trimming the tree

lesson one when decorating for a holiday.  if you can't find what you envisioned.... create it.

i went to four different craft stores looking for burlap ribbon or something like it.  could not find it anywhere.  after wasting an afternoon going in and out of four different stores (if you know me, you know i like to get in and get out when shopping.) i remembered the roll of burlap sitting at home (bought for a project i no longer am doing.)  so i went home and cut strips off the roll and looped them around the tree. 

i think it turned out quite cute and made the tree!

of course if you have boys in the house you know no tree would be complete with out the christmas train underneath!  toot!  toot!

now if i can handle the noise it makes for the next four weeks.....

happy tree trimming!

the start of the season

this weekend we set up the christmas tree and daddy strung up the lights outside. We went to dinner with dear friends and then bundled up and headed out to watch the lighting of the lights and santa driving down main street in littleton.  the boys waived and cheered while we sipped on our tasty hot cocoa.  creating more memories for years to come with the boys.  it was priceless.

the pea express

the pea express stopped by our table after dinner.  someone recently started liking the little green things.... so when he was done eating he loaded up his train and took the leftovers for a ride.  maybe snacked on one or two more. it was rather cute.

at least one of my kids eats something from the family of green in the garden.

the words from my back seat driving home from school

this moment was almost surreal to me yesterday.  was i really having a conversation with my son about a girl on the way home from school?  isn't it a little early for this kind of talk?

brady: mommy, so there was this grill (girl in brady talk) at school today.

mommy: oh yeah brady?

brady: yeah mommy.  the grill asked me how old i was.  i told her i was free (three in brady language).

mommy: did you ask her how old she was?

brady: (he chuckles a little) yeah mommy she was free and a half. (he chuckles a little more and then it is quiet for a minute.) mommy she asked me to sit by her for snack.  (then a little more silence).  i told her no and then i sat by sammy.

mommy: why did you sit by sammy instead of sitting next to the grill?

brady: yeah because i can.

i smiled and laughed the rest of the way home.  i forgot that we will have the grills are yucky stage for a few years before we really get into the swing of things.  this mommy feels a little relief.

happy tuesday!

decorating style - finally settled on one...... urban country

gone are the days of toile....... decorating tip:  if you don't like it at first sight... looks to busy to you..... it will not grow on you.....

not that toile isn't pretty or these drapes weren't pretty... they just weren't my style.

welcome more warm tones and less busy work on the fabric.

i found this fantastic burlap colored fabric. (fabric is not burlap it is super soft and you can see the knit through it.)  it is super heavy and soft and adds that simple country feel to my most favorite table and chairs.

i then took black ticking strip fabric and made tie up drapes.  i tied them up with white linen fabric which i simply just cut and washed the ties so they would fray.  adding to my simple urban country feel.

it is hard to get the feel of the room from these pictures but the room feels warm and welcoming and a lot less busy.  more importantly it is more in line with my husband's and my style.  thank goodness for good fabric deals, coupons and ambition to spend a whole day hunched over a sewing machine and ironing board..... love the urban country feel.  love simple.

how to cook a turkey by brady smith

brady made this at school.  the teachers asked each kid how to cook a turkey and they each had different responses.  this was brady's.  i think it is so cute.  just a little more thanksgiving fun for you.

decorating with what you have - thanksgiving craft #2

so i would be lying if i said i did this with only stuff i had around.  i did not have this cute fall material, i had to go buy it.  good news is it was 50% off so i only paid $2 for it.  (procrastinating on the fall decorating has it's advantages.)

i had the burlap fabric and also the linen fabric left over from prior projects.  even if i had to buy them, this project would have only cost maybe $7 more.

i cut place mats out of the burlap fabric and then i pulled threads out of each side (5 or 6 each) to make them fray on the ends.

i then found a picture of an acorn online and pasted it into word to change it's size to the size i wanted on the place mat.  i then used that as the pattern and cut the acorns out of my new fall material with my rotary cutter.

i glued them on  to the burlap place mat with some craft spray glue i had laying around. (make sure you crack a window if you are using this glue.)

i then cut napkins out of some left over linen fabric i had.  (i paid $1.50 a yard for it when i bought it for a past craft.)

i then took out my sewing machine and hemmed around the edges in a zig zag and in brown thread for a contrast.

i took the left over scraps from the acorn fabric and used it as a tie around the rolled up napkin.

here is the end result that will be on my table thanksgiving day.  the whole project maybe cost me less than $10. (if i had to buy everything to complete it today.)

now on to figuring out the centerpiece.  come back for a final picture of the whole table in a couple days!

decorating with what you have - thanksgiving table craft #1

for my first table decorating idea i decided to let the kids help.  we need place cards for the table.  i had some old paper stock laying around so we made place cards out of that.  you can do any size or shape your table will allow.  i cut squares out and folded them in half.

i then found pictures of turkeys online and cut and pasted them into a word document and printed them.

i cut them out and then brady helped me glue them onto the place cards.

i then wrote the names of all our guests on the place cards and then let the kids color all the turkeys and place cards.

below is our finished product.

(i love how purple became the primary color if not the only color on most of them)

over the next week i will be putting my table together with crafty projects using what i have laying around the house.  i have some old material scraps i will be using to make place settings and napkins... stay tuned!

what ideas are you using to decorate your table?

cma's

last night we watched the cma's down in the theatre.  we rocked out to our favorite country singers and even performed a few numbers ourselves.  my personal favorite was twinkle twinkle little star.  it amazes me how many songs brady knows almost all the words too and even when he can't remember the words he still keeps the melody and just makes them up. one talented boy.  logan is just debuting in the singing arena.  he did a great job keeping up with big brother.  as for the actual cma's i have to say i was quite shocked at some of the award winners.  quite a few under dogs stole an award or two.  one of our family's favorite bands won though (lady a).  we were so happy.  rock on smith boys!

family movie night

a much needed quiet weekend we had.  saturday we picked up our very own copy of toy story three.  we settled in for some popcorn and a little buzz and woody time.

this is all i have time to write as brady is only taking 30 minute naps and is now up chattering in my ear.... can't concentrate, can't write.....

happy tuesday folks.  hope your week is off to a great start!

a little art

so i am really missingg my camera.  it should be fixed soon.  my old little camera does not shoot nearly as fast so i am missing all the cute shots :(

so today i thought i would share this afternoons craft project with you and tell you how different my boys are when it comes to color of choice.

below is brady's picture.  he always picks vibrant bright pinks and purples and yellows and blues.

below is logan's art for the day.  notice the darker choice of colors.  logan prefers blacks, browns, dark purple and dark blues.

 it is so fun to watch the personalities come out in my boys.  it is amazing to me how different they truly are.  right down to the color of their hair.

hope you all have a great weekend.  see you back here on monday!

the grateful month

here it is again, that month that reminds us to be grateful.  here i am today only a couple of days into it remembering all the things i am ungrateful for.  i won't bore you with our drama.  i will tell you a spent a lot of time today trying to talk myself back into the positive zone. sometimes successful  and other times not. the chocolate candy bars in my kitchen drawer from halloween offered some kind of comfort, then my extended work out later for eating them helped me burn off some of my guilt for eating them.  then i watched the boys playing in the front yard and reminded myself of this.  my life is beautiful in so many ways.  i have so much to be grateful for and it starts with these two beautiful boys.  they represent so much simplicity.  so this month i remind you to get back to the basics.  be grateful for all that is surrounding you, even if it is a thorn in the rose bush.  share with me.  what are you most grateful for this month.