train birthday party. it was fairly easy to put together and relatively in expensive. for gift bags i used brown paper lunch sacks. i have a cricuit machine but called a friend to borrow her cartridge that had a train engine on it. (being the good friend she is, she cut all the trains out and put them together for me.) thanks e! i then glued them onto the bags. if you don't have a cricuit you could use a train cookie cutter as a stencil and cut them out or even print out trains off the internet and cut them out. i then wrote their names on the train and tied the bags closed with red ribbon after punching two little holes in the top of the bag after it was folded over.

ideas to fill your party favor bag.

train cookie cutter

playdoh

thomas pez dispenser

(these are the things i used.)

i always make my own cupcakes and these were super simple.

first of all don't over complicate. i used box cupcake mix.

i do make my own butter cream frosting

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE

1 stick of butter. beat until it is fluffy.

turn mixer on low and

then add 3 and 3/4 cups confectioner sugar.

slowly add 3 to 4 tablespoons milk and

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

continue to whip until nice and fluffy about 30 seconds to a minute.

for the trains i used the following ingredients.

tootsie rolls

mini m & m's

mini peanut butter cups

you will use one tootsie roll for the engine, then cut another tootsie roll into thirds. you will use one third as the engine cab on the back of train. then use another little piece (about and 1/8 of a tootsie roll) for the smoke stack. (i rolled my little piece between my fingers to make it round long and skinny.)

then cut a mini peanut butter cup in half and use it as the cow catcher.

you will then place three mini m & m's along each side of the train.

i then took chocolate icing you buy in the tube at the store pre-made and made little train tracks in front of and behind the train.

the kids loved them.

logans 2nd birthday party

2011-01-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

yesterday we celebrated with friends and family logan's 2nd birthday. we had a great time at jumpstreet. then we came back to our house for lunch and cupcakes. logan had 13 friends join him and out of the 13 we had only one girl. poor lylah, she is gonna have the pick of the litter when she gets older though. thanks to all who joined us to celebrate this little mans two years. i cannot believe how fast he is growing up.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

as we close out the current year and welcome the new year, from our family to yours we wish you a happy and prosperous 2011.

happy 2nd birthday logan!

2010-12-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

i cannot believe two years have gone by. you have accomplished so much in the last year. you started walking and talking and cut just about every tooth in your mouth. the curls on your head never cease to make me smile. your shyness in new situations is adorable. i will cherish these days when you cling to me and tuck your head under my chin in any new situation. you take five to ten minutes to warm up to any new person and sometimes even to people you know. you are my early bird in the morning. too much going on for you to sleep in even if you were up late. you love to eat breakfast right when you wake up. you have been slow to talk but between you and me little man, who could get a word in edgewise around brady? most of the year it was "unt that" for everything but now the words are flying out of your mouth. especially the word "no" recently. you cannot go to sleep at night with out your special blanket. your one sided dimple can melt any ones heart. your daddy and i are so lucky to have you and can't wait to see what this next year holds in the world of logey roo. happy birthday little man.

grandma's cutout cookies

2010-12-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

my grandma loved christmas. i remember how magical she always made it. growing up i always knew her cookies never tasted like any of the other cutout cookies around. they have a magic ingredient you see.... i have put the recipe below and also my recipe for icing. i hope you enjoy them as much as i do.

CUT OUT COOKIES

1 cup shortening

3 cups sifted flour

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

mix flour and shortening. add sugar, salt, soda, nutmeg, eggs, milk.

mix thoroughly.

bake at 390 degrees for 5-7 minutes

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

3 3/4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners sugar, 3 table spoons milk, and vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon of milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

wrapping with fabric scraps

2010-12-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

wrapping gifts is a perfect time to get rid of fabric scraps you have lying around from old projects. (for the record my burlap fabric is almost gone.) i think it makes your gift look that much more thoughtful. i also made my own tag with a "have yourself a merry little christmas" stamp i had laying around. so when wrapping this season use up what you have or go get some fabric and have fun wrapping!

the boys room - almost complete

2010-12-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

a little glimpse of the boys room. i still have a few things to do but most of the major work is complete. i got my inspiration from pottery barn. we painted the walls a light blue (cloudburst) by behr. My husband then put bead board halfway up the wall and topped it off with trim. we painted that white.

