Easy art.

So, I am sure I saw this on one of the many blogs I read, so I won't claim it as my own, but I still think it is a great idea! Anyone can do this, and I truly encourage you to do so! Just get some scrap paper that you like, trace the hand on the wrong side, cut it out nice and neat, glue to some white paper, frame (I used the Ribba fram from IKEA), and voila! A super neat keepsake, that is clean and modern, and can match any color scheme you have going on in your place.
I found a great pack of papers that were all perfect, and I just let the kids pick the ones they loved. Natalie's hand was ALMOST too big for the frame, which is why their hands are not straight up and down like I wanted. I think it looks nice like this as well. (Aren't her hands so skinny??? I made her hold her hand up to the tracing because it looked wrong, but it isn't! She just has skeletal hands.)
Brady is just like his Mama, he loved this tree paper, and so do I! He is my green boy. And I will cherish this chubby little hand print for ever and ever.

So go! Craft! Capture your babies tiny hands while they are still tiny!

My quilt!

I did it! I finally made a quilt, all by myself, from start to finish, with a hand sewn binding to boot! And I absolutely LOVE it! I got the "pattern" from Crazy Mom Quilts, she is amazing and one of the first blogs I ever started reading, and when she posted this tutorial I knew that would be my first attempt and completion of a real design style quilt.
I also used her tutorial for how to make your own binding, and attach it. So basically she taught me how to make this one from start to finish.
These different polka dot fabrics jumped out at me at the store one day and I knew they were perfect for this quilt. They are my favorite colors! I love the green I used for the binding, and I also used it for one long green stripe on the back. I already had a whole bolt of the cream to use on my sad attempt at the star quilt.
The quilt is a crib size, and it took me one weekend to sew the top, and then another weekend (plus a few stolen moments here and there) to baste, tie and then bind it. It was a labor of love and I absolutely do LOVE it! Now I am going to start another one!

Day One

Yesterday was quite a day! I woke up knowing I wanted to do something fun, and decided that since the kids ask at least once a week, that we would finally head up to the Wiggly Play Center in Frisco. We haven't been there in awhile and they do love when we get to make the trip. This time was so nice because they are both old enough to use all the stuff there, and to really go and play on their own. So it was nice because I got some much needed reading time!

After tiring them out there, we had to stop by IKEA for lunch and a bit of shopping, you can't drive all the way to Frisco and not go to IKEA. It helps that I keep a wish list of IKEA things at all times, just in case we ever make it up there. It was our lucky day because kids lunches just happened to be free! Gotta love free lunch! The kids also decided that they finally wanted to try out Smaland (the in store children's play area), so we browsed around the upstairs (the kids love to look at the "houses") and then when I went downstairs to pick up my stuff I put them in Smaland for an hour! It's so nice to actually shop at IKEA without having to keep track of the kids. I could look at whatever I wanted, as long as I was back to get them in under an hour. It was nice to finally get a few things I had been saving for. Including some curtains for Brady, and some picture frames for an art project I have in mind. Of course the material (the white/green/black combo) I have been coveting was sold out. And now I am wondering what project I could make with a little of this material, I just love those colors together! I guess that means we will have to go back up there again sometime soon.

After IKEA we headed home to rest until Daddy came home. I was sure our day was done, but I had forgotten family home evening! And I got a wild hair and decided it was a perfect night to make some quick sugar cookies. Whew! I am glad we did, because the kids love getting to use the sprinkles, but dang! What a day. It is a lot of fun to run run run sometimes, but you can bet that we are just hanging around the house today, hanging some curtains, and making some art!

Mind reader.

I took a Home Goods "Stylescope" quiz tonight, just for fun, and it was like they read my mind. Seriously, it was freaky! The style I got was Country Classic. The description is as follows:

You have a naturally refined sensibility with an appreciation for tradition and history. You value beauty, craftsmanship, and family heirlooms, but you like to open things up with pretty, easy-going pieces like painted wood or distressed furniture, lovely florals and other patterns, and bunches of fresh flowers that give your home a breezy, relaxed feeling. You love unique finds, have a thrifty, creative side, and can make these things work together.

