Lamp Shade Shadows - DIY

This is so so easy and super cute!  These pics don't do the finished product justice, it really is sort of magical to have those little characters watching out for you.  I saw a pic of another lamp with a similar insert somewhere out there on the world wide web.  I didn't actually have any instructions so I sort of made this one by trial and error.  You could use any character but I think Peter Pan was an especially whimsical choice.  Tinker Bell would work well too. 

Lamp Shade Shadow DIY

1. Find a graphic you like.  I found a Peter Pan that looked somewhat "suspended" in the air. 

2. Go into your photo editing software.  The most basic will work - even the one that comes free on your computer (any of the free phone apps work as well - just email it to yourself once you edit the graphic).  Turn the "brightness" all the way down until the graphic is now black.  Size and print on regular paper.



3. Cut around the edges exactly (you don't want any white paper showing) and place inside your lamp shade.  I had to use a couple dabs of elmers glue that I smeared on the paper.  Make sure the glue is very thin if you use it so you won't see it on the "shadow". 

Voila!  It really is adorable and ours in on a floor lamp so it looks like Peter is looking down on Milo.  So sweet.



Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving 2012 has come and gone and I think it was success!  I'm not sure how much Milo will remember about his first Thanks, but I do believe we made some pretty good memories.   I think this is the first year I actually tried to decorate a little for Fall/Thanksgiving (and that is probably mostly due to Pinterest!  Dang you Pinterest and your crafty ideas...).

In the past I may have put out a candle or maybe a wreath on the door but this year we created a few cool things.  I made that "Give Thanks" plaque, and Cady and I actually gathered those acorns and pine cones from the front yard to put in my newly purchased apothecary jars.  yay!  We even wrangled Milo into the fun and created cute Thanksgiving hand print turkeys for cards to send out to family.  

On Thanksgiving Day the 4 of us headed to downtown Dallas to participate in the BIGGEST race in the nation - The Turkey Trot! (50,000 people do the Trot in Dallas each year!!)

The weather was beautiful (not shivering cold like it has been in past years) and we were able to complete the 5K with no issues.  

Once we arrived back home the preparation of the feast began!  haha  It was my first time to make a turkey all by myself so I was a little nervous but everything turned out superb (I had lots of advice and check-ins from the sweet ladies in my Bible Study group).  I made the turkey and mashed potatoes (with heavy cream and lots of butter).  Matt made sweet potatoes and dressing (impressive, huh!?).  We finished it off with turkey gravy, crescents and iced sweet tea.  It was YUMMY. 

We were a little sad that Gage wasn't home but he had a trip planned to Arkansas to see his LSU tigers BTHO the razerbacks.  hee hee!  I knew he was having a blast.  He'll be home after finals so it won't be long.  I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving!  We all have so many reasons to be thankful! 

Milo is 5 months!

Can you believe our teeny tiny baby is now 5 months?  Before we know it he'll be 6 months and that's not even a newborn anymore... and he was supposed to stay a newborn for a really long time.  waaaaah!  We love watching him grow and learn so it's ok. He's dressed in his little hipster outfit above but some days rolls thuggy like this:

His favorite things are still his whale mobile (the kid literally cracks up when we turn it on) and his tiger mat.  Lately he is loving his glow worm and anything he can fit in is mouth.  He also loves loves loves being carried around on your shoulder so he can see all that needs to be seen.  He loves spending time with his Daddy and listening to his sissy talk about her day.  He is also fascinated when he watches us eat.  He is still only eating a little bit of cereal and oatmeal and maybe half a jar of baby food (sweet peas are his fave) once a day but something about watching us chew mesmerizes him!

He can squeal and scream so loudly it scares the animals away.  And he's not even upset!  He just really loves the sound of his own voice.  We think its funny about 90% of the time...  Going out in the carseat has improved over the last few weeks as well.  He has a mirror to look in now so that keeps him entertained for a while (he gets that from his Daddy).   The bottom left picture above was taken on one of our trips to Home Depot.  He likes home depot...  Lately I've been taking him over to see the Christmas trees and lights they have on display. I can't wait for him to see our Christmas tree when we get to put it up in a few weeks. 

Of course he still loves to eat and sleep.  And he's still just as beautiful as ever.  He rolls over now and knows his name.  He plays with his feet and will talk to you as if you know exactly what he is saying.  He wakes up with a smile in the morning that will melt your heart.  I can't wait for the grandparents to see how much he has grown next month.  Happy 5 months Baby Milo!

$10 Quilt Ladder - DIY

One of my favorite projects that Matt has made for me lately is my quilt ladder.  I saw some similar ladders in catalogs and on the web and I knew it would look great in our living room.  And it's functional too!

