i can't believe it finally fits

this outfit was a gift from brady's great uncle stan.  i remember opening it shortly after he was born and thinking to myself, this will never fit my precious little boy.  today i cleaned out the boy's closet and reminisced about every outfit that no longer fits.  this outfit hung in the back of the closet.  i pulled it out and checked the size.  sure enough brady was ready to wear it and it fits beautifully.  where has the time gone?  i certainly was not prepared for the everyday frustration of raising two boys eighteen months apart.  my lack of preparation has also become evident in the feeling of sadness in how quickly time seems to be going by.  yet another reminder to just roll with the punches, find more patience, laugh with them and love every minute we have for time is flying by quickly.

diy vintage summer fabric flower wreath

my front door has been looking a little bare.  so i finally had some energy to get crafty and put a little something in the works.  i had all of this stuff just laying around.

i started with a wreath i got at the dollar store and some plain white fabric.  i tore the fabric in strips and simply wrapped it around the wreath.  When i was done i pinned it in the back.

i then cut circles out of some summery vintage fabric laying around the house.  they don't have to be perfect, you will bunch the fabric while you sew on buttons.

i then picked out some vintage buttons out of a sack of buttons my grandmother gave me.  any button will do!

as i sewed the buttons on i bunched the fabric underneath to create a flowery look.

after done i sewed them onto the wreath.  this is the end result!

i hung it on my front door, however i did not post the picture.  the wreath i used was too small for the door.  sigh........

small oversight on my part but still a cute looking wreath!

Happy 4th Birthday Brady!

happy birthday brady boy!  another fun filled year of "bradyisms".  my personal favorite was the "indoor side pool" instead of indoor pool.  your fun loving carefree attitude is exactly that of your daddy's.  you have been fine tuning your big brother skills this year and to my surprise you have become quite the protector of him, don't get me wrong you still have your moments of picking on him too.  you love to sleep in like your mommy and trains and cars are still your most favorite toys. you developed a few crushes this year.  need i say lilly lake? you overcome each challenge with a smile on your face.  you are still one of the best car singers i know, next to mommy of course.  your independence is definitely becoming known and while it makes me sad because you are no longer my baby, i am so proud of the person you are becoming.  your daddy and i are so blessed to have you in our lives and look forward to each new day ahead with you and all that they hold.  we love you.

side table re-finishing

i know this isn't the round tables below.  sigh.... i forgot to take a before picture so i took a picture of their ugly step sister still in her original form.  if you can picture her circular instead of a rectangle then you will know exactly what my two round tables looked like before they were made over.

i started with sanding. (actually my kind hubby did it for me.) thanks b.  got all of that lacquer finish off of there for a nice clean surface.

i then mixed 1/2 cup paint and a little less than a 1/2 cup water. 

i slowly brushed on the paint.  waited for it to dry for about 20-30 seconds and then took a lint free cloth (you can buy them at the hardware store.)  make sure to get the ones that say lint free as you don't want lint rubbing off on your paint.

you take the cloth after the paint has dried for 20-30 seconds and rub down the paint.  the goal is to rub it into the grain.  it gives a nice patina look to the furniture.

i did this on each piece twice allowing 30 minutes between first and 2nd coat to dry.

after two days of curing i sanded down the edges on the top and some areas on the legs to make it look a little more worn.  i used 220 sand paper.

i then sprayed three coats of poly urethane on to keep them in good shape for their next owner.

i spray painted the bronze hardware with rustoleum oil rubbed bronze spray paint.

they are up for sale now on craigs list.  hoping to fetch a good price so i can redecorate the boys playroom and add shelving to hold all of their loot. :)

end of the year teacher thank you

here is a little something i put together so my boys could let their preschool teachers know how much they appreciated them at the end of the school year.  i don't know how those ladies do it i tell ya.

i started out with some mini clay pots.  remember that chalkboard project i did?  well i had a lot of chalkboard paint left over.  so i used it on these pots.  that way they can re-use them and write herb names on them or whatever.  two coats of paint brushed on is what it took to get these babies looking good.

when we were done we planted lavender in them, something that will grow and help them relax this summer.  lord knows they need it after this school year.  i added some torn colorful fabric around it as well as a little tag that thanked them for being them signed by the boys.

a simple little project that took a little time but will hopefully make the teachers smile.

sooooooo TWO

this is the face i see most of the time these days.  don't get what we want and erupt into a river of tears.

what's that you say? all this crying is still not working? well then... 

i'll try something a little more dramatic like this.  still crying and yelling NO. (our new favorite word, maybe our only word these days.)

tell me friends when does this end and why can't my kids be on the same page at the same time.  brady is all smiles and cooperation these days it seems they have flip flopped.

sigh....

i know we will make it through this and i won't remember how terrible it was a year from now lets make that two years. i have forgotten, well almost forgotten what brady was doing at this age.

motherhood.  not for the weak of heart.  love you logey we will make it through this...

the new bedtime

this is the new bedtime in our house.  books on the ipad.  the boys love them almost as much as their daddy does.  what on earth are these guys going to read from to their kids? time will only tell.