:) to :( to :) again!

:)

First, I was so excited to talk to Elise about the arrival of my new nephew, Mercer. He was born on Friday, 2 weeks early, weighing in at 8 lbs. 13 oz. He already has cheeks that I wish I could squeeze.

:(

Then I peeked outside to find what looked like a blizzard.

:)

But, we were happy again when Mario Kart returned (thanks Aunt Lori!)

Overall our weekend was fun, even with the snow. Especially thanks to a visit from Taylor and Grandma!

Invite to Bannister to Blog

I am hosting bunco this month and made invitations* with a little banner on them. It inspired me to make one out of fabric for the house.


I used pinking shears to cut out the triangles so I only had to sew along the top edge.


I picked fabrics with colors that coordinate with a photo collage I have in the living room.

Then I added some little coffee filter flowers (this link is a tutorial, it's the same place I discoverd rolled fabric flowers). Damon had a lot of fun helping me make these.

*I thought I would share how I made post card invitations, because it was inexpensive, simple, and versatile (ie. announcements, holiday cards, etc.). I used photoshop and digital scrap supplies to create the invitations. Then I printed them off as 4x6 photographs. I checked with the post office and 4x6 is about as big as a post card can be. There is a thickness requirement also which a photograph doesn't meet. So, I glued a 4x6 index card to the back. This provided the proper size and a blank spot on the back for writing the addresses and putting the stamp. Many photo labs will create post cards for you, but not in one hour. Since I don't like to wait when I get an idea, this worked well and I had the invites in my hands the same day. It was also less expensive.

We may need a lesson in relaxation!

Last night Damon got a balloon while we were on a treat run. When I went in this morning to wake him up for school I found that balloon tightly clasped in his little hand. I'm not sure how much of the night he spent hanging on to it, but I wonder how well he slept.

On a separate note, what is up with the weather? I scraped at least 3 inches of snow off of the car this morning. I guess I should have parked in the garage, but really it's May.

Thank You's!

I was spoiled by friends and family for my birthday this year and a few weeks ago I was in the process of making some Thank You's! I like making cards, but I sometimes find it hard to spend a lot of time on them.


So, I came up with this little idea. A really simple open card with a little fabric flower attatched to the top. I've said before that I like using fabric scrapes to make flowers and they came in handy here.

I added a little hair clip to the back and used that to attatch it to the card. Then when the recipient is ready to toss the card they can keep the flower for their hair. The cards where quick and easy to make and I felt like my time was well spent.

P.S. Damon's fits have mostly ceased, I'm not sure if it is the weather, but I know it has helped my mood. I haven't heard any tales of "Arch Enemies" lately either, so maybe that's it.

Mysteries of my 6 year old!

Damon has been sooo tired lately. I'm not sure if he is fighting off sickness or if he is just worn out from all the monster fits he's been throwing. It could be social stress at school. 1st grade is pretty intense. The other day we were talking about his day and I asked about his bus ride home. He said he sat by himself today and I asked why. He said, "Because Hunter sat by Conner, my arch enemy." (some names have been changed, mostly for fun, because anybody who knows any of these 3 boys probably knows who I am really talking about.)

My current arch enemy? Our yard!

I wish I was one of those "green thumbs" who really loves yard work, but I'm not. Our yard could actually be pretty nice it is just such a beast to take care of.

Quest for organization

still on!

A few weeks ago I picked up these simple carboard magazine storage boxes at IKEA for just a couple of dollars. They had cute patterened ones for a few bucks more, but nothing I liked. So, I bought the cheeper white ones and covered them with some wrapping paper I like. They fit in with the rest of our office and I think they are going to help keep me more organzied. Time will tell.

We also picked up these industrial shelves for our storage room awhile back. We have since started filling them with cans, boxes, bags, and other food storage items. I really like how sturdy they are, but I am worried that they might become cluttered and unorganized if I don't come up with some kind of system, soon! So, does anyone have any good tips on keeping everything in order and rotating items effectively? Please let me know.

It may have felt more like Christmas...

but we had a happy Easter!

Now, where is the sunshine and flowers?

Free time projects!

A few weeks ago Tyler and Damon went to a Jazz game. That left me with a good 8 hours to do whatever I wanted. I spent way too much time telling myself it was ok not to clean or work while they were gone. Then I had to decide what I wanted to do. After all of that I spent quite a bit of time on the computer and I made 2 trips to the craft store (after I decided what I was going to do.) This is what I worked on.

This chair was resting peacefully at D.I. with an $8 price tag. I walked past it more than once before I talked myself into considering it. I was afraid to touch it. I found cereal under the cushion. It scared me a little. I brought it home anyway. I painted the legs, bought a button kit and used left over fabric from something else to make the black button. After I sewed and stapled all of the fabric into place I attached cute black piping over all of the unfinished edges. And, it's comfortable which is the best part.

While I had the black paint out I decided to refresh this photo screen. It has been stored away since we moved into our house 4 years ago. I have always liked it, but I just couldn't find a place for it. After a few minor adjustments it fit right in next to my new chair. It was also lots of fun to go through all of my pictures and decide which ones I wanted to use in each of the 15 openings (that may be what took the most time of all.)

Remeber this post about these little wooden accents? This is one of the projects I had in mind for them. They were such an inexpensive and simple change that made a big difference.

The boys got home completely exhausted and went straight to bed. It was fun to have some time to myself, but I was so glad when they got home. I went straight to bed myself.

A Happy Birthday!

What a fun day I had!
It all started when two cute somebodies made me breakfast.

We spent some time the park. Then we went to the pet store to look at the cute baby animals.

We played hot/cold and I found a little something from my littlie in the air vent. Sneeky! He was very excited for me to see that he got me some lotion, which he picked himself. He told Tyler he wanted to get it because he knows, "Mom has really dry skin." Awesome! He doesn't miss a thing.
Then the same two somebodies made me dinner. It was so yummy. Steak (on the grill) and potatoes (twice baked). Garlic bread, salad, and snow crab legs. Mmmmmm!

Happy Birthday to my sister Lori today!