Let the Summer Begin!

Preface - This is from last weekend, weekend before Easter.  I am SO behind on blogging due to craziness at work....again!  Anyways, enjoy and I hope everyone is doing well!

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Most of you are thinking "what? Summer?"  Yes, well in South Florida, we experience a mild winter (a frigid 30 degrees) and then hightail it directly into Summer, no stopping for Spring, straight into 85 degree weather.

So, this weekend was all about the outdoors and summer!

On Friday, I met for lunch with Petunia in Paradise at California Pizza Kitchen.  Yumm!!  I had never eaten there before and Petunia has certainly made an addict out of me!  We had lots to talk about, things to plan and just to catch up.  I hadn't seen her since January, so that was nice.

Friday night, Husband and I headed out on a boat with our friends Niki and Sean to head to a benefit.  We just cruised along the inlet until it was time for the benefit and then we docked and went to the place it was held (we docked at the benefit, it was on the water).  The kids all stayed at Niki and Sean's with one of their teachers as a babysitter.  They had SO MUCH FUN!  We were going to leave Lallie to stay the night (her first sleepover) but we freaked and took her home.  Really, she was fine.

Saturday, we had our first swim since December....a seriously long time (joking!!)  Lallie and Husband swam, I didn't brave it and after about 10 minutes, Lallie was so cold we had to put her into a warm shower.  The water wasn't that cold, but the wind made her cold and she kept getting out to go down the slide.

Saturday night, there was a lot of moaning and groaning coming from our house as we mourned the loss of Kentucky to West Virginia in the Elite Eight.  Our neighbor called to ask if we needed tissues as he's from WV and was gloating.  I told him he was no longer welcome on our side of the street (again, kidding).

Sunday, we headed to church for a fabulous Palm Sunday.  Lallie's Godfather, who is a fantastic singer, sang all Jesus Christ Superstar songs.  It was a wonderful service.  We ended of course, with the Passion and reflection for the Holy Week to come.  (I wore an adorable Tibi tube top dress, I wish you could see it, I love it....of course, it was an ebay find - $27.00 NWT, originally $338.00 - SCORE!)

 After coming home, Lallie and I spent time outside looking for our new yard friend, a bunny rabbit.  It's so cute with a white fluffy tail, Lallie loves it (so does the dog!).  

Then daddy and Lallie made Jello Jigglers!

All in all, a fun weekend!  Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

Email from Husband - Subject: This Will Save Our Marriage

I had a fabulous blog of this weekend prepared for you however, youtube won't upload my video, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow.

So instead, an email from Husband.

Since day one of our marriage, Husband has nagged at me over the way I load the dishwasher.  I don't do it right, things don't get cleaned well etc., etc.

So I get this email from Husband this morning, the forward of a Yahoo article, the dos and don'ts of loading a dishwasher.  The subject line "this will save our marriage."

Well, Darling Husband, I was the music and philosophy major in college, you were the engineer, so you fill the dishwasher!  My more creative side just doesn't have a brain that works in fitting things in tight spaces for maximum cleanliness.  AND, this wouldn't be an issue if you'd put your dirty dishes in the washer to start with, instead of leaving them in the sink for me to put in the dishwasher!  Just sayin' (he knows I hate that phrase!)  Okay?

(Of course, I'm joking and my tone really is a happy one, not snide as it may sound.  We've been fighting this battle for years, so it's really become kind of funny!)

Anyways, in case you need help in loading the dishwasher....you can click here for some expert advice (really? the plastic stuff goes on the top so it won't melt? I didin't know that :-)

I Mod Podged!!

I bought Mod Podge last night, I just had to try this stuff.  I Mod Podged a couple plastic eggs. 

And then I Mod Podged just about any other thing I could get my hands on, more plastic eggs, flower pots, an old wooden drawer cover.  LOVE THIS STUFF!  Move over label machine, I have found my new obsession!

Mod Podge Wanna-Be

Everyone knows I am a crafter wanna-be.  I try really hard to make cute crafts in the little time I have and for the most part, I succeed, to an extent.  I have my etsy shop in which I'm really proud.  I love my little dresses, but I like to explore my options (though I'm excited to make some spring pillows for a bench in my dining room).

