Have an extra 30 million to spare?

I read about Christy Brinkley's Hamptons house that's on the market on Hooked on Houses. Talk about drool-worthy! It's an 11 bedroom, 9 bath mansion built in 1898 and for sale for a measley 30 million!

I think I could live in the little potting shed and be totally happy!

I used the pricing calculator on the realtor's website and figured out that a 30-year mortgage would cost approx. $115, 963.00 per month! Can you even imagine?

9 Months Old

My baby is 9 months old and it just seems so ridiculous to me. Completely ridiculous. Wasn't I just recovering from having a baby? And he'll be a year old before I know it!



Oh, well, so goes life. I've heard it doesn't ever slow down, so I've got my seatbelt on and am going to enjoy the ride!

Jack crawled for the very first time today - oh, the things that get parents EXCITED!! There really is just nothing like watching your baby learn new things and discover what they can do! Good or bad!



He is such a good little guy - so laid back and easy to care for. We had fun with this little photo shoot this morning and Avery was my little clown - trying to make Jack smile. What fun!

Toy Storage Bench Re-Do

You know how I love a good makeover (I am officially addicted) and I just worked on yet another one - this time it was a child's bench that has toy storage underneath.

I picked up it up at Goodwill for $6.97 and thought it was just too cute to pass up! Although it took several buckets of water to clean it - it was utterly filthy! I think it must have been setting in someone's barn for a while!



And here's what it looks like now...



After I cleaned it, I brushed on B-I-N Primer (that stuff is the best at covering up all sorts of grossness!), then I spray painted it with about 3-4 coats of a white satin paint.

I drew on the branch/bird design, then painted it with an acrylic craft paint. I traced on the lettering and painted that with craft paint too.


It will go in Jack's new room that we are working on in our "free time" - whatever that is!! Progress has been slower than I would like (MUCH slower!), but we are getting there. Here's what it looks like today...

Insulation has all been installed, so now the next step is drywalling. I am dying to get my grubby little decorating hands on it once it is complete!! Yay!

Slowing Down

Fall is fast approaching in our neck of the woods, and I am ready! Even though summer is by far my most favorite time of the year (the warm sunshine just makes me happy!), I am still excited for the changing of the seasons. The sweaters, campfires, yellow leaves, and all that good stuff!


I'm also looking forward to less outdoor work (mowing the yard, watering the flowers) and having an excuse to stay inside and snuggle with my little kidlets. My job will also be slowing down, which will be wonderful! I will once again know the meaning of "free time"! Yay!!



My little guy LOVES to bounce around on his jumpy seat and today he officially turns 9 months old! How can time possibly be going to fast??!!

He is such an absolute JOY - I can't even tell you! I could just eat him up. He and Avery love to play together and I love it when she makes him giggle. So stinking cute!! I love all the different stages they go through as they are growing up, and I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it!



Two curly-haired cuties - Avery with her friend Olivia going for a train ride on the Strasburg Railroad. She is obsessed with trains right now, so she soaked in the experience! So fun!



And heading to the New Holland fair with her best bud - her cousin Libby. They had so much fun watching the parade and dancing to the marching bands that went past us!


Today after lunch Avery declared, "Mommy, you are cute and beautiful!". Yes, I am training her to tell me this every day. Then I feed her candy. Lots and lots of candy.

Kids just have a way of not letting you take life too seriously. And they make me laugh every single day! And cry sometimes too, don't get me wrong. No matter how challenging the days sometimes can be, I am constantly blown away by how much they bless me!

Painting Pumpkins (Yes, you can do this too! Really!)

I've been known to paint words/lettering on almost anything and this fall, pumpkins are no exception!

I bought some really beautiful white pumpkins (don't you just love white?!) at a roadside stand and decided to give it a try.


Since my handwriting is atrocious, I printed out the lettering on my printer, then traced it onto the pumpkin using tracing/carbon paper. I then used regular paint (you could use acrylic or latex) and a tiny brush to paint the lettering.

You should seal the pumpkin with modge podge or something similar to make sure the paint doesn't come off. In my usual RUSH to get the project done (I am SO impatient!), I didn't bother to do this and now some of the lettering is peeling off. So learn from my mistake!





The wording just adds a little something special to the pumpkins and really is so easy!