Wordless Wednesday: A Throwback

Thus Marks the End

Not to worry, I don't mean the end of my blog!  But I do mean the end of the dry spell.  It was a long summer, and honestly, I have much more time for blogging when I am working.  Maybe I prioritize better, maybe I use some of my down time at work to think of ideas, either way, I'm back to school and hopefully back to blogging on a semi-regular basis.

Here are a few things that have been distracting me lately.

1.  Back to school preparation.  That was a little exhausting to get back into a schedule.

2.  We got a new babysitter, and so far so good!  But we have to bring our own lunch now, so one more thing to distract me!

3.  A big girl bed, someone enjoys getting out of it all hours of the night.

4.  Pregnancy, I don't think this needs an explanation but it does consume a lot of my day.

5.  The Pioneer Woman's new Food Network Show!!

6. Pinterest, it's my newest obsession.  I love all the great pictures and fun things to remember.  It's like my notebook of ideas only online.  Check it out!!  www.pinterest.com/lindsaybneal

So the list isn't long but it's pretty dense.  If the end of the school year is a leaky water balloon meant to get to the finish line than the beginning of the year is a hamster wheel.  I run and run and run until I find my pace and then, it doesn't slow down but I get myself back in shape.

Right now I'm blogging for the sake of routine.  I'm blogging because my sister in law described my blog over the summer with a thumbs down and a farting noise.  I'm blogging because I don't want to forget all the cute things Reese does and the way she makes me smile.  Here's my resolution to be better.  I promise.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wreaths

I took on a little DIY project this summer that I wanted to share.  I love fun, crafty projects but I don't always have the time with little fingers always curiously looking at what I'm doing.  So, this one was a no brainer.  I just gave her some string and she was all set.  I am still working on a couple more but here is what I've made so far and  a little step by step in case you want to give it a go.

First, I picked out a wreath, Styrofoam worked best for me but someone else mentioned that they liked straw.  If you do the straw, I would recommend keeping the plastic paper on it to keep the surface smooth.  I started by tying a piece of yarn around the Styrofoam and then I just wrapped and wrapped.  I went pretty slow at first to keep the yarn straight.  I also kept the inside circle scrunched the whole time because it can get a little thick towards the end if you don't watch it.

Also, a little note here.  If you are doing small chunks of colors similar to the Mizzou wreaths below, I would leave a little yarn hanging from the knot and use it to secure a knot to when you are ready to switch colors. I laid it flat under the yarn I wrapped so it wouldn't be seen. That makes it a little easier to tie it off at the end.  If you decide to use one color, I let it hang until I was done and then tied it off where I started.

There isn't much more to it than that.  Just tie and wrap, switch colors if you want.  Then decorate!

To make the felt flowers, I used a piece of felt and cut it in a spiral.  Obviously the bigger the circle the bigger the flower.  The wavy lines give the flower a little flourish.  I left a big chunk in the middle of the circle that will be the base of the flower.  So start at the beginning of the circle and start rolling the material up.

Then I glued the base of the felt to the underside of the flower.  And that's it.  Here's the finished product.

Finally, I glued the flower to the felt and pinned it down through the Styrofoam. 

Here's how it turned out.  I love them and I can't wait to get them all done!!

A Day without Power Is....

Sweaty.
Boring.
Quiet.
Hungry.
Nerve-wracking.
Frustrating.
Impatient.


That was today.  Today with no electricity.  Luckily it wasn't 100+ degrees.  Not much of a comfort when it was actually 90 and we couldn't turn on any fans, but at least it wasn't 100.  We were lucky enough to get some dry ice from KCP&L.  The nice man who gave it to me instructed "just act like I'm camping...."  Yes, that is a great idea Mister, the baby and I will pretend to camp while she throws the remote at me and screams "milk" all day. 

Anyway, it's over.  As of 7:00 we finally have air conditioning, TV, and MILK! 

On the bright side though, Reese came and got me so she could sit on the potty chair and she went.  Awesome!

Wordless Wednesday

Learning to be a big Sister

This weekend, Deakan spent the night with us.  We really enjoyed his company.  He has such a sweet disposition and is tough as nails.  He's just learning to walk so he had many spills but always seemed to knock the dust off and get back up. 

Reese really enjoyed having him too.  She worked her magic as a Big Sister in Training.  She tried to clean up and entertain and she is definitely good at making sure everyone knows what he or she is supposed to be doing.  Quite the rule enforcer!

Deakan and Reese played, you know games that Reese decided she wanted to play.  They shared chicken nuggets and Reese taught Deakan how to play Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes. 

Our night with Deakan was too short.  We would've really liked to have taken him for a few days.  Reese could use the practice and I could use the sweet baby boy cuddles.  But either way, we know we are in for quite a ride with another little one on the way!