Something Old.....Something New....Something Adorable!

First of all a little bit of business to take care of..... I am deleting my "family" blog and just going to incorporate some pictures of the little lady on here. So, if you are one of my many two followers, please make a note of it!


Now for the good stuff! Here are a few items I made this week. My new favorites are the wipe cases! I have tons of these hanging out at my house, I don't know why they like it here so much, but I just can't seem to get rid of them :)

I have also had a fun time with dye! It was my first time, I hope you can't tell....

Let me know if you see anything you like or if there is anything I can make for your little ones!! Hope you all have a great week :)

Shirt for "M"

The top pics are a shirt and bow I made for Miss "M" I really love how it turned out! The other two pics are just a couple of Taylor's outfits I thought I would share! I would love to make your little lady or  little man a shirt all their own, just promise me you will be patient in the process! I am currently working on 3 baby shower gifts which I probably must finish first :)

Picture Post with lots of BOWS!!

Please email me if you see anything you like or have any questions! Thanks so much :)

DIY Day--Height Chart

 I have been searching and searching everywhere for a growth chart for the little lady of the house, but haven't been able to find one. At least not one in our budget! So, I decided "I bet I could make one...mabybe!" And what better way to try something then with stuff you already have on hand?! That way if it doesn't work your not out anything. So here's what I did, and you can do it also, it was way easy. It was, however a little time consuming but it would be a perfect nap time project!

Here's what you need:
*Long piece of wood, I used a 1x6 (doesn't everyone have scrap wood laying around their house?!)
*Spray Paint
*Tape measure
*Paint Pen
*Modge Podge
*Stickers, flowers, rhinestones, ribbon, anything to add some character to it

(BTW- this is my first tutorial so please bear with me!)

Step One:

Spray paint your wood whatever color you like, I used white because.... well.... hmmm....I guess just because I like white! Then I sanded down the edges to make them a little rounded and sanded various parts of the board to look a little worn. (please ignore my ugly light switch and the awful lighting)

Step Two:

After your paint dries, take your tape measure and measure about 1 1/2inches in from the width of the board and make a mark. Then draw a straight line all the way down from that mark to the other end of the board. Then make your marks, I used a yard stick for this part because it laid flatter on the board. I marked every 1/4in., 1/2in. and 1in.

Step Three:

Take your paint pen and go over the lines you made with your pencil. If your that good, you can eliminate the pencil all together and just use your pen, but I am not that good!

Step Four:

While your paint is drying you can start working on your embellishments. I drew letters onto the back of scrapbook paper to spell out her name. You can also put your scrapbook paper in your printer and print off the letters onto the back, just click the "mirror image" button before you print. Our printer is out of ink (it seems like it is always out of ink), so I had to do it the old fashioned way! I cut out numbers, but they seemed too big to me, so I just used stickers instead. I  used some chip board pieces to give it a little definition.

Step 5:

Cover your whole board with a thick coat of modge podge and let dry. Then position your letters and numbers where you want them to make sure they look ok before you glue them. Once you have decided, glue them on and add another coat of modge podge.

Step 6:

And finally came the flower and ribbon because it looked like it needed a little somthin, somthin extra! Hang up your growth chart and measure your little weed! I used pink and green on mine because I had the perfect spot to hang it in her room. But you can do whatever colors you like and hang it anywhere, in the bathroom, the kitchen, the playroom! Be creative, I know you are :) I am going to link this to DIY Day over at "A Soft Place to Land" there are so many fun things over there, you should check it out!! Have a great Tuesday!

P.S. Remember I said this was "scrap wood" so it wasn't actually 6ft. It was only 4 1/2, so I made sure the "half was on the bottom and marked it 2ft. Then I measured 18in. from the floor up  and marked the wall to make sure that's where the bottom of the board went! I hope this little lady isn't 6ft tall one day, but if she is I will be prepared :)

P.S.S. Yessssss, the "a" is backwards, please don't judge me! I was so excited that it was all coming together and I got in too big of a hurry!

Mantle MakeOver!

