Who doesn't love a project?

Mimi & Mom are back from their adventure to the beach. They got in last night and are leaving in the morning. Of course, with the short time we have, Mom & I decided we needed to tackle a little project. We couldn't clear out the room and not tempt two little princesses to break out in dance. I captured it on video and have to share! You might can tell from my voice that I've been attacked by a nose, throat and cough crud! I spent the better part of Sunday in the bed and have been fighting a low-grade fever! No fun, but I am feeling better today and for that I am very grateful!

Now to our project... My friend, Jennifer, has a very cute bulletin board in her kitchen with her children's art work on it. I was so inspired by it that I thought I'd copy her for the playroom! I've been searching for a bulletin board to put in a big frame that's been in my garage for months and months. Well, I finally resorted to the cork squares from Target... until I priced them and realized how many I needed... OUCH! Last week we made a quick run to the AAA Salvage house and low and behold there were 2 enormous... I mean enormous (4 ft x 8 ft) bulletin boards. These are some really nice, executive boards and I was thrilled. One was damaged (slightly) and one was perfect... the total for both was a whopping $40. Mom and I went on a wild goose chase today for some fabric and nail head trim. We were successful in both of our searches. Hancocks had a great sale on outdoor fabric (no fading and heavyweight) and Ed at Houston Seat Cover (who did my chair) sold me 50 feet of nail head trim and 300 tacks for $23! What a bargain! Mimi was a champ and stayed home with the girls while we were on our search for our goods. We arrived home in time to whip up a dinner and get one board behind us before dinner started. After dinner, we tackled board number 2! Justin must have gotten some really good experience last week with Erika, because he was a champion with the nail head trim! Thanks, Justin! Erika, you trained him up right... except, he believes these boards are far too sophisticated for the artwork of a 3 year old and 20 month old! Oh well... here are some pictures of our project!

Just for kicks...

I'm totally wiped out. It's 9:29 and I feel like it's 1:29 am! Anyway, "Mom" and "Mimi" left this afternoon for the beach to visit with Erika for a few days. I'd be totally sad and depressed if I didn't know for a fact they're coming back in a few days! Yea! Justin got home tonight from a 3 day jaunt to Tallahassee on an "interior design installation" with Erika at a house she just finished up. We keep teasing him and telling him what a great interior designer he could be... he'd have to change his voice, lose his work boots and wear tighter clothes.

Here are some pictures over the course of the last few days. And a few baby boy shots (for you Shireen!). Cousin is back in the Windy City and I miss her like crazy. She's one of my most precious friends and I hate that we can't be closer. Despite nasty weather we had so much fun and I made her PROMISE me that she'd come back again soon! Anyway, here are few pictures from our time together...

Darby, Cousin, & Erika (w/a Bays English Muffin) This is not a good picture but oh well. It was at 7 am and yes, I do have on my CAL Alumni sweatshirt!! Can any of you all believe I still have it, let alone wear it!? Ha ha!

Morgan, Cousin , and Paige

Paige LOVES Cousin!

Morgan loves "Bird Brown, PhD" (aka- Professor) Have you ever heard of such a name? Only Erika!

Mimi (Elizabeth) and Paige (Elizabeth) Paige also loves Mimi and has been sleeping with her since she got here!

Mimi & Paige again

1, 2, & 3 (& tired Mama)... should I be alarmed that I still have 14 weeks to go!?

Morgan giving "Kevin" sugar.... she named him "Kevin"... it's been made clear to her that this is just his "pretend" name.

Last but not least, my very thoughtful husband brought me home a special treat. I couldn't have done better myself... thanks, Justin! I love you!

Boutique Hair Bow Tutorial

Since I've never been one for keeping secrets (especially not ones that can save people lots of $$) here's a quick tutorial on how to make a hair bow. I hope that some of y'all will find this useful (Dena, I hope you don't lose any business by me doing this!). If you want to share the love with other moms feel free to link.

Supply list:
- 1 yard of ribbon of your choice & width, unwired grosgrain does best (I like ebay for fun unique ribbon, I've even bought from Bobo in China, but it did take a couple weeks for the ribbon to get here)
- a couple inches of coordinating ribbon in narrow width (1/4") to wrap around center of bow
- fine gauge wire
- hot glue gun
- hair clip of choice (Alligator/pinch clip or barrette clip for older girls. Pinch clips can be found at Sally's Beauty Supply stores or Ebay and barrette clips can be found at Michael's or Hobby Lobby.)

