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8.29.2010

Nolan's First Day

This past week Nolan had his first day of kindergarten!!! I have a five year old... WHAT?!?  Haha... that's how I felt anyway... Here he is all shiny and new ready for his first day...




And another...



Making a goofy face....



Waiting for the bus...



Finally!! On the bus...



He was so excited to ride the bus.  He kept asking all morning long when the bus would come.  As soon as he was dressed he put on his backpack and held onto his lunch box.  My sweet boy...

Has anyone else had a child that started school?  Did you cry on their first day? I held back my tears for Nolan's sake... but I cried at preschool so I guess I was able to handle it better this time around.

Having Nolan in school for full days for the first time was bittersweet.  Obviously I am excited for this new adventure for him.  It's nice to have time alone with just Kyler.  I was able to have that one on one time with Nolan for three years and now it is Kyler's turn.  A bonus is Kyler still naps so I have free time ;) Oh Yeah!!

The question I ask myself-  did I use those first five years wisely?  Was I the best momma I could be?


I hope so :)

Shabby Nest Giveaway

Happy Sunday party people!!

Just wanted to post quick and let you know that Wendy over at The Shabby Nest is having a Silhouette giveaway.  The winner will be announced August 31st and she also has some great coupon codes up for those of us that never seem to win... me!  Haha :)

So head on over to The Shabby Nest.  Good Luck!!

8.27.2010

Jute Covered Wooden R

Did you check out that title?  Umm... yes I am that creative.  Please someone tell me does it get any easier to come up with a title?  Eeek..

So I thought I would show you something I did the other day.  A few months ago I bought one of those wooden letters at Michael's on clearance.  I didn't have a place in mind for it but just thought I would find a spot for it.

The first thing I did was spray paint it everyone's favorite Heirloom White...

 I totally did not like the color.

Say what?  Please telll me I am not the only one?? Well, even if I am I have to say that I bought like four cans of this stuff because everyone talked about how much they loved this color and it looked like the perfect shade of white on my monitor.  But in person it was just too creamy for me.  Anyhoo...

I dug my R out and also pulled out some jute. I started wrapping without gluing like so...


Please lean left...
I just then continued wrapping my R until it was completely covered in jute.  I will not lie.  There are some wonky parts.  Wrapping R's are hard!!  Now if you are a R wrapping genius you can send me an email and let me know in private ;)

So I decided I needed a little sumpin sumpin for the largest bump the top left hand corner. I wanted to make a flowery type bow for my R.  So here is what I did...

Cut out a square of fabric with pinking shears to hopefully reduce fraying in the future.
The colors aren't looking quite right here but it is pretty :)
Then I flipped the fabric over and used a pencil eraser to create a swirl in the fabric.  Remember when you were little and would tie-dye tshirts?  How you would use a pencil eraser to twirl the fabric and then put rubber bands to hold the shirt together? Please tell me I am not the only one... Anyone?  Well, that is what I did to the flower.



Twirl the fabric


Once the fabric was twirled I grabbed the back and held the swirl in place. Because I was flying by the seat of my pants I clipped it in place with a clothespin while I got some needle and thread.



Temporarily held in place with a clothespin.

I used needle and thread to sew a few stitches in the back to keep the flower/bow in shape.  Then I stuck a pin in the back to attach it to the letter R.  I didn't want to use hot glue because I want to have options to change out the fabric if I ever decide to move it.  So here is the finished product...

Letter R's new home... (Pretend there is something in that frame :) )

Close Up



Alright well there you have it.  My first crafty endeavor.  And a sort of tutorial.  Haha :)  Do you like the twine ball on the candle stick?  Hubbie did that one day and I just left it.  I like looking at it and knowing he does notice things :)  Have a great weekend everyone! 

And just so you know I cannot get this last bit out of my caption box. I realize it is like this.  But I don't know how to change it and I'm tired of fighting with Blogger tonight.







8.23.2010

Giveaway at Under the Table and Dreaming

Hello Everyone... Hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer vacation... we sure are :)  Nolan starts school on Thursday but we have a teacher meet and greet tomorrow morning.  I don't know who is more excited me or Nolan ;)

I wanted to pop on and let you know about a great giveaway over at Under the Table and Dreaming. Stephanie Lynn is giving away a Silhouette to a lucky reader.  I have seen these everywhere and I would really like to win one.  Especially since I would have to choose buying one over feeding my children... something tells me they would not be okay with that.

So pop on over and enter to win.

Good luck!

8.18.2010

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

Hi there people :)

I am participating in Ann Marie's "Help Me!" Wednesaday party over at white house, black shutters. This is my very first linky party so I'm pretty excited :)

Anyway, my dilemma is what to do with a recently acquired mirror for my dining room.  It is a ornate, gold and made of solid wood.  Hard to find now a days- at least that is what my mom told me :)  I wasn't loving the gold but knew I could spray paint it and be in love with it.  Especially for a whopping twelve buckaroos.  But I don't know what color to paint it.  I plan on hanging it over the buffet. So please give me your suggestions.  Here is the mirror...