You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.

Seriously, that is me. It's like she knows me! What is your StyleScope? Take the quiz, it's fun!

Two weeks.

This morning I woke up with guilt, not really a new sensation, but still unpleasant. I realized that this was Natalie's first "summer vacation" and I feel like we have let it slip by and not done enough. Even though I know we really did do quite a bit! We went to Oregon (which I still need to blog about), played with friends, went to the movie theater, attended story time at the library on a regular basis, swam (but not enough!), picked strawberries, relaxed, rode bikes, and many other small things to fill up our days. It's very tricky coming up with things to do that won't cause us to be outside melting. It's a lot easier to go to the park on a regular basis when it isn't 400 degrees outside! And after asking her just now she said she had a good summer, but maybe that's because she hasn't fully grasped that soon all but her weekends are going to be consumed with school and homework.

So, I have got 2 weeks left to cram in some fun activities, possibly a few things they have been begging for but we haven't gotten too, and really wear her out! Haha, and probably wear myself out in the process. Does anyone have any ideas to fill up the last few precious days of summer?

It's official.

I {heart} hedgehogs. They are officially my favorite little animal. They are small, round, chubby (all things I find adorable in most any object) and way too cute. Soft on the inside and a bit prickly on the outside (kinda like me). I don't know where they have been all my life.
Sorry, frogs, you've been replaced. Though I will always hold a special place for you in my heart.

I love...

...that he takes a million vitamins every single morning. That he gets up at the crack of dawn to get out the door to work before we have even thought of waking up and then after a full day comes home to make dinner, bathe the kids, clean the kitchen, put the kids to sleep, and then goes to sleep on the couch, only to do it all over again the next day. I love that he gets giddy over things like video games and football, but can still act like a full on grown up when the time calls for it. That he loves me even though I get cranky after a full week of work and still thinks I am pretty even though I can't muster the energy (or motivation) to put on real clothes, do my hair, or wear any makeup on most days. That he is the best Daddy my kids could have ever asked for, and that this makes me happier than anything else in the whole world.

...that she still prefers to sneak into my bed in the middle of the night rather than sleep in her pinker than pink bedroom. That her knees are hairy and her skin is as smooth as butter. Her freckles and her button nose and her blue eyes, and dainty ears and long piano fingers. I love that when I look at her I see myself at that age, and I remember what I was going through and I love that she doesn't have to deal with any of that. I love how excited she is about school, and new clothes, and new school supplies, and a new box of Kleenex for her room "in case her nose gets runny." That she will still let me cuddle her though she hasn't a bit of squish left on her body. That she is my princess, and even though she is a Sassy McSassypants that she loves me too!

...that all he wants at bedtime is for me to lay with him. That is still squishy in all the right parts, perfect for multiple squeezes throughout the day. That he love love LOVES his Transformers, but he also loves his small stuffed bunny/puppy/squirrel/etc. and will carry them around like little pets for days on end. That he will play quietly in his room after Dad and Natalie are asleep waiting for me to come tuck him in on my break. I love that he is a creature of habit. I love his huge eyes and small toes and round belly and smooth arms. I love that he loves me, and that he will give me a kiss whenever I ask and that he will always be a Mama's boy, no matter what. That he is my heart and soul.

...that I want to be a good mother above all else. That I am finally feeling like a "grown up." That I am finally realizing what my "style" is, things I love to look at and wear. That I try my very hardest to take care of my family and make them happy, and that I succeed more often than not. That I am hard working. That I can create things with my hands I never thought possible. I love that I am willing to try new things and projects, even if I don't always finish them. I love that I have a tendency to forget unpleasant things. That even though I may shop a lot, 98% of it was on sale. That I am becoming more comfortable with who I am, the good the bad and the ugly.