black + white + yellow = happiness

Decorated little notepads to go in the scrapbook retreat gift bags... (idea inspired by this)... Thought they looked so cute all lined up had to take a photo... this is the color scheme for the gift bags... truly looking forward to a get away to work on photos ALL weekend.

We've been hitting the pool. I've been painting the upstairs. Catching up on movies - lovin' r*dbox. Playing outside once the sun begins to go down... it's hot! Working in the yard... cleaning things out... feeling like the summer is going by way too fast!

our week... the "A LOT of" edition

Still taking a photo a day in 2009 for Project 365... here are some photos of our week... it was a busy one for me... we had VBS. So I got three kiddos there on time Mon - Fri... while the kiddos were in VBS I did a lot of studying and some shopping... the shopping is something I never get to do kid free - so I had fun - got some deals and had to promise the husband not to spend any more money for a while... A lot of playing around... Emma working on her Jedi skills... the joys of having an older brother... this was cracking me up... had to grab the camera.

Did a lot of planting and working in the flower bed... hibiscus are making me SO happy right now... lovin' the heat and blooming so well.

Tooth fairy has been busy... two teeth in one week. A lot of money... ha!

Found a lot of goodies at the Open Market - a guy makes these bird feeders. The bowl on top prevents squirrels from getting in the bird seed... now I just need to fill it up... it's hanging just outside the kitchen window...
We have been playing a lot of games... I love this one. DVD Bingo... a quick game before bed. Kiddos are clean and in PJs... I'm ready for a lot of peace.

Got this super good deal at P*ttery B*rn... SO HAPPY! Pillow covers... I'll take a before and after shot soon... A lot of money saved!

Did A LOT of driving this week taking the kiddos back and forth to VBS. They had SO much fun... and I did, too!

And we've been eating a LOT of these this week... yummy.

slowing down...

"Daddy, will you please play with me?"

"Sure, Emma... what will we play?"

"Doll house!"

Although this photo is blurry I love it... some times it's just nice to slow down and stop what we're doing do play with the kiddos... Em was SO happy to play with daddy she was giddy...

lessons for a stage mom?

E had recital this past weekend... we've been working towards recital since January. She did great... all the girls did great! Although Em's expressions look a little pained in these photos - she really had a good time and enjoyed performing on the "big" stage. The recital's theme this year "dancin' the year away" -- we were the month of July - if you could not tell!

The greatest part of their performance was the "wheel" where the girls grab hold of one another and march in a circle forming spokes on a wheel... they had never successfully accomplished this formation... NEVER. Until performance time... it was AMAZING. These 4 and 5 year-olds pulled. it. off. so well! The crowd went wild! The moms were in the front row screaming "great job" with tears... it was greatness. Lesson I learned... trust the dance instructor when it comes to choreography and costumes. I was worried. In the end - it worked. I had my doubts - but what do I know?

Fun weekend... wonderful memories.

By the way... for the record... no, I'm not a fan of the makeup on my 5 year-old either. We only do this for recital. There are a lot of lights on the stage - it's to help their little face show-up for pictures. Yes... she looks a little grown up in the photos... but her cute little tap moves were very age appropriate... and adorable.

monogramed planter...

I love monograms - and was inspired by this and this so I thought, "I can do that" -- or my own version of it. And now that it's summer... while the kids played or did puzzles - in between laundry - it took me about two days to complete working on them off and on... I made two of these planters. One for me, and one that's a gift for a neighbor.

Terracotta planter... ready to go. You can find these cheep. I purchased Patio Paint to help the pot be weather proof. Paint planter all over the outside.

Sand with sand paper to give a weathered look - not so perfect... no rules to this.

Find a good font and print it out the size you want it to appear on your planter. Make sure it's thick enough to make it easy to paint on your pot. For the "M" I used 2Peas Renaissance.

Now for the fun part... turn your print out over. Color with a white crayon all over the back of your letter.

Affix your monogram exactly how you want it to appear on your pot. Use small piece of double sided tape to keep it in place. Take an ink pen and with pressure - trace around the letter.

This leaves a white outline of the letter... so you can paint with in the lines.

Using small paint brush with rested eyes - do this when you're not in a hurry for best results - paint in your letter. You may have to use two coats of paint.

I then took my sand paper - after the "M" dried and went over it a little bit to give the white paint some weathering, too. My plant has a happy and adorable home. Now if I can keep the plant alive...