Here is the before:

The plate is just an old pie plate that I had, probably from a garage sale! I will post a tutorial for it hopefully tomorrow! It's super easy and only takes, oh probably ten minutes if you can get it done un-interupted, which isn't possible in this household! So, it took me about an hour!!

I love the tree branches! I have been seeing them everywhere! It was a fun project, because Miss Taylor got to help pick branches! All I did was very lightly spray them white. I am making some halloween decorations to hang on them and am probably going to paint them black! The hubs has a strict no decorating rule until it's that holliday's month! I'm D.Y.I.N.G. to get up some spooky stuff! The picture hanging on them now is a little treasure I found at my Nanny's! It's the lyrics to "Amazing Grace" that I made for her in vacation bible school one year, it looked like fall so I hung it up!

Next on my mantle are these lovely vases! Or should I say glasses?! I took some cute scrapbook paper and cut it down to fit inside the glass, then just rolled it up and stuck it in there! I didn't glue it or anything, it just paper in a glass :) Because I have every intention of changing it come Oct. 1!

I'm not to big on the idea of the deer picture up there or the Live, Laugh, Love one, I just didn't have anywhere else to put the deer and the other once again, looked like fall! Any suggestions?! So, what do you think of my first makeover? I am also considering painting the wall behind, and possibly even the mantle....What do you think?!

Oh, and here is a sneak peak of something I made for my bathroom makeover! Stay tuned for that! And no, it doesn't match anything in there, but I just had to hang it up and see what it looked like in all it's glory! It is probably going to get painted during the makeover, along with everything else in there!

Hope you all have a great weekend, Taylor and I are headed to the city for a b-day party! It's "Transformers" can you imagine how excited she is?

Say What?!

Well, here you go in case you were wondering! I don't think it was presented this way to me, but I love it anyways! Happy wednesday!

POSITION:

Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma

Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Long term, team players needed, for challenging,

permanent work in an

often chaotic environment.

Candidates must possess excellent communication

and organizational skills and be willing to work

variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends

and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.

Some overnight travel required, including trips to

primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments

in far away cities!

Travel expenses not reimbursed.

Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The rest of your life.

Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,

until someone needs $5.

Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly..

Also, must possess the physical stamina of a

pack mule

and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat

in case, this time, the screams from

the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,

such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets

and stuck zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and

coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings

for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute,

an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a

half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.

Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Must assume final, complete accountability for

the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and

janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

None.

Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining,

constantly retraining and updating your skills,

so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

None required unfortunately.

On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:

Get this! You pay them!

Offering frequent raises and bonuses.

A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because

of the assumption that college will help them

become financially independent.

When you die, you give them whatever is left.

The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that

you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:

While no health or dental insurance, no pension,

no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and

no stock options are offered;

this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth,

unconditional love,

and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

** FOOTNOTE **

THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!

Monday Madness

So, if your anything like me, your awesome you have crazy busy weekends and feel like monday comes way to fast! And you don't feel like cooking a big meal on monday night because you just did two loads of dishes and don't feel like doing another, this is when I praise Rachael Ray for her one pot wonders! I hope you enjoy!

Sausage and Shrimp One-Pot
INGREDIENTS:
•2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
•1 pound hot or sweet bulk Italian sausage or 1 pound of links, split from casings
•2 cubanelle peppers, seeded and chopped
•1 red onion, chopped
•4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
•Salt and pepper
•1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes (15 ounces)
•1 cup chicken stock
•1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
•1 pound large, peeled, deveined shrimp
•A handful of basil leaves, torn or shredded
•1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, a handful, chopped
•1 loaf ciabatta bread
PREPERATION:
Pre-heat the oven to 325˚F.

Heat a large, high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat with the EVOO, a couple of turns of the pan. Add the sausage and crumble and brown it for 3-4 minutes, then add the peppers, onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes more so that the vegetables start to soften.

Add the tomatoes, stock and bay leaf, then stir and bring up to a boil. Add the shrimp and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 5 minutes, then uncover and stir in the basil and parsley. Turn off the heat.

Crisp the bread in the hot oven. Serve the stoup in shallow bowls with crusty bread alongside for mopping.