You win some, you lose some...

My latest 'wins'...

A puppy for another special little lady

Hat for Abby

An infinity scarf (cowl) for myself

Abby's baptismal gown.  I finished this one a long time ago but never really shared it.  You can see her in it here.

A little blanket in progress...



And my latest failure... :-(

These were supposed to be cute boots for Abby.  The reason for the failure...they're too small.  The shoe fits fine, but I can't close the top around her cute little legs.  She's only 30% in weight for her age so I was super sad when these didn't close.  Don't worry, I will be adding the buttons and finishing the other boot but it is now lower on my 'to do' list.  Maybe I'll try to make the next size up for her and alter the pattern on the top a little.

Someday a cute little girl will wear these...

Pearly whites!

Sorry, I have no idea how to rotate this.  I'll try to figure it out and update but until then a little head tilt is needed...

DIY Sunburst

I've had my eye on one of these from here and here for a LONG time now.  Since I had today off of work I thought I would make myself useful and cross a project off my DIY list.  This project was super easy and best of all, super cheap!

Let me introduce you to our new dining room decor!

I loved how it turned out and I'm itching to start my next project.  But first let me show you how I made my sunburst;

You will need;

1. A couple pieces of paper towel -- not the whole roll! ;-)

2. Scissors

3. Pencil

4. Picture frame*

5. Tape**

6. Three sheets of poster board.

Ok...*The other links above show the sunburst made with a mirror, I have been searching everywhere for a mirror and couldn't find one that was the right size so I decided to make mine with an oval picture frame.  **I started with tape when I was planning my rays but I ended up using a hot glue gun to attach the rays to the frame.

Steps;

First tear off 2-3 squares of paper towel depending on how long you want your rays.  Fold it in half lengthwise and draw your ray.  Cut out and unfold.   It should look something like this...

This is now your stencil.  Fold stencil in half just like it was when you cut it out.  Fold  sections of your poster board and place the folded edge of the stencil on the folded edge of the poster board.  Trace and cut out.

I thought I took a picture of all my rays cut out but I guess I got too involved in my project that I forgot.  (Sorry)  Aftering cutting I had;

8 - Large rays

8 - Medium rays

4 - Small rays

4 - Extra small rays

The number of rays you will have will depend on the size of your frame/mirror, size of your rays and how full you want your sunburst.

After you have finished cutting out your rays start laying them out and attaching them to your frame/mirror.

I worked in groups of four attaching them in a North/South/East/West pattern until all the rays where applied.

Allow the glue to set up for a couple minutes before turning over the sunburst to drool over your masterpiece!

Until you make one for yourself, you can drool over mine.....

It even looks cool at night over the lamp!

Now wipe your chin and get crafting!

House progress and a few purchases

While I gather all of my pictures from the holidays I thought I would do a quick post to give you a sneak peak at a few of the projects that we started and even finished during my 11 days of Christmas break and vacation.

Reason they are a sneak peak? -- The pictures are from my phone...I will have better ones once I sit down and have a friendly 'uploading' date with my camera and computer! ;-)

Again, sorry for the bad quality;

The kitchen is DONE!  The crown moulding has been added.  Thanks Dad!!  Looks beautiful and I LOVE it!

The pantry is underway.  The shelving is up (thanks to my hubby and our friend Steve!).  Our food now has a place to 'live'.  It still needs a bit of organizing and some pretty labels on those bins (or maybe some chalkboard paint?).  I got a laminator from Joe for Christmas and I am dying to put that to use! 

Last but not least, I finished my vacation with my first soak in the new house!  I watched HGTV's 2012 Dream Home Tour while I relaxed and took some mental notes on some decorating ideas!

What were those purchases you ask?

We also picked up a new table for Abby.  She already took a little tumble off the chair (she's fine!) so I think we will have to wait a few more months but when she's ready to start putting her puzzles together and coloring pictures for mommy, the little table and chairs will come in handy.  It's also white and very cute so it looks ok sitting in the dining room or kitchen!  The mirrored cabinet has found its home in our master closet.  I needed something for my scarves, belts and Joe's ties and I thought that would be perfect.  Hides all that clutter and I get a full size mirror out of the deal.  I think I am going to have the hubby add a few shelves so I can add my jewelry to it.  There are plenty of hooks for my necklaces already.  Might as well have all our accessories in one place and there's no place better than behind a mirror in our closet.  We also picked up a desk chair for the office and a shelf with coat hooks for the front entry.  And those candle holders and laterns, well you've already seen where those landed in the house!

Hope you enjoyed our sneak peak, come back for our Christmas/New Year's post!

A visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus!

Abby is the luckiest little girl!  Even though Santa is SUPER busy right now, he and Mrs. Claus took time out of their busy schedules and stopped by daycare to visit and do one last naughty or nice check on the kids.

The kids were so surprised and SO excited to see them.  They got to spend about an hour with Santa and Mrs. Claus singing and dancing and talking all about their good behavior and what they had to work on for next year.  What better way to teach the kids more about manners and good behavior!  Nicole is one smart cookie to have Santa come for that lesson! ;-)

    

  

When it was Abby's turn to sit on Santa's lap and get her present she didn't hesitate.  She was pretty curious about this guy with a beard all dressed in red! 

She wasn't afraid at all and was a little upset when her turn was over.  Since she is too small to talk to Santa, the rest of the kids answered his questions for her...

Santa: Was Abby a good little girl this year?

Kids:  YEAH!

Santa: Did she cry this year?

Kids:  Yeah...she cried when she was hungry or tired or didn't want to nap.  But all babies do that right Santa?

Santa: What do you think little Abby wants for Christmas this year?  Maybe a doll?

Kids: Yes!  She wants a doll, and a grocery cart, and a chair, and maybe some clothes for her dolly.  Toys for her so she doesn't take mine all the time!

Santa: So maybe next year you kids can help Santa out and teach her how to share her toys?

Kids: Yeah we all work on sharing everyday.  We will help!  Like the elves help you!

It was so cute watching all the kids with Santa.  It's funny to see how all the kids act around him.  They were all honest about their timeouts and promised to try not to have as many next year.  They all promised to help more around the house, to listen to their parents and be nice to their brothers and sisters and neighbors.  Santa even asked them to pick out a toy that they didn't play with anymore and give it to someone who needs a toy.  What a great Santa! 

Abby and all her friends at daycare had a blast and can't wait to see him again next year!

My baby sister is now MARRIED!

Congrats to my baby sister!  The wedding was a success and went off without any major hiccups.  Can I just say..

Isn't she the most beautiful bride you have EVER seen?!?

I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.  Lissa did a GREAT job and was so fun to work with!

I couldn't help but share this one of K and A too...

Abby's birthday

Abby,

Before having you, I was blessed with a family of my own and then blessed with a beautiful marriage to a loving husband to whom you now call “Da-Da”. 

Before having you, I had what I thought was a heart full of love.

Little did I know that was only a taste of what love is.
Little did I know that love would take on a whole new meaning.
Little did I know that I can love so much it hurts.

And with that kind of love comes worry.
and hope.
and faith.
and compromise.
and sacrifice.
and purpose.

My life now includes Mac & Cheese stains, the Alphabet song on never-ending repeat, tripping on toys, dirty diapers and mountains of laundry. I have embraced that, and adore it.

You are talking all the time now.

It's not the English language, or any language for that matter,

but you're talking—and I love everything you have to say. 

You have made my heart so full.

Happy birthday big girl!

I love you to the moon and back.

Stop growing up, mmkay...

Love Mommy!