You'll need:

• 2 2x2s - I think that's the measurement.  We found ours at Lowe's for $1.90 each. They don't need to be pretty or perfect because the imperfections will give your ladder character.
• 2 1" dowel rods - also less than $2 each
• saw
• drill
• screws
• paint of your choice

1. Buy/gather your materials
2. Cut both of your dowel rods into 3 equal pieces

3. Place your dowels (rungs) where you'd like them to go.  We put ours 14" apart and only used 5 of the 6 pieces.  You could space them closer and use all 6 pieces but I thought it looked better this way. 
4. Use your drill to screw them onto the main horizontal pieces.  Screw from the outside into the dowels.  Matt actually used a bit to drill holes first and then put the screws in.  I don't know if this step is necessary but I don't argue when it comes to the drill.

Paint it and put it in your home to have a place to display/store your quilts/blankets!  Super Easy!  It took us less than an afternoon (that includes paint drying) and cost less than 10 bucks!

Park Play

The weather has been beautiful lately!  Cool enough that it's fun to be outside!  Cady is trying out for basketball this season so she asked if we could head to the park to "shoot some hoops".  I am the first to admit that I am much better at cheering from the sidelines so it was a good thing that Matt showed up soon after we arrived. 

Watching Sissy and Daddy play some B-Ball.  Milo also got to experience the swing for the first time...

He loved it.  I know we'll be heading back soon!  When taking a break from basketball, Cady perfected her crab apple throwing skills.  What are crab apples anyway?  What a strange fruit/nut/bulb - I don't even know exactly what they are?  Our park has tons of trees that drop them tho so the kids are constantly smushing and throwing them.  Ick. 

I'll have to update next week to let you all know if Cady makes the basketball team.  She SAYS that she really wants to be on the team, but sometimes the rest of us aren't sure!  It takes a ton of time and dedication that she'd have to add to an already full schedule.  And let's face it.  The kid can't even remember to feed her cat and make her bed!  But I do enjoy hanging out at the park on these sunny cool days, whether we are playing basketball or swinging or just walking.  In Texas this season is short so we'll soak up as much as we can!

Popcorn Baby Costume - DIY

This costume couldn't be easier (or cheaper) to create.  It's comfortable and safe and we got TONS of compliments on it!  And a giant serving of movie popcorn couldn't be more perfect for Milo's Movie Critic Dad to carry around! The whole costume cost less than $5.

DIY Baby Popcorn Costume:

You'll need:

• 1/2 yard of red felt (you'll have fabric leftover)
• 1/2 yard of white felt (you'll have fabric leftover)
• scissors
• glue gun and glue (quite a few glue sticks unless you want to sew)
• baby sock hat (we used an old one we already had)
• popped popcorn
• baby carrier
• Velcro or safety pins

1. Measure and then cut enough white felt to cover the outside of your baby carrier (you should end up with a white rectangle because you want the material to be long enough to cover baby's legs). Cut triangular pieces off the top side of the rectangle to create the top of the "popcorn carton". .

2. cut thin strips of the red felt that are long enough to reach from top to bottom of your white material. 

3. Glue those on and trim the tops if necessary to match up with the white edges.  You could sew the strips on if you wanted but I made the whole costume in about 45 minutes while watching TV... I didn't feel like sitting at the sewing machine. 

4. Write "Popcorn" on your red felt and then cut the letters out.
5. Glue those onto a bigger piece of white felt and then trim the white felt around the letters to create somewhat of a bubble effect. Glue Popcorn word onto main piece in the middle toward the top.
6. Find a cute baby with an old sock stretchy hat. (Fortunately we already had both of these down the hall in the nursery.
7. Pop some popcorn and glue onto hat (make sure the baby isn't wearing the hat for this step!).  I actually cut out pieces of white felt and then glued the popcorn onto those pieces and then the hat so it would last longer. Eat remaining popcorn.

To complete the costume put on your carrier and put baby inside. Use velcro or safety pins to attach the costume to the sides of the carrier under the baby's arms (if your baby is still in the forward facing position in the carrier the costume still works just as well - the baby's arms will just be inside.).  Matt dressed up in a white shirt and bow tie to look like a popcorn vendor.  Super cute, huh?  Another reason I love this costume is because it could have easily been adapted for a cold or warm night. 

*We actually had purchased a yard each of the white and red material.  The popcorn costume didn't even use a half a yard so I gave the remaining fabric to my 12 year old and she made a "Where's Waldo" costume.  Again, less than $5.  For Where's Waldo all you need is a red and white sock hat, some glasses, a cross shoulder satchel and a red and white shirt.  Cady didn't have a red & white shirt so she constructed one with the leftover fabric.