the beds i bought at a garage sale for $50 for both of them. they were solid mahogany wood. they needed a lot of work but i absolutely loved the detailing on them and they were super sturdy. i painted them super hero blue by behr as well. we painted them with a paint sprayer on our compressor so we would not get any brush stroke marks. we also painted the night stand in the middle super hero blue and we have a big dresser to paint that i tucked in the closet but that will have to wait until spring. if you are running out of room in a bedroom remove the closet doors and tuck a dresser in the closet. we painted our closet to match the room so it would blend. i did not take a picture of it however since we have not painted that dresser yet. but look for a follow up post.

the lamp i found at tj maxx. i thought it looked like a train lantern and the little lantern has a night light in it. it is perfect to leave on for the boys until they fall asleep.

i purchased the comforters from pottery barn. i figured it was good to get something of quality for the boys as it will be washed a lot and i would like it to hold up. the train sheets are from pottery barn as well and were a gift from grandma and grandpa.

the names on the wall were from the kids rooms before we merged them. i did not change the theme on them because i wanted to keep a little touch of each boys room that they had before. these letters are really easy to make. all you need are wood letters from the hobby store and your favorite wrapping paper or scrap book paper. glue it on, cut around the edges with an exacto knife and then file down the edges with a finger nail filer or sand paper.

to fill in the rest of the walls i printed pictures of the boys trip to the illinois railway museum this summer and put them in the frames. some of trains and some of the boys on the trains.

we will be adding a shelf to the room and putting great grandpa howards's antique train that we were handed down as decoration above the closet. it is a really old model railway metal train. super cool!

the little red car used to be brian's when he was little it is made of wood and super cute. we use it to hold all of our favorite dr. seuss books.

it was fun to put this room together and i tried to not get to themey this time. the boys really love their big boy beds and always tell daddy and i what a good job we did on their room. i am just glad we are finally sleeping through the night. guess it is just what they needed.

christmas musical at pre-school 2010

2010-12-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

today was the annual kingdom kritters christmas program. i always admire how all the teachers and staff here manage to get all these kiddos ages 12 months to 5 years to stand in the same area and sing for a short period of time. we started out with jingle bells and as you can imagine, brady knew all the words and motions.

we then went on to away in the manger. all the kiddos were so cute, especially doing the hand signs along with the music.

then they brought out the little guys 2 and under. you can see logan in the front row six kids over from the left of the picture. he looked stunned seeing all these people looking at him and for the most part sat there. i was proud of him he didn't cry and i thought for sure he would. note what is going on with brady 2nd row right hand side of the picture. he had a little friend of whom i don't know i don't even think the kid is in his class. however this little boy was very lovey and kept touching brady and trying to hold his hand even hugging him. every once in a while when the music got quiet you would hear brady yelling... stop it! it was pretty funny to watch and it continued on throughout the whole program.

at the end of the program they wheeled out the little guys back to their class. i love that they take logans class everywhere in wagons. how else would you get a bunch of 18 to 24 month olds from one place to another?

sorry no video this year to my family. but brady would probably do a private concert for you if you just ask.

merry christmas!

and the stockings were hung....

2010-12-15T16:48:00.001-07:00

i have been struggling to come up with something to hang my stockings from. our mantel has rounded corners and does not like the stocking hangers that you set on the ledge.

then i read amanda joy's blog. she had a lovely idea for a mantel. so i copied it and made a few changes in color. the end result is below.

it was fairly simple i took some twine rope and cute red, green and white linen fabric. i used about a half a yard of each. you then cut a little into the fabric and rip the strips off. then start tying.! i then used clothes pins to hang the stockings with.

the stockings are now just waiting for santa to come. thanks amanda joy!

today i took a breath

2010-12-14T16:06:00.001-07:00

today i sat at my sticky kitchen table. caught up on blogs, talked to friends and maybe even stared into space a few times. this time of year can be so fast paced it is nice to just sit, take a moment and breathe and remember what this season is truly all about.

my new favorite cleaner

2010-12-08T08:02:00.001-07:00

first of all let me give a shout out to my favorite blogger the nester for talking about this cleaner so much that i decided to try it. i bought the dish soap (lavender scent) and the counter top spray, which works on more than counters, in (basil scent.) oh my....... i love these products. they smell fantastic and the smell lingers in your home for hours. in a home of three boys a dog and two cats you can use all the help you can get in the smell department! if you go to her blog on this page you can print out a coupon and read her reviews on the product. thank you nester and thank you mrs. meyers for making my home cleaner and smelling awesome!

diy - wall art

2010-12-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

two old wood frames - painted black.

post board for backing and burlap fabric for matting (yes i still have some).

