Wednesday, December 31, 2008
diy play kitchen
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/toys-kids/roundup-diy-play-kitchens-069808
take a look!
mean mama
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
one nap worth
i am still figuring blogger out and have posted my 'how to' pics backwards- sorry. i hesitate to even show any b/c i did it so sloppily... but hey- at least this baby girl will have a nice calm background in all the pictures we will inevitably have of her in this bouncy seat... and the nice soft linen will wear better/ wash better and be softer to her skin than the man-made fabric from before which was already full of pills and stains. so here is the finished product- a slipcover that fits over the old bouncy seat cover w/ slits cut for the seat belt. i zig zag stitched around the openings i cut b/c using the actual button hole setting on my machine gives me a headache- beside she'll be sitting on that part, so who cares if it is a bit messy.
this is the part where i tried it on for size and pinned my darts and marked where to cut the openings for the seat belt.
i pinned my three pieces of fabric together and then sewed it inside out.(just look at how the original was constructed when making your own)
i laid the original seat cover on my linen and cut w/ generous(perhaps 1.5-2 in.) margins.
here is our original bouncy seat- cut... not as loud as some, but just not really what i want competing with my daughter's face as we admire her while sitting in it... besides, it's not like she i looking at the animals behind her head anyway!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Christmas report
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Saturday, December 27, 2008
long time coming
here is a brief tour of the downstairs of our new house... still very much a work in progress... we have painted the kitchen and hung some pictures since these were taken even. we are still waiting for some furniture to arrive as well... who knows maybe down the road i'll do some before and after pictures...
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas eve
we have been raking leaves and enjoying a fire inside and will soon be headed to the candlelight service at our church. we are starting the tradition of Christmas morning at home and we are excited about it!
merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Friday, December 19, 2008
trip to alabama
elisha and his cousin had a great time playing together while we were in al...
they definately ebnjoyd decorating the little cake house that nana put together for them.... well, everyone but elisha decorated-- he just ate smarties and licked icing... which led to a rather interesting nap time. he just turned circles in the pack-n-play. i'm serious-- i went in there and he was laughing and spinning and falling against the side, then getting up and doing it over again--- hilarious!!!
despite everyone involved getting a stomach bug(except e- thankfully) we had a wonderful five or so days with andrew's family...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Christmas list
finger paint
bath toys
books about trains-- his nana has a great one about the train to timbucktoo
and books about buses(or w/ buses in them)
... i'm sure i'll think of more...
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
happy boy
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
o christmas tree
Monday, December 8, 2008
this darling little coat is for...
Saturday, December 6, 2008
thanks giving
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Saturday, November 15, 2008
we have a new address
i guess for only having been here for a week, we are pretty settled. we have figured out some of the quirks of our older home(sorry if you shiver while using our guest bathroom-- don't know why they didn't include a heat vent in there?)... some of the quirks are still a mystery- lots of light switches that don't seem to do anything.
elisha loves his new digs-- plenty of room to run around inside. he has been loading his wagon up with various things and then pushing it at break neck speeds around the house. his room still echos a little, but he sleeps well. otis is desperately missing his doggy door, but maybe in a couple weeks we will have a fence up and get him another door. we are going to get the kind that only opens when he is near it so that elisha won't crawl out of it ;-)
i will try to post some picture soon- i'll try to avoid the desire to get things just so before i do, b/c who knows when things will be 'finished'... with the little one on the way i'm giving myself a year to be settled in totally(pictures on the wall etc)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
we found out we are having...
with elisha i just knew from the beginning that he was a boy, and my instincts were correct... this time i am thinking girl- and i am dying to find out if my instincts are correct! don't get me wrong- i will be thrilled either way, i just want to know ;-)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
shoe people
e just loves to wear shoes- any one's shoes... and he'll settle for just socks if he has too...
Saturday, November 1, 2008
blue
Sunday, October 26, 2008
down on the farm
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
blowing kisses
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
our unborn
i am feeling such a burden right now the most vulnerable unspoken for subset of our population... the genocide of our unborn is such an atrocity! a friend just shared with me that 90% of babies with downs syndrome are aborted!!! support groups are closing down b/c there just aren't many being born. we are like russia -they sent their mentally retarded off to live elsewhere, yet we are so much worse b/c we are just killing them off! while they are completely unable to fend for themselves. there are 4,000 human aborted (killed) a day! in the US... this is a blood bath
this issue is so huge, i can't even scratch the surface... especially not spur of the moment during nap time, but i am just feeling so burdened... i know when speaking of the upcoming election and political issues people say there are other important issues that lead them to vote against their conscience on the abortion issue... all i can say is: how are we judging importance? because in my book life or death pretty much makes the cut for extremely important!