Punkin' Patch 2012

Something occurred to me as I was downloading and uploading pumpkin patch pics today... Here are the last 3 years of Pumpkin Patch pics of me and Matt...

What a difference 3 years makes!  Those are pics from 2010, 2011 (we didn't even know we were pregnant with Baby Milo yet) and 2012.  If you would have told me in 2010 that we'd be married by the next year, I probably wouldn't have believed it.  If you would have told me last year that we would have a 4 month old baby this October I CERTAINLY would not have believed that. But I suppose it's all perfect timing.

Some other favorite pics from our Arboretum (Pumpkin Patch) visit:

We had a great time in spite of the oodles of people that were there.  I really wanted to see the Chihuly exhibit  (click for more info if you're interested) and it didn't disappoint.  It was a little sad that Gage wasn't there this year but we probably missed him a lot more than he missed the annual event!

Our Little Cellist

Cady had a big day yesterday.  She found out she got first chair in orchestra and also that she was designated section leader of the Cellos in her class.

To say she was excited would be an understatement.  Her concert went great last night and even Milo sat back and enjoyed it.  Remember we don't usually take him out in the evenings for fear of disrupting his nightly routine but he was fantastic.  I think he is as proud of his Sissy as we are.

Don't you love the look of determination and concentration on Cady's face?!  The only little set-back of the day was that at her dental cleaning our dentist found the beginnings of a cavity in one of her back teeth...

We'll go get it taken care of over the Thanksgiving break... I told her I wasn't going to let her miss school since it was for a cavity and not a regular check-up...ha!  And now when I say cut out drinking that koolaid and eating that Halloween candy, she'll listen...maybe...hopefully.  Ok, probably not but getting a cavity filled is no fun so I bet AFTER that appt she'll think twice about all the sweets. 

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And you know I can't have a post without a little tiny pic of Milo.  The sign in the concert auditorium clearly says "No Eating"...  He's crazy rebellious like that.







Out and About

We were all over the place this past weekend!  Like I said in my last post, Gage decided on a little impromptu trip home this past weekend.  I knew he was coming the day before but he surprised Cady so it was very sweet.  She had her regional orchestra try-outs this weekend so she was thrilled to have Gage home to give her some extra encouragement. 

We celebrated Friday night by having Mexican food at one of our favorite local spots on the patio.  Mmmmm! 

And I think everyone took a turn at wearing the Madagascar wig... even Milo.  The weather has been beautiful lately - it's getting a little warm the last couple of days considering it's Fall, but nice overall.  I think I'm ready for the cooler temps tho... Cause I need to use my new JOGGING STROLLER!!!

Can you tell Milo is thrilled?  Ha!  We drove over to see Timmy at the Bike Shop on Saturday and picked it up then.  We strapped him in and pushed him around the store and he still doesn't seem impressed.  I would have taken it out for a jog when we got home but I was not feeling well Saturday or Sunday.   A late night "altercation" with Matt on Friday night and this freaking cold that I can't seem to get rid of has had me sick and tired!!  literally!  I wasn't even feeling well enough to give Matt the butt-kicking he deserved on Friday!



Yes, that's my nightstand... Pay no attention to that random kitkat... I have no idea where that came from. ;o)  After visiting the bike shop on Saturday I came home and napped while Gage and Matt watched college football (bore.ing...) so I was able to rally and head out with some friends to celebrate a birthday that evening.

This was one of our first times to actually fore go Milo's nightly routine and take him out so we could enjoy a meal and a few drinks with friends.  He did great!  Cady and Gage went too so we had a great time celebrating our friend Dennis's birthday!  Unfortunately about halfway thru the meal I started to feel ill again and ended up puking everything I had eaten when got home that night.  ick.  I was feeling a bit better yesterday so I got lots of things done around the house, ran some errands and said goodbye to my sweet biggest boy (we won't see him again until December 10th... he's going to an out of state football game over Thanksgiving - yes I'm very sad).

Last night we got Milo to bed early and both Matt and I were able to attend our weekly Bible Study.  We've been taking turns lately so that we don't need Cady to watch him because he can get a little cranky right before bedtime which is when our meetings occur.  Once he is in bed he is out tho so it's easy for her to be home and "babysit".  I am feeling encouraged about the study we are doing and I'm hoping I am able to put some of the things we discussed into action this week.  That's about all the updates I have!  First orchestra concert of the year is tomorrow night - pics to follow!

Hungry?

Milo has started eating actual food the last week or so.  He's not crazy about the "cereal" he is supposed to be eating, but he loves his veggies!  He must be Matt's child cause y'all know I can.not.stand vegetables...  Here are a few pics of his latest and greatest eating adventures.