8 X 10 photos for the big frames from our napa trip and my favorite winery.

another multi picture frame ( i did not make this one.) and more photos from our favorite trip.

instant wall art. one of kind and just what this room needed. i love that i can walk by here and dream of the porch of frogs leap winery in napa every day.

visit with santa and grammy's birthday

2010-12-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

yesterday we visited santa. brady sat on his lap and told him all that he wanted for christmas. logan is noticeably absent. he wanted nothing to do with santa and i mean nothing.

we then went to white fence farm for grammy's big 6-0! happy birthday grammy!

brady fed the goat by hand and when the goat was done he said, "good job lamb!" we will have to work on our animals.

this little guy peered through the fence, never said much but "wow" and waived goodbye as we left.

learning new things with old things

2010-12-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

before i start in about our day today, i have to tell you.... my grandparents house is a house of many treasures....

we learned how they capped bottles back in the day. no fancy machine, just a simple piece of metal with a few moving parts and some good old fashioned elbow grease. this bottle capper is a little rusted but after papa and great grammy showed brady how to oil it ( and he really did ). it was back to working in no time.

logan spent his time popping some corn on the back deck in the warm sun. side note: can you believe it is december? it was 60 degrees this afternoon, no coats needed. did i ever tell you how much i love colorado?

p.s. the imaginary popcorn was fantastic.... tasted just like air.

here is the special magic about thursdays. my boys get to play in the dirt and rocks and discover all kinds of treasures at papa and great grammy's. they get to eat as many oranges and hot dogs as they want and when they are done they get as much ice cream as their little bellies can hold. my grandparents slow down with them and show them how to fry french fries and oil bottle capping machines. the things as a busy mother that i forget to do. when we visit them i watch my boys relish in the fun experiences that i did as a child growing up on the side of this mountain. thank you papa and great grammy for all you do for us on thursdays. we love you so much.

trimming the tree

2010-11-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

lesson one when decorating for a holiday. if you can't find what you envisioned.... create it.

i went to four different craft stores looking for burlap ribbon or something like it. could not find it anywhere. after wasting an afternoon going in and out of four different stores (if you know me, you know i like to get in and get out when shopping.) i remembered the roll of burlap sitting at home (bought for a project i no longer am doing.) so i went home and cut strips off the roll and looped them around the tree.

i think it turned out quite cute and made the tree!

of course if you have boys in the house you know no tree would be complete with out the christmas train underneath! toot! toot!

now if i can handle the noise it makes for the next four weeks.....

happy tree trimming!

the start of the season

2010-11-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

this weekend we set up the christmas tree and daddy strung up the lights outside. We went to dinner with dear friends and then bundled up and headed out to watch the lighting of the lights and santa driving down main street in littleton. the boys waived and cheered while we sipped on our tasty hot cocoa. creating more memories for years to come with the boys. it was priceless.

the pea express

2010-11-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

the pea express stopped by our table after dinner. someone recently started liking the little green things.... so when he was done eating he loaded up his train and took the leftovers for a ride. maybe snacked on one or two more. it was rather cute.

at least one of my kids eats something from the family of green in the garden.

the words from my back seat driving home from school

2010-11-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

this moment was almost surreal to me yesterday. was i really having a conversation with my son about a girl on the way home from school? isn't it a little early for this kind of talk?

brady: mommy, so there was this grill (girl in brady talk) at school today.

mommy: oh yeah brady?

brady: yeah mommy. the grill asked me how old i was. i told her i was free (three in brady language).

mommy: did you ask her how old she was?

brady: (he chuckles a little) yeah mommy she was free and a half. (he chuckles a little more and then it is quiet for a minute.) mommy she asked me to sit by her for snack. (then a little more silence). i told her no and then i sat by sammy.