- wax paper (not just to keep a clean surface but also for attaching the completed bow to the clip)
- lighter
- if you tend to be anal you can lightly starch your ribbon and with a cool/warm iron press it... it will make for a better looking bow! I did starch my ribbon prior to starting this bow.
Step 1)

Take the ribbon (I'm using 1 1/2" ribbon in this tutorial) and make the shape shown above, always be sure to keep the "right side" (ie- printed side up in center). Make sure the long side of the ribbon is in the back with the longer side of the ribbon hanging down to the left.

Step 2)

Bring the long side of the ribbon up over the existing ribbon so that the long side of the ribbon is now up and to the right.

Step 3)

Take the long side of the ribbon (that is up and to the right) and bring it back down BEHIND the top piece of ribbon in the center of the bow. The long piece will now be hanging down towards the center of the bow.

Step 4)

Take the piece of ribbon that was hanging down towards the center/left bottom and bring it to the upper left side of the bow. This would be a good time to make any adjustments to your bow to be sure all the loops are even.

Step 5) Turn your bow sideways (horizontal) and in the center carefully fold the bow (see picture above). For wider ribbon you should fold it so that there are 3 peaks in the center.

Step 6)

Using your fine gauge wire tightly wrap the wire around the center of the bow and twist it on the back side of the bow and trim off the long pieces. Press the wire down so it's not sharp.

Step 7)

Singe one end of the smaller ribbon (I always use a long candle lighter-- fray check is expensive and I've found it to not work as well) to prevent fraying and starting on the back of the bow where the wire is tightened and cut off, glue one end of your small ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the center of the bow. Trim off excess ribbon and singe again and glue down on back of ribbon. It's important to completely finish the bow prior to attaching it to the clip. Especially for the alligator clips. Some clips are made with the center ribbon wrapped around the entire clip and this causes the clip to not close entirely and the clip won't stay in as well. This way the "seal" on the clip is tight.

Step 8)

Tear off a piece of the wax paper and fold it over several times. Clip the alligator clip to the wax paper and load the clip (the angled side) up with hot glue. And stick your bow to the glue covered clip. Allow the glue to dry completely and then peel away the wax paper that is in the clip. Trimming away any excess that can be seen from the front of the bow. This should leave a very smooth and even surface inside the clip so that it will hold the hair! Trim and singe the ends of the ribbon with the lighter... be careful though... just barely get the end of the ribbon near the flame... the ribbon will turn black if burnt.
Step 9)


Place the bow in your daughter's hair and try not to eat her alive! :)

Tastebook UPDATE!

Hello faithful bloggers...

Just thought I'd take a quick second and update you on the status of the Tastebook cookbook.

First, I must say that I am thoroughly impressed with all the recipes and the participation of those who I don't know personally. You should all pat yourself on your backs for being brave enough to reveal your stalker status. I've been slightly inundated with emails containing not only recipes but the most intriguing stories of how folks have found their way here. Both of which are equally entertaining, smile-provoking, and encouraging. And I'm fortunate to have made some new friends along the way!

Second, I want to whet your taste buds just a touch and let you know if it were feasible I'd invite you all over for a fabulous blogging dinner on the patio. Here's what's on the menu...

we'll start by socializing with Pomegranate Margaritas, Spinach Balls & Stuffed Mushrooms
next we'll enjoy a Bombay Salad
followed by Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (which I made this weekend & it was a huge hit)
accompanied by Tomato Pie and Best Rice Casserole
and we'll top it all off with Aunt Ora's Fresh Apple Cake
& since we'll be eating on the patio I can't forget my most favorite submission so far Bird Muffins so that our feathered friends won't be left out of the fun!


Third, if you have yet to submit a picture to accompany your recipe please do so. And while I have found the two pictures I received of the recipes themselves to be very mouthwatering, I find the pictures of the human beings to be more interesting. So, if you have yet to submit your pictures please do so... and spouses, kids, grand kids, dogs are all acceptable!


Fourth, I know for a fact that there are a lot of y'all who have yet to submit. Don't worry time isn't up yet (next Wednesday, April 16th), and I'd love to have more! Once they're all in and in the book, I will sort through them and may have to omit some that are duplicates, etc.


Fifth, thanks for playing!