Mama feeding Milo his first "real food".

Sweet Peas! Milo's fave so far.

Mmmmm, avocado... It's supposed to be the baby superfood for so many reasons.  He loves it!

Ohmagosh.  That face is just so sweet.  As you can see, he's not too fond of "cereal"... He spits most of it out!  Food is still not his actual source of nutrition at this point.  He still takes his bottle.  BUT he is learning to eat and it's been fun.

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In other blogworthy food news...  Things are still going well with my Weight Watchers.  I really have to watch what I eat and inject some healthier options into my daily diet, that's been kind of tuff.  I haven't been hungry but I do crave random things like Mexican food and butter.  I'm trying to get some exercise at least every other day as well.  I'm back into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes although they are a little tight.  I'm still doing my walk/jog challenge but it's been difficult lately.  Schedules and weather and me not feeling well have put a lull in my progress (change of seasons always brings on migraines and allergies for me).  I've decided to make it a 200 mile challenge which is still a BIG deal.  It just means instead of having to do an average of 3 miles a day I do an average of 2 miles a day.  It's just not feasible for me to work out every day (there is not enough time...) so doing 3 or 4 miles at least every other is my new goal.  I'm so freaking excited that I'm getting a jogging stroller too!  Now Milo can go with me if I have time during the day.  Currently, I either have to wait until he is in bed at night (which blows sometimes cause it's dark and cold) or take him with me in his regular stroller (which I cannot jog or even walk fast with because he'll get whiplash!... and it's HEAVY).  

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Last weekend Cady and I got to have a Girls Night.  We went to a dinner movie at Studio Movie Grill and saw Here Comes the Boom.  We cracked up, it was super funny.  It was nice to be able to spend some one on one time with her.  It seems when I'm able to give her a little extra attention her attitude is better.  Matt also took her to meet Victoria Justice at the Fair last week.  She was SOOOO excited!  Victoria Justice is on a show that she watches on Nickolodeon and also in a new movie.

This weekend Cady has regional try-outs for Orchestra. I have to say she has been practicing quite a bit and I'm hopeful that she will do very well. I'm proud of her that she has taken it upon herself to be involved in orchestra and track and even the Middle School Bible Study at our church.  She has been self motivated to do all these things which is great!  Now if I could get her to stop talking back and feed the cat things would be perf.
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Matt and I also had the opportunity to volunteer with IHOPE ministries last Saturday.  One of the founders of the organization is our Bible Study leader and we are always happy to help when we can.  Matt does audio video and I have helped with registration or set-up/clean-up in the past.  I enjoy our bible study group and it's fun taking Milo to see everyone.

Milo helping Daddy set up sound.

Milo only helps Matt out when he's not moderating political debates... hahahaha I love this pic cause I'm so freaking tired of all the BS political stuff on TV/News/Facebook lately!



And he only moderates political debates when he's not planking...

So that's about it for now.  I would love to be able to take the littles to the pumpkin patch but we haven't had time the last few weekends (or the weather has been rainy).  Maybe, just maybe, this weekend we can go.  Gage misses us and may drive up for the weekend so I'm crossing my fingers that I can have all of us home for a few days!

Leaving you with this sweet pic.  Enjoy your weekend!

4 months for Milo!

I can't believe Milo is already 4 months!  Cray-zee.

He is changing so much.  His favorite things are his whale mobile and tiger mat and taking a bath.  We are slowly using the exersaucer and high chair more.  He had his 4 month check up yesterday and weighed over 15lbs and is ready to start having cereal.  He is still an amazing sleeper - I'm not sure how we got so lucky.  I cringe when my friends with babies that are a similar age are still talking about getting up at night or celebrating because their baby now sleeps 7 hour stretches... We are definitely spoiled with a 12 hour sleeper who also takes at least 3 naps during the day.  I'm pretty sure he got all that sleepin' talent from his Daddy. 

His least favorite things are still riding in the carseat and having patience while we get everything ready for him to eat.  He will go into a scream fit and then it's like pushing a mute button when we stick the bottle in his mouth. 

He loves his Daddy and Mama and Sissy and Nanny - pretty much the only 4 people he interacts with.  His pediatrician said she could tell he was starting to experience separation anxiety, but we haven't noticed it much... then again, we don't really take him out and pass him around a ton and he seems to do fine when others do hold him (although it's not often).  I always make sure I tell him where I am going if I leave and reassure him that I will be right back.  

Eating at Cheesecake Factory - Mama's favorite!

Enjoying his first fire! 

Cartoons with Sissy.
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It's really not fair how fast they grow...  But we are enjoying watching him learn new things and grow into a little mini person!  Happy 4 months Baby Milo! (sorry about those shots...)