I recently discovered Mod Podge.  I've always heard of it, seen in in the store, but have never used it.  Not sure how I came across this site:  Ooops, I Craft My Pants (isn't that a cute name), but in her site, she did a tutorial for Mod Podge shoes!  Yes, shoes!    I'm not sure that I would trust myself to take on shoes, so maybe something a little easier to start, but really, shoes?  Must be pretty versatile stuff, this Mod Podge.

After researching Oops, I Craft My Pants a little more, I ran across TaterTots and Jello.  While not a Mod Podge site, she has a love a Mod Podge and other fantastic crafts, like this one - Burlap wreath.  Seriously, how cute is this wreath?  I love it and it is so our style while throwing in lots of color, winter or summer, burlap is a fabric of all seasons!  I WILL be making one of these.

After a little more surfing (geez, I really get sucked into these crafting sites), I discovered the motherload of Mod Podge; Mod Podge Rocks and more specificcally, a Mod Podge cabinet.  Ah Ha!  Mod Podge will be how I renovate a cabinet that is in the pink/green guest bedroom.  It is stained wood right now, but I want to paint it white, distress it and find a great fabric and Mod Podge onto the interior of the cabinet!  I will be doing a tutorial (well, I wouldn't say I'm crafty enough to tutor) but I will show you how it turns out.

But first, Husband has insisted I finish Lallie's dollhouse (you know the one I mentioned here, the one my dad made for me when I was three years old?)  Lallie loves it and loves playing with all the furniture, so I need to finish painting it and fixing it up so it can go into her room.  I will post that finished product as well.

TTFN!

Land of Nod

I adore Land of Nod.  I get their catalogs in the mail and often hold onto them for future toddler room decorating ideas.  Their furniture and designs are modern, yet still traditional enough for our personal decorating styles.  With Lallie getting ready to turn three in a few months, I've been looking at decorating themes, something that suits her personality (i.e. frilly, imaginative, girly, mature) as well as something that will grow with her.

I love this wallpaper.  I saw it last month in the magazine on the lower portion of a wall with the upper wall, chair rail and base boards painted light pink.  Husband agreed it was very Lallie-esque.

I love the idea of bunk beds or twin beds.  I personally like the full size on the bottom with the twin on top.  Maybe something a little less boxy and symmetrical though.  But, why two beds?  I'm assuming Lallie will have sleep overs at some point!

For bedding, definitely frilly and classy and non-theme oriented.  (I cringe at the thought of Lallie eventually starting to pick her own clothes, including the Barbie or Dora tee shirt....yuck!)

 

An activity table in the corner of the room would be fantastic.  Lallie really enjoys playing in her room and if I'm upstairs working on some sort of craft, this would be a perfect place for her to spend quiet time or time with her friends.  Husband would say, and where would the rest of her toys go (i.e. train table, easel, playhouse, and more and more)?

Add in a rug for a little umph in the play area, some pictures and some pretty but useful wall hangings, like a hair bow holder (handmade by yours truly of course) and ta-da.... a cute, girly, but not too young toddler room for Lallie.

Of course, this will take some time (and money) and I doubt all will come from Land of Nod (if any) as it's expensive, but it's definitely a great place to peruse for ideas!  I did buy a few Christmas gifts from there this year and the kids loved their toys from Land of Nod.

(All pictures courtesy of Land of Nod)

Kids In the Kitchen Weekend

First off, I think our neighbors think we're Northern Iowa fans after the hootin' and hollerin' coming from our house Saturday night!  What about that crazy game?  They said that ESPN had something like 4 million brackets and not a single one was 100% right and only 3 had missed only one game.  What a year.  We're anxiously awaiting Thursday for the next UK Wildcats game!  Go Cats!

This weekend was the Junior League's Kids in the Kitchen project I chaired.  It was so much fun and I think we touched 75 - 125 kids and their parents about the importance of healthy eating in children.  Our activities included painting bags with fruit and veggie stamps  (i.e. broccoli, corn, starfruit and apples) and tempura paints, filling those bags with a trail mix mixed by the kids and the teaching of how to set a place setting.

Here I am (in glasses, bleh...my contacts are on order) and some of the 20+ ladies that worked with me on this project.  We received lots of feedback from the parents, that this was a creative and fun way to entice children into healthier, yet fun eating habits.  The place setting was a big hit with the older children (and their parents).  We also gave out free books for the "Big Read."  This is a program where books are handed out to children, they are asked to read it, and then pass it on.  We gave out Tom Sawyer.

