Was reading an article in one of my old lady magazines... Good Housekeeping or something... about a lady that jots down a one sentence journal entry a day-- just a quickie reminder of how that day went so that when she looks back, it reminds her of something wonderful. That sounds like something manageable!
Jan. 23, 2012
I was feeding Abby her cereal today (which she DOES NOT like) and Nick was watching.
"Mommy, don't feed her anymore. Put that away," he said. "
Why?" I asked, "Because she doesn't like it?"
"Yeah. Throw it away."
What a good big brother. :)
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Winter Redesign!
I had the day off as Mommy and hit the road with $120 in Christmas money. Mission: to decorate my great room with items that said "Baby it's cold outside!" So here's the breakdown...
With roughly $120, I bought:
- 2 brass lamps for our future bedroom redesign ($6 each)
- 1 gray vase ($4)
- 1 silver plated tray ($10)
- 2 crystal wine glasses ($1 each)
- 9 drinking glasses in 3 sizes ($1, $.75, and $.50 respectively)
- 1 white urn ($3)
- 1 can of silver foil spraypaint ($6 but had 40% coupon)
- 2 orange pillow covers ($2.50 each)
- 2 blue chevron pillow covers ($3.50 each)
- 1 glass snowflake bowl ($8)
- 2 snowflake statues ($8.50 each)
- 2 crystal plate stands ($4 each)
- 1 ivory striped curtain panel ($6)
- 3 ivory sweaters ($3.50) each
- 6 hard bound Reader's Digests with really pretty covers (3.50 each)
(The cute kid was free... sorta! :)
Now, for the Winter Redo, I didn't use some of this stuff, like the lamps or the pillow covers. So, if you are doing the math, take those out of the grand makeover total. You can add those in at a later date.
(Note: Who knew that Hobby Lobby had 16x16 and 18x18 pillow covers?! Not this girl! And, to top it off, they were super cheap (at 50% off)! They have tons of colors and textures, so check them out!)
Ok, so here's for the awesomeness that is my Winter Redesign...
Let's look at the mantle first:
Everything was thrifted except the silver Christmas balls and the tree, which were left over decorations from Christmas. I love how it all came together! Here are some close ups of each side:
See those lovely mercury glass votives? This is how they used to look.
To make them, I...
1. Sprayed them inside with a silver foil spray paint from Hobby Lobby. Make sure it's high shine. I didn't use the silver Looking Glass paint because it was expensive! Went for a cheaper model. :)
2. While wet, I squirted the inside with a mixture of half water and half vinegar. At this point, I learned that the finer the mist of the spray bottle, the tinier the spots. So, if you like the look of real mercury glass, you might want to experiment with larger water droplets.
3. After it all dries, wipe the water droplets off with a paper towel. Ta da!!!
Of course, that wasn't enough for me, though! I had to go a little further! I used painters tape to tape a narrow line around the top of each glass on the outside and sprayed that with the same silver, sans water solution. I wanted a nice clean line there. That's what you see in the close-up picture.
To make the knitted vases, I cut the sleeves off of 2 of my ivory sweaters and carefully put the vase inside. I love this because I can reuse those vases for anything! Sweater sleeves= 0 commitment!
Below is a picture of the pillow covers. I tried them on the pillows to make sure I liked them all together. I think with a little sprucing up, they'll be perfect!
Now for the winter pillows!
With the sweater that I bought, I laid each pillow COVER on top and measured around. Now, I can't lie; these took a little wiggling here. The large cable knit of each sweater gave each on a lot of "give" so I had to tight them up a little here and there.
The trees were left over from Christmas, the tray was from the Goodwill, the wine glasses were from the Habitat Restore, the brass birds were my hubby's grandmothers, and the snowflake came from HL.
Last but not least, my son made a gorgeous snowflake for our pallet wall. The frame and original picture came from my hubby's grandmothers house. It was originally a brass colored plastic, but I zapped it with that same silver spray paint from the votives. I think I'm going to write "Baby it's cold outside" or something to the liking on the glass with a dry erase marker (again, no commitment!). The snowflake picture is actually the back of the original picture paper that was in there. Cost: $0! Aw yeah!