mommy: why did you sit by sammy instead of sitting next to the grill?

brady: yeah because i can.

i smiled and laughed the rest of the way home. i forgot that we will have the grills are yucky stage for a few years before we really get into the swing of things. this mommy feels a little relief.

happy tuesday!

decorating style - finally settled on one...... urban country

2010-11-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

gone are the days of toile....... decorating tip: if you don't like it at first sight... looks to busy to you..... it will not grow on you.....

not that toile isn't pretty or these drapes weren't pretty... they just weren't my style.

welcome more warm tones and less busy work on the fabric.

i found this fantastic burlap colored fabric. (fabric is not burlap it is super soft and you can see the knit through it.) it is super heavy and soft and adds that simple country feel to my most favorite table and chairs.

i then took black ticking strip fabric and made tie up drapes. i tied them up with white linen fabric which i simply just cut and washed the ties so they would fray. adding to my simple urban country feel.

it is hard to get the feel of the room from these pictures but the room feels warm and welcoming and a lot less busy. more importantly it is more in line with my husband's and my style. thank goodness for good fabric deals, coupons and ambition to spend a whole day hunched over a sewing machine and ironing board..... love the urban country feel. love simple.

how to cook a turkey by brady smith

2010-11-19T08:13:00.001-07:00

brady made this at school. the teachers asked each kid how to cook a turkey and they each had different responses. this was brady's. i think it is so cute. just a little more thanksgiving fun for you.

decorating with what you have - thanksgiving craft #2

2010-11-18T11:11:00.001-07:00

so i would be lying if i said i did this with only stuff i had around. i did not have this cute fall material, i had to go buy it. good news is it was 50% off so i only paid $2 for it. (procrastinating on the fall decorating has it's advantages.)

i had the burlap fabric and also the linen fabric left over from prior projects. even if i had to buy them, this project would have only cost maybe $7 more.

i cut place mats out of the burlap fabric and then i pulled threads out of each side (5 or 6 each) to make them fray on the ends.

i then found a picture of an acorn online and pasted it into word to change it's size to the size i wanted on the place mat. i then used that as the pattern and cut the acorns out of my new fall material with my rotary cutter.

i glued them on to the burlap place mat with some craft spray glue i had laying around. (make sure you crack a window if you are using this glue.)

i then cut napkins out of some left over linen fabric i had. (i paid $1.50 a yard for it when i bought it for a past craft.)

i then took out my sewing machine and hemmed around the edges in a zig zag and in brown thread for a contrast.

i took the left over scraps from the acorn fabric and used it as a tie around the rolled up napkin.

here is the end result that will be on my table thanksgiving day. the whole project maybe cost me less than $10. (if i had to buy everything to complete it today.)

now on to figuring out the centerpiece. come back for a final picture of the whole table in a couple days!

decorating with what you have - thanksgiving table craft #1

2010-11-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

for my first table decorating idea i decided to let the kids help. we need place cards for the table. i had some old paper stock laying around so we made place cards out of that. you can do any size or shape your table will allow. i cut squares out and folded them in half.

i then found pictures of turkeys online and cut and pasted them into a word document and printed them.

i cut them out and then brady helped me glue them onto the place cards.

i then wrote the names of all our guests on the place cards and then let the kids color all the turkeys and place cards.

below is our finished product.

(i love how purple became the primary color if not the only color on most of them)

over the next week i will be putting my table together with crafty projects using what i have laying around the house. i have some old material scraps i will be using to make place settings and napkins... stay tuned!

what ideas are you using to decorate your table?

cma's

2010-11-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

last night we watched the cma's down in the theatre. we rocked out to our favorite country singers and even performed a few numbers ourselves. my personal favorite was twinkle twinkle little star. it amazes me how many songs brady knows almost all the words too and even when he can't remember the words he still keeps the melody and just makes them up. one talented boy. logan is just debuting in the singing arena. he did a great job keeping up with big brother. as for the actual cma's i have to say i was quite shocked at some of the award winners. quite a few under dogs stole an award or two. one of our family's favorite bands won though (lady a). we were so happy. rock on smith boys!

