Etsy

If you've never been to check out etsy, you should. I got the hat, worn by Little Miss, from this shop. Etsy is a source for so many unique, handmade goods. You can find great gifts for reasonable prices. There are some creative and talented people in the world; go see for yourself. Here's a link.

Where did Spring Go?

It's cold enough for a fire in the fireplace tonight and this morning we had frost. What happened to Spring??? Last week we were doing this...

All photos taken by E.

"You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream."

Parrot Chute

Saturday was a perfect day for the "parrot chute", as Little Miss likes to call it.

"Play is the beginning of knowledge."

A thing for feet...

...only in photographs. It actually makes me pretty crazy to have anyone touch me with their feet (just ask my husband); that's probably too much information...sorry!

Anyway, back to the pictures. You can really get a lot of information about the subject of the photo just by looking at the bottom half of his or her body, sometimes more than from looking at his or her face.

What they are doing...

What special occassion is being celebrated...

What sport they are playing...

What the season is...

How hard they have been playing...

How much fun they are having...

...and the list goes on...

Our feet are a representation of us, where we have been, where we are right now and where we are headed in the future.

Make your feet your friend. ~J.M. Barrie

"You never truly know someone until you've walked a mile in his shoes."

Before and After (DIY)

Part of the process in trying to become a reformed packrat is to find a use for all the random items in my basement. When my brother and sister-in-law moved quite some time ago (I'm thinking over 6 years), I acquired this lovely print. Although I never liked the print, I figured I could definitely use the frame for something....someday.

Well...it took me awhile, but I finally repurposed it...

I have so many random photos that I love and have wanted to display, but how many picture frames can you have in your house? Now, I have this huge one by the door that can hold a lot of pictures all at once. The best part about it is I can keep it fresh and new by changing out the pictures.

I'm thinking at Christmas time I will use it for our cards.

1. The first thing I did was spray painted the frame and then sanded the edges for a more vintage look.

2. Next I used a staple gun to staple the fabric to the mat that was around the print.

3. I glued ribbon around the outside edge to cover the staples. I really like the polka dot brown, but I didn't have enough, so I used a complimenting ribbon on the other sides (adds to the vintage look).

4. I measured where I wanted the jute and used a hammer and small nail to make pilot holes to screw in the hooks. (on my frame they are 8 inches apart)

5. I tied the jute and attached the photos with clips.

My idea is not completely my own; it was inspired by this post.

PS Just in case the print is worth some huge amount of money, it is untouched under the fabric.

Lego Table DIY

We bought this table from Ikea for E to play with his Legos. Still, we would find them everywhere but the table. I decided to adhere 4 square lego play mats to the table with some glue, transforming it from a plain red table to a Lego play table...

...and the battles with the Lego figures have begun.

Each blue square cost about $6.00 and the table was about $8.00, so when all was said and done, the table cost about $32.00, not too bad for a custom play table.

I found this one on Amazon for over $150.00

Slightly Annoyed

The day started off being quite productive. I was actually able to paint the tops of two benches and the top of a table I am repainting for the front porch. We took a break and decided to take a ride to the carousel...it was closed. E suggested we go miniature golfing...good call, we had fun and E even got a hole in one! After that we went for some Del's Lemonade and then to BJ's for a couple things. So here comes the slightly annoying part...later in the day, I went to put the newly painted furniture (that had been left in the isolated thunderstorm) inside the garage. When I was moving it, I noticed that some of the paint appeared to be bubbling. I'm guessing that because the paint wasn't completely dry, when it got wet, it started to bubble.....lovely! Guess I'm resanding and repainting for a second time because it was such a blast the first time. Yes, I know there are worse things, which is why I'm only slightly annoyed.

Below are some pictures of the day's events.

“Things cannot always go your way. Learn to accept in silence the minor aggravations, ...so that those about you may not be annoyed with the dust and soot of your complaint.”-William Osler

My 100th post

So, this is my 100th post and I still have less than 10 people a day that read my blog. I guess I need to step it up a notch! I'm so impressed by those bloggers that have giveaways and contests on their blogs and get money each month from people who sponsor them. I'm just not there yet, and I probably won't ever be, but that's ok. I never was really good about having attention; I have some social issues in regards to that.

I'm grateful to have my daily readers (family members :) who check in to see what's going on and for them and for me, I'll keep blogging. For those of you who I don't know, thanks so much for reading and being loyal followers; I am flattered.

"True popularity is not the popularity which is followed after, but the popularity which follows after." -Lord Mansfield

FYI: I did not purchase these glasses just for my 100th post (not that insane). E had them from his 100th day of school celebration and I coincidentally took a picture of him wearing them just the other day.

Blue on Blue

So E had his first day of T-ball yesterday and the team he played was the Royals as in Royal Blue; well actually I think it is the Kansas City Royals (me being the huge sport's fan that I am). Anyway, both teams were wearing the same exact color...can you believe it??? It was a sea of blue out there on the field...just a tad bit confusing for a bunch of 6 year olds!

Little Miss was able to spend some quality time with her friend.

It definitely wasn't all business during the game. In fact, most of the time, it looked like this....

or when in the field, like this....

Gooooooo Dodgers!

Today was supposed to be opening day for baseball (t-ball). It was postponed from yesterday due to rain and then today it ended up getting cancelled. E was not happy that he couldn't make his debut in the opening day parade. I tried to prepare him for the possibility of it getting rained out, but I think he thought I was bluffing. The news of the cancellation brought him to tears; poor little man. The real bummer is that 30 minutes after it was cancelled the sun came out.

Later in the day, however, he was able to play some soccer; boy was it chilly though!

Sleepy, sleepy...

That pretty much describes me right about now. I just finished inputting my grades (with 2 hours to spare before the deadline at midnight). So...why update my blog when I am completely exhausted?

Good question...

...unfortunately I don't have a good answer.

Enjoy the random photos! Goodnight!

Daffodils

Great Aunt Doris passed away a few years ago, but we still live next door to her adorable house. Each spring when I see the daffodils blooming I think of how much she loved to garden. I miss her all the time, but especially at this time of year.

Little Miss was thrilled to walk around with the daffodils...maybe she is going to have a green thumb too!

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"One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth."
-Dorothy Frances Gurney

When Little Miss decided she wanted a butterfly party, we had to get all the butterflies we could find. I found wooden butterflies at the Dollar Tree; there were 16 wooden butterflies in a package for $1.00. I had no idea what we were going to do with them, but of course with a bargain like that, who can refuse? We also picked up some wooden flowers while we were at it.

I ended up using the idea from the coffee filter flowers found here.

The kids colored first with water color markers....

...then sprayed them with water.

We made some into magnets...
....and for the others we mounted them onto popsicle sticks and turned them into decorations for the Easter plants we gave as gifts. A quick easy way to personalize the plants. I also sprayed them with sealer to prevent them from running and fading if they get wet.

Boys and Girls

What's the difference, you ask?

But... I must add that by the end of the day, Little Miss' tights were a little torn in the bum area with little grass stains on the knees.

Perhaps it was from doing this.

And finally, just a random shot of our Easter centerpiece. We went a little crazy with the egg dying this year. We colored 3 1/2 dozen eggs. Can you say egg salad????