- 2 brass lamps for our future bedroom redesign ($6 each)
- 1 gray vase ($4)
- 1 silver plated tray ($10)
- 2 crystal wine glasses ($1 each)
- 9 drinking glasses in 3 sizes ($1, $.75, and $.50 respectively)
- 1 white urn ($3)
- 1 can of silver foil spraypaint ($6 but had 40% coupon)
- 2 orange pillow covers ($2.50 each)
- 2 blue chevron pillow covers ($3.50 each)
- 1 glass snowflake bowl ($8)
- 2 snowflake statues ($8.50 each)
- 2 crystal plate stands ($4 each)
- 1 ivory striped curtain panel ($6)
- 3 ivory sweaters ($3.50) each
- 6 hard bound Reader's Digests with really pretty covers (3.50 each)
(The cute kid was free... sorta! :)
Now, for the Winter Redo, I didn't use some of this stuff, like the lamps or the pillow covers. So, if you are doing the math, take those out of the grand makeover total. You can add those in at a later date.
(Note: Who knew that Hobby Lobby had 16x16 and 18x18 pillow covers?! Not this girl! And, to top it off, they were super cheap (at 50% off)! They have tons of colors and textures, so check them out!)
Ok, so here's for the awesomeness that is my Winter Redesign...
Let's look at the mantle first:
To make them, I...
1. Sprayed them inside with a silver foil spray paint from Hobby Lobby. Make sure it's high shine. I didn't use the silver Looking Glass paint because it was expensive! Went for a cheaper model. :)
2. While wet, I squirted the inside with a mixture of half water and half vinegar. At this point, I learned that the finer the mist of the spray bottle, the tinier the spots. So, if you like the look of real mercury glass, you might want to experiment with larger water droplets.
3. After it all dries, wipe the water droplets off with a paper towel. Ta da!!!
Of course, that wasn't enough for me, though! I had to go a little further! I used painters tape to tape a narrow line around the top of each glass on the outside and sprayed that with the same silver, sans water solution. I wanted a nice clean line there. That's what you see in the close-up picture.
To make the knitted vases, I cut the sleeves off of 2 of my ivory sweaters and carefully put the vase inside. I love this because I can reuse those vases for anything! Sweater sleeves= 0 commitment!
Below is a picture of the pillow covers. I tried them on the pillows to make sure I liked them all together. I think with a little sprucing up, they'll be perfect!
Now for the winter pillows!
With the sweater that I bought, I laid each pillow COVER on top and measured around. Now, I can't lie; these took a little wiggling here. The large cable knit of each sweater gave each on a lot of "give" so I had to tight them up a little here and there.
On the center pillow, I used a narrow ribbon to sew on some extra rings I had from a previous project. I thought it needed a little extra "pizzazz"! (Who doesn't love pizzazz?!)
Let's talk Tablescape! Using the $6 curtain panel, I sewed 2 table runners. FYI: curtains and tablecloths are awesome for making projects! It's a lot less sewing because the sides are already hemmed!
The trees were left over from Christmas, the tray was from the Goodwill, the wine glasses were from the Habitat Restore, the brass birds were my hubby's grandmothers, and the snowflake came from HL.
Last but not least, my son made a gorgeous snowflake for our pallet wall. The frame and original picture came from my hubby's grandmothers house. It was originally a brass colored plastic, but I zapped it with that same silver spray paint from the votives. I think I'm going to write "Baby it's cold outside" or something to the liking on the glass with a dry erase marker (again, no commitment!). The snowflake picture is actually the back of the original picture paper that was in there. Cost: $0! Aw yeah!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
It's Been a While...
Gosh... ya know, if I had any self-motivation, self-control, self-organization, or any of those other self-labels, I would be much better about staying connected on this thing. But, sadly, I've got nothing. Especially today... I wanted to do nothing all day. How terrible! I scold myself for such nonsense! God gave me today to do something spectacular with and here I am wasting it away. Terrible.
So, I think I'll catch you, Blog-sphere, up on my latest awesomeness... my family.