family movie night

2010-11-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

a much needed quiet weekend we had. saturday we picked up our very own copy of toy story three. we settled in for some popcorn and a little buzz and woody time.

this is all i have time to write as brady is only taking 30 minute naps and is now up chattering in my ear.... can't concentrate, can't write.....

happy tuesday folks. hope your week is off to a great start!

a little art

2010-11-05T16:32:00.000-06:00

so i am really missingg my camera. it should be fixed soon. my old little camera does not shoot nearly as fast so i am missing all the cute shots :(

so today i thought i would share this afternoons craft project with you and tell you how different my boys are when it comes to color of choice.

below is brady's picture. he always picks vibrant bright pinks and purples and yellows and blues.

below is logan's art for the day. notice the darker choice of colors. logan prefers blacks, browns, dark purple and dark blues.

it is so fun to watch the personalities come out in my boys. it is amazing to me how different they truly are. right down to the color of their hair.

hope you all have a great weekend. see you back here on monday!

the grateful month

2010-11-02T21:00:00.000-06:00

here it is again, that month that reminds us to be grateful. here i am today only a couple of days into it remembering all the things i am ungrateful for. i won't bore you with our drama. i will tell you a spent a lot of time today trying to talk myself back into the positive zone. sometimes successful and other times not. the chocolate candy bars in my kitchen drawer from halloween offered some kind of comfort, then my extended work out later for eating them helped me burn off some of my guilt for eating them. then i watched the boys playing in the front yard and reminded myself of this. my life is beautiful in so many ways. i have so much to be grateful for and it starts with these two beautiful boys. they represent so much simplicity. so this month i remind you to get back to the basics. be grateful for all that is surrounding you, even if it is a thorn in the rose bush. share with me. what are you most grateful for this month.

Halloween Night - Trick or Treat!

2010-10-31T21:18:00.000-06:00

what is thing one and thing two without the cat in the hat pumpkin? special thanks to auntie who is the master pumpkin carver! logan picked out a dinosaur for his pumpkin and brady picked out sally the car.

dinner before our trick or treating.

the rest of our little clan eating in the other room.

we had a great night with friends walking the neighborhood. i will say the little ones certainly got it down after the 3rd house. it became a mad dash to the rest to see who could ring the bell and collect their goodies. happy halloween!

halloween school party day!

2010-10-27T15:33:00.001-06:00

today we partied with our classmates. some of us had a bad start to our morning. running to say bye to daddy and putting our fingers in the door just as it was getting shut. poor logey roo. rough start to our day but was happy by the time the afternoon rolled around.

others of us had a great time picking out pumpkins in the patch and losing our hair to a giant wind gust. it rolled across the pumpkin field like a tumble weed but was rescued by a teacher... thing one hair lives on!

a little trick or treating around school and then back to our classes for crafts, games and of course.... cupcakes.

just the beginning of the trick or treating

2010-10-23T16:05:00.000-06:00

today thing one and thing two visited the trick or treat event at grant ranch. we had a great time visiting all of the booths and even got to take our picture in a camera booth. i love the succession of photos here. can't wait for halloween night!

"i call it perseverance"

2010-10-21T14:13:00.000-06:00

i have been following a blog called chatting at the sky lately. this month she has been blogging about 31 days to grace. today's post was on 31 days to grace and focused on marriage. as i read her post today, it brought tears to my eyes thinking of all the hills and valleys that come with the commitment. i have been struggling to find grace in a lot of different areas of my life. what a great day for me to visit my grandparents. you see, they have been married for 55+ years. if anyone knows grace it is them. i spent every sunday at their home growing up. i witnessed a fair deal of their hills and valleys and probably missed a lot of them too. i asked my grandma today what she could tell me of grace in marriage. her response was, "i don't call it grace honey. i call it perseverance." a little more about grace for me to ponder from a woman whom i admire.

the man behind the scenes completing my crafty dreams....

