Card Holder

I think I forgot to post this awhile back, but this is one of my favorite things!  It drives me nuts to have stuff covering our refrigerator and I totally wish it didn't because I would proudly display all kinds of artwork and cards, etc.  Conveniently, our stainless steel fridge doesn't even hold magnets--odd I know.  So, I had to find a new way to display birth announcements, holiday cards, invitations, etc.  I saw in the Pottery Barn catalog around Christmastime what they called a "card holder" for all those family holiday cards we send and receive.  The PB one was $75 and way too SMALL to hold all our cards (no, we are not that popular--just lots of family!)...no thanks.   Soooo, I got this "Iron Wall Art" at Hobby Lobby and make-shifted it into a card holder!! I LOVE it!! It's right in the kitchen so we have all our cards and announcements on it.  I can even put up Kenwood's artwork from school...when I get it.  So, voila! Our card holder!!

Here it was at first....

Here it is covered with cards!!!  

Wifely/Motherly Duties

Well, my lovely friend Luci posted on her blog the other day about a chore chart that they started with their two year old and it got my brain wheels a spinnin'.  I, like her 2year old, needed a chore chart!  Only, I need one for myself!!! I need something to keep me on track with keeping the house tidy and the laundry done.  I am lucky enough to have a husband that is a HUGE help when it comes to laundry or unloading the dishwasher, but I feel like if I had a set schedule on when certain things should be accomplished, it would be a much tidier and organized house!!  Soooo after some snooping around on the internet, I decided to make my own chart!  Here it is!  I'm thinking I might laminate one copy and use a dry erase marker to mark in the extras and check off whats been done each day....if not, I'll just make a new copy each week--but hey, why not save some paper and ink!  Feel free to copy and paste this to use for yourself!   Hopefully it will be all I hope it will be :)  Maybe next I'll add a menu planner....except the fact that we are on a diet/workout kick and our dinners recently consist of something quick (ie. cereal, soup, lean cuisine) after our evening workouts!  Which, by the way, I am loving our new gym!

Family Stationary

The new "family" stationary I just designed and ordered for our family in a linen 5x5 scallop card! I can't wait to get it and use it! The back has just a plain O in the same font&color....the 5x5 scallop were a little more expensive than the standard card sizes but I think it's worth it!  Cute, right?!

Fun Fabric Ideas

Well, with a newborn and a two year old my daily life is a little chaotic these days!! I also work from home managing some family property which means it's busy time for me as tax season approaches!  Thank goodness I got a lot accomplished today which means I can hopefully treat myself to some relaxing time in the near future!  During my "work break" today I played around on the computer and caught up on some of the blogs I follow.  I ran across this necklace:

I'm OBSESSED. How cute would this be with a simple white t-shirt and jeans?!*(When I'm SKINNY) Thankfully, it was followed by THIS tutorial.  I  will hopefully be attempting this in the near future with my fabric scraps as well as a few versions of these fabric flowers that I will be adding little clips to for miss Olivia...and maybe me! :)  And all you need is some hot glue, fabric & embellishment of choice...HERE is a good tutorial for them! How CUTE!

I can't wait to rummage through my fabric scraps and treat myself to some quiet crafting time in the near future! Until then, I'll just look at it all online and think to myself "I could do that!"

Project Photography=SUCCESS!! Project Birth Announcement=SUCCESS!!

I attempted my first shot at taking our own pictures of Miss Olivia for her birth announcement that I made.  I looked up online how to do some photo editing in photoshop and I was really pleased with the outcome!!

 Here is the final product, a 5x5 Tri-Fold card:

Inside Flap                                           Back of Card                              Front of Card

This is the inside of the card when you open it up:

Here are the photos before/after editing (basically I added a few duplicate layers in photoshop and went to town on brightening, softening the skin, etc):

The newest addition

Miss Olivia is a dream.  She has been such a good sleeper, eater, and a good baby in general! She rarely fusses unless she's hungry or has spit up all over herself and her big brother has been wonderful with making sure her blanket is on or her paci is in her mouth!  

Getting ready for her first bath!

She's all smiles now...

...  And she's super mad at mommy after!!

Here is a pic of Kenwood after his bath when he was a baby--I think they look so much alike:

Olivia's first play date with her boyfriend Crew:

And here is a pic of their brother's at their first play date together:

I'm having so much fun comparing pictures of Olivia and Kenwood...I think they look so much alike!! I just know she will be as sweet as he is--she has a wonderful example in her big brother!

Our FIRST family trip as FOUR! Branson, MO

One of the things I love most about my husband is that we share our love of spontaneity!  I had been cooped up in the house for two weeks with my two babies (the doctor suggested I not drive for two weeks..not sure why? Maybe my husband told her I was a bad driver! haha) So, Thursday was my first day to get out and run a few quick errands with Olivia while Kenwood was at MDO--obviously we made a stop at TJ MAXX because I was having withdrawls from my weekly visits and Kenwood needed some new spring clothes (it had been pretty warm here and we were short on lighter clothes in his size!).  Well, the outing was glorious to say the least...so on Friday morning my brain got ticking.  I emailed Dillon at work and asked him if he wanted to get out of town for the weekend and use one of my mom's timeshares. He did..so I checked the closest options in driving distance and decided we were off to Branson, MO!  They have a Dinosaur Museum there that we knew would be a hit with Kenwood and then we planned on using the indoor pool and just having some quality family time!  It was a PERFECT weekend with my 2week old and 2year old and handsome husband!

"HIII DINOSAUR! RAAAWWWRR"

He wasn't the slightest big scared...he went right up and put his hand on those sharp teeth!

Dino books

Digging for Dinosaur fossils

Playing with a dinosaur puzzle in the education area