but i guess it doesn't affect how much money you have left after taxes to spend on stuff... and if you are claiming the lives of soldiers in iraq(who signed on for the risky job they do) are more important- just look up the stats... the lives of soldiers lost throughout the entire war compared to one year of abortion, you will be blown away. it is time we spoke up for these lives
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
torture...?
here he is holding a comb b/c he kept trying to take hers, but is just using it to swat her away...
notice the arms up while giving her a look...
this is when he started to really take after his cousin and father(who have many childhood pictures w/ giant amounts of hair b/c of their desperate fear of hair cuts). he is calling mama and reaching for me-- this dissolved into crying and climbing out... the haircut was completed w/ me holding him screaming and kicking. sweet liza was unruffled...
this is the rough draft... he was still unsure about being out of my arms. he eventually he calmed down as we colored in the corner. i noticed a few strays and decided to go a bit shorter in the back since we weren't going to be attempting another haircut for quite a while... so after he was totally back to himself we took one last go at it... me holding him screaming- lisa calmly snipping here and there. i can understand how scary it must be to have scissors or noisy clippers right around your face and ears... but come on - it doesn't hurt... it doesn't have to be torture. but unfortunately it was... for both of us!
Monday, October 13, 2008
make someone happy
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
our little family...
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Saturday, September 27, 2008
silly boys
but i can give a bit of an update: we are still waiting for the bathroom construction to be finished... it will be so nice to no longer have a toilet sitting in our bedroom-- not to mention the smell of drywall dust! as soon as the work is finished we will be listing our house on the market... hopefully in a week! o my! we scrubbed our deck and planted pansies and mulched, edged... we have been busy this weekend getting ready. e tried to help... but i'm afraid he really did more harm than good with the pansies.
we also have plans to close on a new home at the end of october!!! not the ideal order of operations- but i have to say this house will definitely show better when i get the dog and the toddler out of it ;-) andrew and i have felt like junior high kids in love... staying up late talking in the dark about our infatuation with this house we are buying... it is just outside of the perimeter... so not tooo far out, but it sits on close to 2 acres of land!!! and not only that, our land connects to a great park... it really is a dream come true for my husband, who never intended to live in a big city. to be able to get to the woods from our back door is going to be such a blessing! that's what this really is-- just such a blessing. we feel like God has picked out the perfect gift and is lavishing it on us!
that's i can keep my eyes open to tell you tonight...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
say what?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
boo boo
Sunday, September 7, 2008
patty cake
it's a super yummy summery dessert that is very easy --so i'll share w/ y'all. you can make it while it still feels like summer...
-make a yellow (our white) cake box cake in a big rectangular dish. after it is cooked pinch out little holes all across the top
-thaw and squish a bag of frozen strawberries, then spread it on top o the cake so that it seeps into the holes in the cake.
-make vanilla instant pudding and mix it with a container of cool whip. spread on top of cake as icing... put in fridge and wait... it gets better after sitting overnight.
enjoy!
Friday, September 5, 2008
hard @ work
andrew was working on framing a closet around our washer and dryer in the garage -- one of the many projects we have going to get our house 'market ready'... we have a PODS unit sitting in our driveway that we are filling with most of our belongings not absolutely neccesary for everyday life. we have a darling house that we want to showcase to it fullest potential, so we are trying to get the closets half empty and the toys out of sight... not an easy job!
our goal is to list our home on the market by oct. 1st... we'll see how that goes. we are hoping to stay in the same area, just find a larger home that will last us a good ten years or so...we may have to move out a bit to make that happen though...
in the meantime wish me luck!
ps. oxyclean spray left on grout for a few hours then scrubbed can work wonders on your kitchen floors--- but beware, it takes a multitude of rinses to get all the suds up!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
still tall
sadly, though, he had to get blood drawn from his arm to test for lead and it was heartbreaking. just heartbreaking. i think the fact that i am terrified of shots and blood draws makes it so much harder for me to see my baby have to go through it. he just looked up at me with a horrified expression... i don't blame him. i would be very upset if my mama didn't make people stop doing horrible things to me. oh! a mother's heartache... so many little things to ache over.
Friday, August 22, 2008
east coast and live oaks
here are some of our beach trip pictures... the ones that didn't go swimming in the ocean with our new digital camera :-(((
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Sunday, August 17, 2008
shopping advice
--- first up- what size crock pot do you recommend? i have a big one, but it is too big and so i never fill it more than half and the edges burn. ---also : what brand? since i'm not thrilled w/ mine i don't feel like i have to have a rival brand 'crock pot' ... i'm thinking about hamilton beach. i don't want to spend a fortune.