2010-10-20T11:11:00.000-06:00

bed number two being painted by the man who knows just the right amount of water to mix with the paint and has just the right stroke of the arm so no over spray occurs. the beds are done the last one is curing and the room is looking cute. can't wait to show you the finished product. i am so lucky to have this handy man sharing my life with me. boys you are lucky to have him too. thanks for helping me with all my crafty furniture painting projects honey!

donuts with dad day

2010-10-18T15:26:00.000-06:00

i especially love the answer for what daddy does for a job. the boys had a great morning together.

a little pumpkin fun

2010-10-15T14:05:00.000-06:00

a little climbing on the pumpkins. a little picking of the perfect ones.a little sillyness to round off our day. what a perfect day out in the colorado sun. happy pumpkining!

a difficult night with much thought

2010-10-13T11:47:00.001-06:00

last night was a night of the constant cry for mommy, daddy...... brian and i are both beat today. it reminded me of those newborn days. you know the ones where your child is crying and unable to sleep all night and you can't figure out what is wrong. i used to think it will be so great when they can talk and tell us what is going on. however, just because they can talk doesn't mean they will be able to help you solve the puzzle. we woke up and wiped off spider webs with a kleenex last night. then we were told the bugs were itching him, then it was i need my water, i need to go pee pee...... this morning we still have no idea what happened. the fog is dense this morning and no amount of coffee will do. you know... the fog that comes after no sleep. as i laid awake last night with my three year old the thought kept creeping into my mind. do i really have it in me to pull all nighter's again? the answer this morning is no, even though those cute little baby feet are so tempting. probably better ask me another day when more sleep is involved and my head isn't so clouded.

fall wreath

2010-10-11T14:53:00.000-06:00

i have had my eye on this wreath. it is from pottery barn of course. i cannot bring myself to spend $89 on wreath for my front door. so i called up my crafty auntie.... a little shopping and some time and she created this for me.

it is just the right touch for my front door this fall and at a fraction of the cost. thanks aunt mo!

what fun things are you doing to decorate for fall?

a not so graceful moment

2010-10-07T21:23:00.000-06:00

you expect things to get broken when you have preschoolers and toddlers around the house. it is a common thing. today brady pulled my camera case off the counter. my camera was inside. thump. the anger started to rise in me. it peaked when i opened the case and tried to use the camera only to find it is broken. we all have not so shining moments as parents. today my parenting was tarnished, no amount of silver polish would do. i did not handle the situation as i should have. after all, he did not intentionally go to the counter and pull down my camera. he was just acting like a crazy preschooler. i scolded him and the look on his face said it all. my grace flew right out the window. this all happened right before bed time. somewhere in the middle of reading in the night kitchen i remembered this post i read only days before. then i thought to myself, how can if fix this? the answer: it's never to late to have grace. i apologized to brady for scolding him and told him i knew he did not mean to break my camera. i then said i am sure we can fix it in the morning (meaning the people at the camera repair shop.) brady in true brady style said, " it's okay mommy. i will get my screw driver out in the morning and fix it for you." lights out and a small prayer from this mommy. may i find grace tomorrow a little sooner than i did today.

desire and determination

2010-10-05T21:23:00.000-06:00

this little man is so determined and desires so much. he is determined to do just as his big brother did 30 seconds before. age and size mean nothing in his little mind. as i watched him today i was far more conscious of his decisions and actions. mostly because i wonder where we lose the desire and determination as adults? when fear and ignorance creep into our minds and cloud our vision. watching logan today made me realize, we are all born with a strong desire to obtain and achieve all we want. listen to that burning desire within you and have the determination to reach it. in the words of a famous author i will leave you with this.

I wish to convey the thought that all achievement, no matter what its nature or purpose, must begin with an intense, burning desire for something definite. Through some strange and powerful principle of "mental chemistry", Nature wraps up in the impulse of strong desire "that something" which recognizes no such word as impossible, and accepts no such reality as failure.

- Napoleon Hill -

with the change of the season

2010-10-04T12:19:00.000-06:00

photo courtesy of Daniel Bayer

something is stirring inside me. fall is one of my favorite seasons. i love how nature transforms itself and prepares for winter. i have been thinking lately that there is more inside me than i am giving. not only to my family but to myself and my career. the transformation will be long and not without a lot of effort. i have learned you cannot excel at anything if you don't take care of yourself. once you accomplish feeding your mind and your body what it needs to flourish, you then can move on to helping others excel at what they want. so it starts for me this amazing transformation, little steps at a time. i invite you to join me on my journey!