Well, there's been a ton of fun stuff going on since Easter 2012, which is when I last posted on this thing:
- Our family dynamic has changed a ton with the addition of a momentary lapse of judgement-- the dog. Chance joined the exclusive ranks of the Sweeney family back in March I think, about a month after we put Sadie Mae down. He was found on the side of the road by neighbors and we were delusional enough to take him in. Why do I say "delusional?" Because the dog is c.r.a.z.y. And so are we for taking him. Occasionally, he has a fleeting second of likability, but don't blink because it goes by fast! Then in a wink he's off eating something, knocking someone over, or counter surfing. Here his is...
So, I think I'll catch you, Blog-sphere, up on my latest awesomeness... my family.
Well, there's been a ton of fun stuff going on since Easter 2012, which is when I last posted on this thing:
- Our family dynamic has changed a ton with the addition of a momentary lapse of judgement-- the dog. Chance joined the exclusive ranks of the Sweeney family back in March I think, about a month after we put Sadie Mae down. He was found on the side of the road by neighbors and we were delusional enough to take him in. Why do I say "delusional?" Because the dog is c.r.a.z.y. And so are we for taking him. Occasionally, he has a fleeting second of likability, but don't blink because it goes by fast! Then in a wink he's off eating something, knocking someone over, or counter surfing. Here his is...
I know what you're gonna say... "He's so cute!" and "What a handsome boy!" But, spend one second with him. Just one. I promise you'll find all kinds of new qualities to talk about!
- Since Easter 2012, our precious baby girl turned one! Man, time flies! I'm wondering where it all went! It makes me want another in the hopes I can remember all the baby stuff better, but I know that it will just go by faster than the first 2. She's truly a joy, just like Nick. She's 14 months now and has 2.5. teeth. :) She's trying to tell you all kinds of fun things about what's going on around her but her vocab is limited to bye bye, Hi Da da, Bubba, All done (ah duh), and Hi. Super cute! I can't get enough of her, I tell ya! And, everyone else feels that way too... even the scary men in Walmart! Here's our little girl at her first birthday.
Isn't she just precious?! In that last picture, she was simply over the whole party idea. She was tired and done. Her sweet face screams No More Mommy. :( But, even in those moments, I want to squeeze her preciousness!
-My boy turned 4 last week! 4!!! I can't believe it! In my mind, 4 is old; I taught kids in kindergarten who where 4. I'm sorry, but my baby will never be old enough for school!
He's the smartest kid I know, and funny, and adorable, and witty, and huggable, and ... well, I could go on for days! The other day I said to him, "Honey, thanks for cleaning up your mess." And his adorable response: "Your welcome, Mom. And you call me Frank." Frank! So funny! Where does he come up with this stuff???
Here are some shots from his 4th birthday party which was a superhero theme. It was tons of fun and he relished all of it.
Well, thanks for reading my catch-up info! Hopefully I won't wait another 6 months to catch everyone up!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Easter 2012
We had such a wonderful Easter this year! Mom and Dad came to visit and all three families when to church together then headed over here. There were tons of egg hunts and jelly beans galore! I tried without much success (I think) to teach N about Jesus rising from the dead, but it's so abstract, I think he had a hard time grasping it. But, to the contrary, he told a lady at Lowe's that we planted seeds on Jesus's tunnel and it had a big rock that "looked like this" (He showed it standing up with his hand) and we watered it, so he might have gotten something from it.... besides dirty. :)
A's 5th month through 7th month-- Geez I'm behind
These are in descending order.
A at 7 months old! She is so full of herself and scooting everywhere! No place is safe anymore! She is also getting an opinion about the bows in her hair... they taste better than they look! She loves her brother and she continues to give the best hugs ever. She still hates baby food but eats bread, goldfish, graham crackers, baby mum mums, and cheese.
Love her smile!
And her laugh!
She makes the cutest faces!
This is A at 6 months. She hates baby food and still shudders when I feed it to her. I can tell she is going to be a pistol! She sits up well but really isn't moving around much. She loves her brother!
Our favorite blankets
I love her thighs!
Lil sis and big bro
N couldn't quit laughing that day! It was awesome!
A is 5 months! She loves chewing on her toes and walking around her exersaucer. She's hoot and her laugh is infectious!
She loves her brother!
They're gonna be tight!
Monday, January 23, 2012
A's 4th month
A little late in posting but here are pics from A's 4th month.
Miss Sassy Pants!
So coy and demure. ;)
Daddy's little WVU fan
Ride 'em cowboy!
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