Lallie and Husband joined me on Sunday at the festival where we were stationed.  I took some time off from volunteering to walk around and play with them.  Lallie is such a cheeseball and we love it!

When we got home, Lallie got to do a painting of her own for her 1/2 birthday with apples and broccoli!  (She insisted it was her birthday, so we called it her 1/2 birthday and she says "Ho Ho" brought her the paints.)  We are proud of our little artist.

Husband mentioned "car ride" to UK and when he got excited, Husband felt bad, so they took a drive around the block.  UK  decided Lallie's car set was the best place to sit for the ride.

We had a great weekend!  Hope you did too!

Exciting Things!

Wow! We have been B.U.S.Y. in the SLPS household.

First off, don't forget to check out my Etsy shop.  I just lowered some of my prices to be a little more competitive.  These dresses are so cute and perfect for spring.  Lallie has several and loves them!

Great news...we have a new employee! Yay!  She starts Monday and thankfully she is very expereinced in our accounting software, so I don't have to train her there.  I've simply made a list of all she needs to know and she should be good to go!

Saturday and Sunday is the big Junior League event I've been busy planning with all the girls pictured below.  It's called Junior League's Kids in the Kitchen and is such a great concept - educating kids on the importance of healthy eating habits.  Most of the details of the event are wrapped up and I'm really looking forward to a couple of fun days.  We met at my house a couple weeks ago for last minute planning and I've really gotten to know these ladies.  They are really great, fun people and I know they're going to turn out to be friends.  (Don't you love my black and white shirt?  It is a fun shirt, Husband loves it).

Lenten promise:  BAD, Bad, bad, bad, bad little Christian.  But that's okay, because it's the thought that counts???  Not really, but I have re-grouped and will finish out the Lenten season on a better note.  Thankfully I'm loved no matter what! :-)

I shopped.  Boy, did I shop.  I bought three handbags (but really, they were SO cheap, they were sample sales for $15 when normally they are $150+....okay, it was the devil, I know this now.)  I wish I could return them, but they're from independent contractors, final sale...and I've sort of used them already.  I also bought some guest bathroom decor ($20.00).  I couldn't have the JL girls to my house without dressing up our completely plain bathroom, right?  Okay, wrong.  Nevermind.

I did buy a dress for Easter Sunday.  This was cleared through husband and I got it NWT on ebay for 75% off the original price.  It's Lilly and matches a Lilly dress for Lallie.  I'm going to get Husband a Vineyard Vines tie in the same colors.  We are going to have a friend who's a photographer take some family pictures in these outfits as well (beach, home, etc.)  I have a great idea for getting all white sheets and doing a family fun shot in our bedroom?  I've seen pictures like this before, and they turn out so cute?  Thoughts?

Moving on.  Negativity.  comme ci comme ca.  Eh?  Okay.  Better since co-worker has been gone, but it's been a little stressful at times, so doing, just okay.  Definately better than before though.

Bible - again, just okay.  Could be better.  I have read several chapters in different books and have been able to take it to use, but only for the following day.  I need to be more reflective of what I'm reading, to put it into practice.  I think I need to re-read Ephesians.  I really enjoyed that book and it seems to have a bearing on my life right now, in this moment.

Only one other thing going on now.  Lallie, poor Lallie.  She has entered into nightmare zone.  Poor baby girl woke up probably around 11:00 the other night crying.  Husband lulled her back to sleep, but then she woke up again and talked to herself for about an hour.  Full on sentances.  Not talking in sleep nonsense.  Then she started to scream bloody murder.  She was terrified that bugs were crawling on her.  We brought her to our bed and it was the same thing.  Talking, crying, bugs on her.  It was actually quite concerning and scary.  Here's a picture of her the next morning, sleeping in the car. 

I called the doctor the next day wondering if it was the Zyrtec we give her at dinnertime.  I remember having similar issues myself as a child when I'd have a bad reaction to allergy medicines.  Apparently, it's not Zyrtec at all.  That this medicine does NOT cause night terrors.  She's just going through a stage.  Poor baby girl.  She's been fine the last two nights, but I'm on pins and needles right now when I put her down, wondering if she's going to have another terrible night.  I would never want her to have bad dreams.  I've been keeping nighttime routine calm for the past few nights, to help eliminate, so far it's working out okay.

Shoooo, so that's what's going on in our crazy lives!  I shall resume normal postings next week!  Have a fantastic weekend!