a relaxing work trip

2010-09-27T16:29:00.000-06:00

the view from the deck of the condo we are staying at in keystone. no kids, some work, but today a relaxing book on the quiet patio. i always have loved a waterfront view.

come along with us on our reading journey

2010-09-20T10:54:00.000-06:00

our new favorite book these days. curious george goes fishing. brady's imagination is running wild now. he acts out a lot of his books and movies. yesterday we were on the back porch and the adventure began. brady was looking for cake to put onto his fishing pole. i asked where he was going fishing and he said, "right here mommy." (in his trash truck)

his fishing pole was the broom his lake was in the top of the truck and when his piece of cake fell off of his pole he opened up the back of the truck and said, "here it is." this is why i read to the boys so they can imagine and dream up their own little adventures. it is so fun to watch. what are some of your kiddos favorite books?

quiet day at home

2010-09-17T08:00:00.003-06:00

september to me has always been an in between month. too warm to be fall and the chillier nights make it not quite summer. today we were home bound as mommy was sick and we did not want to expose papa and great grammy to germs. so we did some laundry and walked all the way to the park and back pushing our tonka truck and pooh bus. (that was a long walk for little legs.) we came home and enjoyed the hose and squirt guns for probably one of the last times this year.

we sat on our back porch and ate hot dogs together and fresh pasta salad with the last of the cherry tomatoes out of our garden and a little fresh basil from our not so little basil plant. we have been so busy running to school, going to play dates and birthday parties that i have forgotten what it was like to hang at home and enjoy a quiet day with the boys. they are growing up so fast right in front of me. as parents we get so busy in the going and doing we forget to slow down and listen to the pitter patter of feet, the giggles and the soft (or not so soft) voices of our little ones. i am so happy that i had the opportunity to do that today. i hope you all have a wonderful friday and a quiet weekend to enjoy those around you.

the boy who changed the world by andy andrews

2010-09-15T16:46:00.000-06:00

this fantastic book is about a boy who plays in cornfields in iowa. his name is norman borlaug. he has an idea that he would like to feed the hungry. he however needs the help of other people by the name henry wallace who was influenced by the inventor george washington carver, who was rescued by the farmer moses carver. these three lives are intertwined together by decisions that each person made in their life. andrews depicts well how each decision you make can affect thousands of people and truly can change the world. (the butterfly effect.)

this book is beautifully illustrated by philip hurst. the pictures bring the story to life for young minds.

i was lucky enough to see andy andrews speak in person. i am even luckier that my husband through work events is on his mailing list. we were blessed to receive a copy of this in the mail from andy. (thank you andy.) we have been reading it to brady and logan every night. while it is over logans head at this time brady is starting to catch on. when he does things through out the day good or bad we now remind him that it can affect others around him. Every decision and action he makes influences the lives of others.

this book is a child's version of andy andrews book the butterfly effect. i have read it a couple of times and absolutely love how he has adapted the same principles into a book that my kids can understand. if you have never picked up a book of his you are missing out and i highly encourage you to visit his site and pick one up! andy has changed the smith family in so many ways and we are so grateful for your amazing ability to write and send powerful messages through a story.

boys room remodel

2010-09-12T13:19:00.000-06:00

photos courtesy of pottery barn kids

photo courtesy of pottery barn kids

above is a little inspiration that started a boys room remodel. we merged these two rooms together to come up with a version that works for us. we absolutely loved the bead board on the wall and i loved the powder blue color of the other room. we will be painting the boys furniture dark blue. i am thinking some red accents, maybe a striped quilt?

below is the boys room after the paint job and wanes coating.

more later when the project is done!

seed sorting

2010-09-09T08:40:00.001-06:00

we were lucky enough to be given all of these seeds. an entire grocery sack full of them. i know we have no way to plant all of them. i certainly do not want them to go to waste. i have emailed all of my close friends and now am opening it up to anyone who reads my blog. if you would like some free seeds for your home garden leave a comment below or email me. i will send you a list and you can let me know what you would like. anything else we have left over will be donated to the community garden at my sons school. happy planting!