And here is a close up of the frame...


And another...


Ok, and just so you know what the rest of my dining room looks like here you go...


Our table.  Needs refinishing.

My Sideboard.  Love the curved front.  Still needs some TLC.  Not sure about the black.

Sorry for such poor lighting. 

My Photo Gallery

I have plans to restain the dining room table and chairs in the future but not sure of the color just yet. I think on the darker end of the spectrum because my husband refuses to use white in this room for any of the furniture.  He thinks it will look like a giant candy cane :)  That makes me giggle.

So what do you think?  What color should I paint the mirror?

Ok and I really tried to grab a button but it just wouldn't work.  So sorry :)

8.17.2010

Saying Goodbye...

Last Wednesday my sweet dog Brodie died.  He was my first baby.  Ryan and I got him the first year we were married. He had just turned seven in July.  I know that seven can be old in dog years but Brodie was a mini daschund and still had many happy years ahead of him. 



We were blindsided. The loss of a pet, a family member, a friend is heartbreaking.  I have never experienced it firsthand before.  And I can honestly say I had no idea how affected I would be by his death. The what ifs, the guilt, the grief and the feeling of  emptiness.  The gaping hole his little furry body, and quick tongue(he loved to give gross, little doggie kisses) left in my life.  All I could think of was how I had failed him. 

Having to be strong for the kids barely got me by the first day.  I am so lucky that even though Ryan is underway I am still able to talk to him almost daily through emails and some days he is even able to call for a few minutes. So when we lost Brodie I was able to cry talk to him about it. Also, my mom came and stayed with me for a few days.  It really helped to have her here to keep me busy, listen to me when I cried and hugged me when I needed it.  She also was a huge help with the kids.  The kids...  it was hard to explain why Brodie died.  He has been around all of their lives and wasn't sick or in any pain.  He just went outside to go potty and never came back inside.  We were able to have a little ceremony for him and the kids and I made him cards and said goodbye. The thing is it is hard to say goodbye to someone you are not ready to let go of.  And a week later I am still not ready to let go of Brodie.

I can't describe how I am right now. I feel better and at the same time I don't. There is an uneasiness that comes from not knowing how we will heal and move on. 

You may wonder why I am posting this here.  Well I am a glutton for punishment.  Last Wednesday I was taking pictures of my dining room to add to a post I was typing up and Brodie's last picture is in with that bunch.  It isn't even a beauty shot of him it's a reflection in the mirror.  It makes me sad to see it.  I was so excited to link this post to a linky party and to have this be Brodie's last picture makes my heart hurt.  This is the only place that picture will be seen. 



Thanks for sticking around.  Even if noone sees this it helps me feel better.


In Loving Memory of Brodie
July 17, 2003-August 11, 2010

8.07.2010

Our House

I thought since we have a new computer that I can upload pictures on I would show you my house :)  I have lots of to dos and not many dones but I love working on it with my sweet hubbie :)

Our House, November 2009
I would love to have different colors on the exterior but that is a long ways away.  This fall we plan to move those bushes to either side of the house (along the fence line) and just have flower beds in the front. Although they will probably be more like mulch beds because I have a hard time keeping things in the front alive. :) I mean really please someone clue me in on an attractice plant that will survive all day in the scorching sun and doesn't require water much maintenance :) I mean is that a tall order or what?

Ummm... moving on...

Here is my living room, with a view into our eat in kitchen.  Take note of our builders grade wall color,
carpet, vinyl tiles and cabinets. :)

Here is a picture of our entryway.  I fell in love with our angled staircase on first sight ;)


To the right of the entryway is our dining room.  They already had crown molding and a chair rail.  But with boring off white/cream wall color, gross berber and an outdated chandy this room needs help!


To the left of our entryway is an extra room.  We use it as our playroom.  Looks inspiring, no?


And finally our first floor half bath.

So, there you have it... I'll try and update you on what we have accomplished since moving in last Novemeber.

8.03.2010

Pity Party

Alright there party people.  This is my first post in quite a long time I know!  We have had a whirlwind these last few months.  I keep meaning to post but it slips by the wayside.  But today I am taking a proverbial stand and posting on my blog.

But the post is really me whining.  Please bear with me.  I know you don't know me that well yet but I just want to let you know that my husband left for his first underway in three years.  He only be gone for 40 days but it seems like an eternity.  He will miss these last days of summer AND our oldest son's first day of kindegarten.  Plus, the thought of not having him home with us at the end of day sends me into tears every time it crosses my mind. Of course I know that I will get through this just as I have done before, just as millions of others have gone through it and survived.  And 40 days is just a drop in the bucket compared to those that deploy for months and years at a time.  But knowing that doesn't make it any easier. 

Thank you for listening to my whining.  I appreciate it. Here's hoping for a quick and safe return for my husband and all the other military members away from their families :)

I love you, Ryan!!

Ryan and I aboard the USS Wisconsin, June '10