--- next, e broke my glasses. i bought them a year and a half ago at america's best(i think)... they were the absolute cheapest i could find n the city. this time however i think i'm going the other route. i think i'm willing to pay more to get some that are more resilient... maybe they can be twisted around w/ out breaking... who knows i may even splurge and get anti scratch or the glare free lenses. there is a lensecrafters near and i'm thinking about going there. i know that a lot of my friends are well researched in making the most of sales/ coupons... and shopping at the right places. help me out here! please! unfortunately, i am needing new glasses somewhat soon...
thanks!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
mothering at home
"[Woman is surrounded] with very young children, who require to be taught not so much anything as everything. Babies need not to be taught a trade, but to be introduced to a world. To put the matter shortly, woman is generally shut up in a house with a human being at the time when he asks all the questions that there are, and some that there aren't...."
"[W]hen people begin to talk about this domestic duty as not merely difficult but trivial and dreary, I simply give up the question. For I cannot with the utmost energy of imagination conceive what they mean. When domesticity, for instance, is called drudgery, all the difficulty arises from a double meaning in the word. If drudgery only means dreadfully hard work, I admit the woman drudges in the home, as a man might drudge [at his work]. But if it means that the hard work is more heavy because it is trifling, colorless and of small import to the soul, then as I say, I give it up; I do not know what the words mean…. I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people's children [arithmetic], and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness."
now that i reminded of the hugely important role i get to play-- i am off to dig in the sand with my baby and watch his eyes widen as he sees sailboats go by!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
laguna song
i add my breath to your breath
that we may be one person.
may our days on earth be long
may we finish our road together.
simple. but lovely.
speaking of simple.... a friend (julie) recommended a great blog www.simplemom.net . i have subscribed(just learned how to do that! on this blog no less) and am really enjoying it!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
wedding flowers photos
this first picture is of one of the centerpieces ... this one was in front of the bride and groom seats. thankfully none of the hydrangea at the reception wilted... i'm telling you-- don't use hydrangea in arrangements if you can help it! but it does look beautiful. the place cards used names from Charleston - where the couple is honeymooning...
my friend ashley put this one together while looking at the gigantic kissing ball i had done for the front entrance-- unfortunately, i don't have a picture of that one... maybe i can get some form the photographer... they were both great backgrounds for pictures...
i LOVE seeded eucalyptus- that is the almost blueish greenery
these are the bridesmaid's arrangements(that were the hasty replacements my friends made while i was putting the reception flowers out;-) they were used as centerpieces on the bridal party table.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
coming soon
andrew and i are so happy to have reclaimed our home(even the bathrooms were full of flowers... andrew had to get them out of the tub so he could shower on friday!).
there was, of course a bit of drama at the last minute as just about all the flowers at the church (ie. bridal bouquet, bridesmaids, groomsmen boutineres etc) were all wilted and frosty from the fridge at the church--- that was on the warmest setting!!
all that to say, i will be posting a few picture soon to show for all my 2am work days and thorn splintered hands ;-) ... at least what survived for pics!
Monday, July 21, 2008
4th of july... and a few at home insights
we went to the parade by the lake... it reminded me of the parade that would go by my house when i was little. elisha was a little terrified of the firetruck... i was too. it was quite loud! we were hot in the sun at the parade, but that might have been the only time i really was the whole trip... it was so nice to sleep with the windows open at night and wake up chilly. there was a sleeping porch upstairs and i kept finding that andrew would sneak off with a book to that ideal spot... it will hopefully be just the first of many 4th of july holiday weekends spent up there.
the porch was a fun (enclosed!) place to play...
this is a picture of elisha at our house in front of the tv. i hate to watch tv-- and i hate for elisha to as well... i know i'm being a stick in the mud, and that i'll make up for lost time if/when we have more children and i'm desperate for the couple of minutes of free babysitting that the tv offers... but for now it is a rarity. i would hope that that would mean that elisha isn't that interested in it, but no! he will point to it and rub his chest( signing 'please'). he just love 'thomas' videos... well we only have one. this is a shot of him dancing in front of the tv to the opening music!
i hope that we don't look like to big of rednecks! i left andrew at home one morning and when i came back, elsiha was wearing his camo pjs(that he has outgrown) and using andrew's deer call! it has become his new favorite toys. just a new way to make animal sounds(his favorite past time). andrew relishes a chance to watch hunting videos when i am not at home(see above not as to my dislike of tv... and hunting videos are certainly not an exception!)... now it seems he is training elisha to join him ;-)