redecorating - lanterns

2010-09-07T07:42:00.000-06:00

photo courtesy of pottery barn online

i have had my eye on these lanterns for sometime now. however i could not bring myself to pay $99 for the large one and $39 for the smaller ones. on a recent shopping trip to my local tj maxx i saw a large lantern sitting on a top shelf. next to it a couple of little ones. so i bought them and then headed off to hobby lobby to get my fillers. here is my take on the potter barn lantern. the good news is for the filler stuff and all the lanterns i spent a lot less than what it would have cost me to buy the large lantern at pottery barn. i love good finds! these are also very versitale. i can change the fillers out for the seasons and for the holidays and not have to change everything, very cost effective decorating.

so here we are a space in my home that i have struggled with decorating since we moved in. always putting decorating vases on it and typically stuff that truly was too large and looked cluttered.

the flag i found in my grandma betty's basement. it is a 48 star flag. i need to get a shadow box for it still.

what do you think of this space, those of you that have seen it before with all the clutter will marvel in it's new clean look. have a great tuesday. i hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

latest decorating score

2010-09-03T13:26:00.000-06:00

i have wanted this couch for a while now, however would not pay the price tag new. i could not believe it. last sunday afternoon i was surfing craigs list and there was a listing for a pottery barn couch for $100. i thought for sure it was a joke or the thing was in horrible condition. i looked at the picture and thought it wasn't so bad. i called the lady, she still had it, i could not believe that either. all the way down to pick it up i kept saying to brian it is not going to be the real deal, but when we got there it was. i bought it, brought it home pulled all of the canvas slip covers off and washed them. here we are a pottery barn couch in my home for $100. the slip covers have a couple little stains that did not come out, but that is okay. after the boys grow up a little more i will spring for the $500 replacement slip cover. i still am only in to a $1200 couch for $600. awesome. love craigs list and love my front room even more now. the little rocker was simply to little for my space. this fits much better! this goes to show you if you are patient and willing to look you can usually stumble across a great deal and score some really cool stuff!

an afternoon at crystal lake

2010-09-02T07:44:00.000-06:00

in illinois (especially lake county), there are many bodies of water, some bigger than our reservoirs. people actually get to live on lakes out there. (my dream someday). we were lucky enough to be invited by some of those very people (rich and jill) to hang out at their lake house and to ride on all of their fun boats, jet skis and paddle boats. here is logan watching daddy and brady take off on a jet ski. (for those of you who know me, yes i loosened up and let brady go out on a jet ski.) logan was not so lucky.

here he is coming back in with daddy. he was super nervous at first and asked to come back in. once in though he asked to go back out. right before he asked daddy to go faster he said, "to infinity and beyond." he still talks about the jet ski.

here we are our last night in illinois hanging out getting ready to go out on a boat ride. how i would love to live somewhere like this. as long as i could keep the boys in their life vests permanently.

thanks rich and jill!

first day of school

2010-08-31T08:32:00.000-06:00

today both boys set off for their first day of school. (logan's very first.) with a heavy heart i loaded them in the car. my littlest is not so little anymore.

we saw brady's old teacher mrs. betsy in the hall. he stopped at her classroom and was less than enthused when i told him he had to keep coming. mrs. betsy was not his teacher this year. we walked into his class and i could see anxiety all over his face. i introduced him to his teachers and made a clean and quick break. when i went back to check on him after dropping logan off he was attached to his new teacher mrs. angie sitting right next to her in circle time with a smile on his face.

dropping logan off was a little harder. (mostly harder for me.) i took him in and he instantly found a little truck he liked. he sat down and played with it and didn't seem to care where i was. i walked out a little sad that he didn't seem to care that i was leaving him, but also relieved at the same time. i walked out and looked through the one way glass (here is where i made the mistake.) i watched him play for another minute and then it happened. he looked up, looked around then stood up and looked around. no mommy. look of panic then tears. my heart sank. then his teacher ms. amy scooped him up and he instantly stopped crying. mommy left for her first day of no kids for four hours.

when i picked them up both got good reports. brady had an excellent day. logan did well however would not look his teachers in the eye and spent most of the day looking at the floor. ms. amy said that he really enjoyed the finger painting they did. it was the best part of his day and he actually smiled. she told me, " if i have to pull the finger paints out every day to make logan happy then that is what i will do." i knew he found his right teacher for the year. they are both in good hands.

sigh of relief for this mommy.