My mom and grandmother are still here and we're enjoying the break from the rain! I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for the next post so stay tuned! I'm off to get these 2 princesses off to bed! By the way, never say never when it comes to kids! I never thought I'd have two little "princesses"... and I never thought I'd buy a princess costume... look at me eating my words!

Many blessings!

Rain, Rain...

Go Away,

Darby & her family want to play!!

I'm trying to stay positive in spite of torrential downpours and overcast skies. I unfortunately put my trust in a weather man who fore casted "Mostly Sunny Skies" for today. Despite some rather nasty weather all weekend, I am thoroughly enjoying my time with my parents, cousin and grandmother. My cousin flew in from Chicago on Thursday; the rest came in on Friday. It's so much fun to be with them! I just had some high expectations for some pool & patio time rather than sofa time. Apparently, I forgot:

expectations - reality = disappointment

"Cousin" (which is actually what I call her) and I did have a wonderful time at Kohl's yesterday. I've learned that these latest fashion trends of longer shirts are very useful to a bulging belly. And I'm almost certain there isn't anything in the "junior" department at Kohl's over $14. Justin's parents joined us for dinner last night and we had a great time. Erika and Chance are on their way here now and we should have an eventful afternoon... in spite of all the clouds and gloom!

Because pictures make a post so much more fun, I'll leave you with this. The Raiger was busted eating paint. Morgan, being the little helper that she is, decided she'd clean her up.

House Renovation: {part 4: kitchen & FR}

For those of you who may be new... you can find the previous posts by clicking on these links:

House Renovation: {part 1: den}

House Renovation: {part 2: office}

House Renovation: {part 3: DR & LR}

Oh, and the Laundry Room too.

As for the kitchen... it was quite a doozie, as you will see by the pictures below. However, we were not scared of a little panelling and we knew that paint can do wonders to walls and cabinets. Our biggest fight in these 2 rooms was the terrazzo flooring and for those of you who remember... I won. We also scraped the popcorn off the ceilings. We kept all the cabinets and painted them; removing the doors from the cabinets above the wall with the sink. We also extended the counter top where the fridge used to be and added an ice maker and fridge drawers. Justin built a shelf above them for the microwave and my cookbooks. The kitchen used to be "eat-in" with a lovely chandelier. We opted to extend the counters to form a bar and place our enormous fridge & freezer on the wall intended for a kitchen table. What used to look more like a very dark jail cell has a little life and brightness now. Kitchen purchases: appliances, counter tops, sink, faucet, recessed cans, the antique school house pendants (thanks, Sister), paint, floors, and bar stools (from Target!). Erika gave me a remnant of some fabric she had and I made a cafe curtain for above the kitchen window.



The family room is one room that is still in the "works" we're hoping for a mantel and we're still trying to figure out what we will do with the entertainment area to the right of the fireplace. In this room we painted the panelling and opened the wall between the LR and FR (I say "we" but really I should say, "JUSTIN"). The draperies came from what they called the "2nd Master" we call it the "Playroom". The draperies were the perfect width for the 12 foot sliding glass doors, but I preferred they have a little length to them... so once again, Sister came through clutch and ordered the fabric and had her "super women" seamstresses band them for me! The curtain rod(2 8ft polls that meet in the middle) and rings all came from Home Depot. If you're new you can read about the fun chair here. The rug is an outdoor rug from Pottery Barn and it's great because it looks like sisal but isn't. It's banded in a navy blue.



Here are some pictures:



BEFORE:

Can you say "dark"


Here are some of the work in progress...

AFTERS:

The draperies before (we removed the valence, side panels, and swags and the draperies beneath (the part that is closed) were a very nice raw silk pinch-pleated (& probably would have cost me and arm and a leg!)):

The draperies after:

Moving on to the next room... can you tell it takes me a couple weeks to get my act together? Don't compliment the cleanliness... all the crap that was in these two rooms is piled on the dining room table out of view!

Happy Hump Day!

Justin and the girls braved the chilly waters (70 degrees) and got in the pool last night! Morgan's been wanting to get in... Mommy's too wimpy... thank goodness for BRAVE and TOUGH daddy! For all of you who haven't been to Walmart to purchase the $8 bathing suit... maybe these pictures will convince you to do so!

I've been working on another renovation post. Should be up this afternoon... if all goes as planned! :) Happy Hump Day to all my blogging friends!