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!