I'm Addicted!

Ok, so you are probably sick of hearing me talk about my skirt-to-dress transformations, but I have yet another one! I'm officially addicted!

I wrote about my first one here and the second one here.

I'm a very amateur seamstress and this is actually the first project that I completed all by myself, with no help from my mom. Hubs bought me a sewing machine for my birthday and, I must say, I think I've found a new hobby!

Here's the skirt (it was cute, but made me look like a hippo - not good)...



And here's the final result!


I took the side seam in and used the leftover lace from the hem for the straps. So easy and cute!

10 Years Ago Today

We said "I Do"!

And we were so utterly clueless about how challenging and how totally rewarding this thing called marriage would be!

We've been together since we were teenagers (I was 16 - he was 18), we worked together for 7 years of our marriage, we traveled to other countries, we struggled through trying to have a baby for a year and two miscarriages, we experienced the joy of having two healthy babies, and through it all, this man has made it abundantly clear that he loves me no matter what!

Even when I'm hormonal and irrational and tired and short-tempered, he still chooses to treat me with kindness and love. I am so blessed.

Love is a choice and, although it hasn't always been easy (not by a long shot!), it has always, always, always been worth it!

Junking

My mom & I (and little Jack!) went to an auction today in the sweltering heat, and, wow, the homeowners had a ton of stuff for sale! This is only a tiny bit of what they were selling...



I snagged this cute little cash register and Avery loved it the minute she saw it!



Auctions are a bit more stressful than going to a yard sale or thrift store, but it was still a fun day and I still have cash in my wallet!

Ooooh, boy!

My patience as a mother has been stretched a little bit thin these past couple of days.

Yesterday Avery poured an entire bottle of breast milk over a plant I have setting on the coffee table. I guess she was trying to water it???

Today during lunch she tried to stuff deli ham up her nose.

This morning I caught her trying to "wash" my contacts and broke both of them. And they are not the cheap, disposable kind! $70 for each lens...down. the. tubes. And the kicker is, she stuck one of them down the drain 2 weeks ago and I just got it replaced!!!

And I've been looking for her glasses and can't seem to find them. She probably dug a hole in the back yard and buried them.

Ooooh, my patience muscles have been having a workout today! Just had to vent!!

Another Skirt-To-Dress Transformation

Here's another Goodwill skirt that I thought would make a cute dress for Avery...



And, after very minimal effort, here's the result! I just took in the sides and added straps from the leftover fabric.


AND, the photo shoot is OVER!!

ABC's of Me

I was tagged on Facebook and thought I'd post it here...

A - Age: 30 (I think that's the first time I've written my age since my birthday! Yikes, that sounds so grown-up!)

B - Bed size: Queen (although I'd love a king - I like my space!)

C - Chore you hate: Ironing

D - Dogs names: used to have a dog names Sophie

E - Essential start your day item: orange juice

F - Favorite color: depends on my mood, but mostly pink & yellow

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5 ft 4 in

I - Instruments you play: took 2 years of violin, which means I play dreadfully!!

J - Job title: mom, travel agent, wedding planner

K - Kids: a girl and a boy

L - Living arrangements: 2-story brick colonial in a small town

M - Mom's name: Sara

N - Nicknames: never really had any

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: none that I can remember

P - Pet Peeve: dirty floors, dirty feet, people who don't use their turning signals, unfriendly customer service, a messy house, unfinished projects, doctor bills not covered by insurance, I could go on and on!

Q - Quote from a movie: (tv) Dwight: I keep various weaponry strategically placed around the office. I saved Jim’s life with a can of pepper spray I had velcro’d under my desk. People say, “oh, it’s dangerous to keep weapons in the home or the workplace”. Well I say, “it’s better to be hurt by someone you know accidentally than by a stranger on purpose.”

R - Right or left handed:Right

S - Siblings: 1 sister, 2 brothers

T - Time you wake up: depends on when the little people wake up

U - Underwear: cotton, nothing fancy

V - Vegetable you dislike: lima beans

W - What makes you run late: trying to do too much last minute - I hate being late though!!

X -X-rays you've had: probably a bunch - I just had x-rays for a root canal

Y - Yummy food you make: Italian tomato soup, spare ribs, cinnamon cake

Z - Zoo animal: koala bears

Lace & Burlap

I coordinated a wedding this weekend for my sister's friend Sarah Ann - I loved the style of the wedding! Slightly old-fashioned with a modern twist.


The ceremony was held outside at a park and it was a gorgeous day!


The bride & groom...



My friend Lindsey decorated the reception and did a fantastic job! I love the pop of color with the lemons and limes...and so budget-friendly too!

Outdoorsy-Type Finds

I found a few fun things to set around outside lately from yard sales/Goodwill, etc.

Here is a cute little flower cart that I just couldn't pass up. It was completely rusted, so I spray painted it white, but, as you can see, it's already rusting again! Oh, well, it adds to the "shabby country" look, right? Or maybe just shabby!




And here is a chair that I found at a yard sale last year. It was so perfectly chippy and adorable - I didn't have to do anything to improve it!



I found this little cafe table set at a yard sale a few weeks ago and just loved it! I actually passed it up at first because I figured it wasn't something that I needed, but I just couldn't get it out of my mind! So I went back, offered less, and my offer was accepted!

Yay for good deals!

Real Life

Aw, look at these sweet kids!

She sits quietly, holding his head at just the right position, and gives a precious smile for the camera. He gazes quietly, wide-eyed, at his doting mother and gives a little coo for the camera.


REAL LIFE:

She shrieks "CHEESE!!" and forgets to hold the little boy's head. The loud (and I do mean loud) voice causing him to wail inconsolably and almost tumble off the couch.

She can barely see out of her dirty, smudged glasses and probably has a wad of poop in her pants. He hasn't had a bath for - well, I won't even admit how long it's been - and has drool all over his onesie.


Ah, yes, this would be my life.

Repurposed Window

In the process of demo-ing our storage room, hubs was going to throw out this old window and I just loved it too much to get rid of it.

I was thinking about turning it into wall art, but as I was cleaning it on the porch, I came up with this idea to hang it from the porch ceiling to create a bit more privacy.


I am in love with this climbing rose bush! I just planted it last fall and it's growing like crazy!

The reason I planted it was to hide the dog-ugly railing that we have. One of these days we'll replace the railing, but for now it's one of the many things that are just not in the budget!


Cost for the project = one exasperated hubs (he had some issues hanging it) but zero dollars! :)

Quite typical for our household!

Age is just a number...

Can I get an amen??

If you don't agree, just nod and pretend that I know what I'm talking about.

I turned the BIG three-oh this weekend and I lived to tell about it! I might have a few more wrinkles than I'd like, but I'm still here!

My awesome girlfriends took me out to lunch and I indulged in this ah-maz-ing triple-chocolate cake ~ heaven! So I not only turned 30 but gained a few pounds in the process. Lovely.

Well, goodbye, twenties! Thirties, here I come!


Man, I'm old.