Early Mornings

There is only 1 thing

I love more than that 1st sip of coffee

on a lazy Saturday morning

Saturday morning snuggles

in our pjs



I just may be crazy after all

So I know that I get looks from Scott

and family members, and people I work with

(and probably people I don't even know

are looking cuz I'm too caught up in my latest find)

when I pick something up

that is crazy ugly

but I usually have a picture in my mind

of the crazy ugly things potential

So I ignore the looks

(and sometimes the urging of my husband)

and go with my gut...

which is what I just did

when I placed on online bid on this...

It's described as a hardware display shelf thing

it has 8 tiers and they all spin 360 degrees

and they come off for easy moving

(or easy painting)

and it stands 4.5 feet tall

Before you all think I'm crazy too

I bid a whopping $2

and it is local pick up

so there isn't a shipping fee

I don't know what it is for just yet

(this is the part that kills my husband)

or what color it should be

the idea is still brewing in my head

Maybe a rotating book shelf

or a craft room organizer

or something for my mom's cottage

for flip flops & sunscreen & all those beachy things

I feel like the possiblities are endless

Maybe it should be a bright red

or a pretty aqua blue

or the timeless & always good distressed white

Has anyone ever seen one of these re-done

or have any ideas?



It's Been Awhile...

We've been so busy this summer

busy swimming, playing, gardening and soaking up the sun

So I haven't had too much time for projects

Plus Scott and I are carpooling during the summer

so I don't have access to a car during the day

which really cuts down on my trips to

Habitat, Thrift Stores & Home Depot

But this past week or so

I have started to clear out and finish

some things that are in the garage

which Scott is thrilled that I am freeing up

some of his "man" space

I picked up this armoire in the spring

at a garage sale for $15

It actually was in great shape

but the color didn't work with our bedroom

so I went back and forth

and re-did it at least 15 times in my head

but nothing stuck

until I remembered this picture

I tried to convince Scott that we needed to do this

in our bedroom but it didn't work out...

so I figured why not try something similar with the armoire

since it is going in our bedroom!

I gave it a good washing

and opted not to prime or sand

because I wanted it to look OLD when I was done

and kind of junky...but pretty junky

I got out my handy blue tape and went to work

I didn't measure my strips

because I was okay with it being a bit wonky

and remember I was doing this in between

swimming, gardening & sun soaking

so that was going to take way too much time

I decided on yellow, blue and white

and just kind of put them on as I went

no organized plan this time - I was just winging it

And no I didn't paint the inside

I had an idea which meant you wouldn't see it

so I figured why bother

It was a bit too bright

and a bit too blue for my taste

so I dry brushed some white on the top & sides

and glazed the entire thing

then I white washed it

then I sanded the entire thing within

an inch of it's life

then I loved it

I spray painted the hardware & wire white

  

then I added some drop cloth behind the wire

to help hide that green

& our clothes

that don't always stay stacked up

nice and neat

I used a staple gun to attach the drop cloth

and then covered up the rough edges

with extra pieces and hot glue

It adds just enough color to our room

It also has a second use

Lilly's Father's Day gift she made at Daycare

is proudly displayed

I love how old & beachy it looks

Only one project left to go in the garage!

http://www.domestically-speaking.com/

Constantinople

Dr. Seuss is a big hit in our house

We love the books

and they seem to be appropriate for all ages

One of Lilly's (& Nolee's) favorites is

"Hop on Pop"

which has her new favorite word at the end

"My father / can read / big words, too. / Like... / Constantinople / and / Timbuktu"

Scott has practiced with her

and they broke the word down

and now my 4 year old walks around

saying "Constantinople"

at random times of the day

So as we were driving in the car yesterday

and being the great big sister she is

Lilly determinedly tries to teach the word to Nolee...

which is how the following conversation took place

Lilly:  Nolee can you say Con

Nolee:  Ton

Lilly:  Good!  Now can you say Stan

Nolee:  Tan

Lilly:  Great!  Now say Tin

Nolee:  Tin

Lilly:  Good job Nolee!  Now say Ople

Nolee:  Ople

Lilly:  Great job!  Now say it all together

Nolee:....ALL

This is where Scott and I start cracking up in the front :).

I love listening to them...it never gets old

Swim Lessons

Well after two weeks swim lessons are coming to an end

At the begining Lilly would barely put her face in the water

and would only jump in the pool with help

and wouldn't go all the way under

Now it's like she is a totally different girl

She swims under water like a fish

and can hold her breath for 8 whole seconds

She also jumps off the edge all by herself

and goes completely under

Nolee has also improved

she puts her face in the water and blows bubbles

and will hold onto the steps and kick her feet

she has even advanced to jumping in off the edge

with Coach Dave's help

I love that we have two water babies!

Lilly's Party

The party went off without a hitch

and thankfully the cake turned out this year

She had a great time

and even remembered to thank everyone :)

I made both the girls an outfit

and I got the idea here  The Super Simple Summer Dress

This lady is awesome and has so many amazing ideas

on how to repurpose and reuse old clothing

I will never throw away Scott's old shirts again!

My one attempt at craftiness for this party

Frozen strawberry cake with a frozen surprise inside!



I still can't believe she is already 4!

The Hay (Straw) Ride

So Lilly's 4th birthday was Friday

Let's not even start on how fast the past 4 years have flown

or how I still remember the day she was born

like it was yesterday

or how she already seems like she is 4 going on 25

One of Lilly's BIG presents this year

was from Nana & Papa "P"

Lilly has talked about hayrides for years now

but has never actually been on one

Oh there have plenty of pretend ones

with chairs, stools or whatever is handy around the house

but Friday was the day she got the real deal

We went over to Nana & Papa's to "go swimming"

Ohh and have I mentioned that the girls are in swim lessons

and Lilly now JUMPS in the pool going completely under

AND can swim without her wings??  And Nolee will stick her head under water and blow bubbles

and swims all around the pool now (with wings)??

Well that is another post entirely

but let me just say I have two fish for daughters!

After swimming we had Lilly go look around Papa's polebarn

and much to her surprise there was a hay wagon

all set up...just for her

She was so surprised

and excited...even though she acted bashful

So we all loaded up and off we went...

How cute does my prego sis look :). 

Man the scenery was perfect...

something about wheat fields just strike me as beautiful

Here is Papa in what Lilly deemed his "Farmer Hat"

Some Hay Ride Dancing

Eating ice cubes to stay cool - man was it WARM!

My nephew giving Lilly's glasses a try

Uncle Grant laughing at Scott's "Who's your Podiatrist?" Question

...more to come on that later...

Best. Hayride. Ever.