Making Progress

Get ready for lots of pictures!!!

Last weekend my Mom, sister, and I went on a little "junking" girl getaway and I picked up a ton of loot! Now, usually, said loot will sit around unpacked for a while, then gradually drift into random piles around the house and in the laundry room, and eventually maybe if it's lucky get worked on halfheartedly for a little while. Usually my loot doesn't see the light of day in the way I envisioned it at the store--but lately I have been DETERMINED!!!! Determined to turn this builder's beige box into something I like, and maybe even love, and do it somewhat inexpensively. So here are my first bits of progress. And I must say I really really like how it's coming out so far.

The Loot:
Lots of candles, a basket, an old lamp, some metal medallion things, a knob and some coatsters from Anthropologie, a bucket, a pitcher, and some fabric to cover the tons of pillows that my Mom dug up for me. I also got 3 quarts of paint, a "priceless" side table, and a few other little things. It was all pretty disjointed and random.






Below is the "priceless" table. I bought it at a flea market on Hwy.49, the type with different booths. My mom and I found it and each assumed that the other examined it closely, when neither of us actually did. So as we loaded it into our car we noticed how cheap/shabby/not worth the money I paid for it, it was, but it was too late. So I had a lot of buyer's remorse, and Brian has ragged me A LOT about it, but oh well. We now have a cheap/shabby/too expensive/but now sorta cute side table. I painted it a greenish-blueish color that was BAAAAD as you can see below. It was very early-nineties seafoam green! UGH! Then I repainted in white, and now it's pretty cute.





And here are all of the afters: Some things are still in progress. I want to put something in the bucket on the side table, but I'm not sure what. I want to add something to the painting over the shelves, again, I don't know what. And the window treatment is OK--I just used leftover fabric from the pillows and some ribbon I had, it'll do for now.








I'm really happy with the progress I've made in the past couple weeks, and I hope I'll be able to make more in the next few weeks. If anybody has any suggestions about what to put in the bucket or to add to the painting let me know.

Some projects I am looking forward to are putting some iron on letters and designs on the canvas pillows and painting something to go between our front door and the window. We're also going to start looking for a new couch and chairs. Maybe a dark brown couch--I think the pillows will go well with that.

Building

We've been doing all kinds of building around here.

First Jack, Ali Grace and I built the world's most awesome castle. Jack was very proud of it, and couldn't wait to show his Daddy! Ali mostly tried to destroy it--but we managed to keep intact for most of the day which was no small feat.





Then Brian caught the building bug and has been working on a new big boy bed for Jack. Jack has been helping here and there. Tonight Brian brought the headboard and footboard into the kitchen so Jack could help fill the nail holes. They had fun. We got the plans for the bed from Anna at knockoffwood.blogspot.com. I've posted about her and her amazing plans before. Brian has modified her plans a little and the bed is coming out great! More pictures of that to come.

My First Pigtails

LOVE THIS GIRL!!!!!

So I'll Remember

It amazes me how much I've forgotten from when Jack, and even Ali Grace, was teeny. So in an effort to keep track of what they are like and who they are at each little stage, I want to post more about those little things--and big things that they do everyday. That is one of the main reasons I started this blog anyway.




Our big boy is busier than ever! He is changing daily into more and more of a boy and less of a baby! (Yes, I know he's almost three! THREE!!!) He is adamant that he is NOT a baby--but a big boy! He loves to play with his trucks, cars, and train set. He also pretends a lot--mostly having to do with hunting and crashing cars and other "boy things". It is hilarious how no matter what he's playing with--a torn up tortilla or broken crayons or actual bought toys-- crashes, bangs, and general mayhem always breaks out! He is such a little boy! He's starting to take on the big brother role too--as far as picking on Ali Grace goes anyway. He picks, pinches, pulls, and aggravates her like crazy. He's getting more independent too. He always wants to "do it by myself".

His likes: Screaming, running, guns, movies, going to church, yogurt, fruit, crackers, sausage, baths, watching hunting with Daddy, dancing wildly, laughing.

His dislikes: Going to the potty, sleeping, eating veggies, having his toys messed up by Ali, sharing.

Some of his latest catch phrases are:
Using "we" instead of "our"-- "Let's say we prayers." or "That's we house."
"I want to help toooo Mommy!"
"That mine!"
"How was your day, Daddy?"
"I's fine."
"That's my baby sister."
"Thank you Mommy for...cleaning up, cooking..." SO SWEET!
"I wanna watch Spiritathawild" (Spirit of the Wild)
"I sit wit you Mommy."
"Let's shide from Daddy!" (hide)
"I's a fast runner Mommy!" Yes Jack you ARE!

As far as milestones go, we're still slowly working on potty training. He'll go when we put him on the potty, but he will not tell us he has to go, or say yes when we ask if he needs to. We're hoping to get him to wearing diapers only at nap time and at night by thte time the new baby arrives.

LOVE HIM!




This little girl is one of a kind and we are all just smitten with her. It seems like her little personality just gets bigger and bigger every day! She will we 17 months old tomorrow, and I can't imagine our life without her in it. She is hilarious!!!!! Drama is always right around the corner with her--crying, thrashing on the floor, pouting, screaming--all of it can start one second and then be over and done the next. She is definitely a girl! She loves to read! He favorite book has been a "My first Dictionary" for some time now. She loves the pictures, and wants to know "what's dat" through the whole book--and the whole day for that matter. She's very smart too--she can say a TON of words, and will name things in books like helicopter, baby, hat, bear... She is quite demanding and LOUD!!! If she's in her crib awake for too long she will yell, "Come ON!" She's just starting to play on her own some and it is sooo precious! I love just watching he when she doesn't know it. Earlier today she sat down on the floor, put a basket on her head and proceeded to feed her stuffed dog from a pot and cup. I was dying! She also has become a big copy cat--when the mood strickes her (usually during meal times) she does EVERYTHING that Jack does--finger up her nose, banging on her tray, shaking her head...etc.


Her current catch phrases are:
"I want....Daddy, Jack, Mommy, to draw, cracker, milk, TV, and everything else you can imagine."
"NO!"
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
"What's dat!!!?"
"Dogs!" She loves to look for the neighborhood pack out the front window.
"Papa!" She looks at a picture with him in it all the time.
"I talk! I talk!" When I'm on the phone she always has to talk.
"O Kaaaaay Mommy/Daddy."
Saying no when she means yes--such a girl!

Her likes: Copying Jack, being loud, her pacifiers, fruit, yogurt, crackers, drawing, dogs, babies, talking, reading, running,talking on the phone, baths, being dramatic, dancing in Mommy's or Daddy's arms.

Her dislikes: Being told no.

She has hit a bunch of major milestones in the last few months--walking, talking, all that big stuff. She's running and making little sentences now. Who knows what will come next with her!!! Our funny girl!

I am very very very interested to see, first whether we're having a boy or girl, and also, how he or she will fit into the craziness that happens here every day. I honestly don't know how the baby will EVER sleep b/c these 2 are soooo loud! It's going to be interesting for sure! :)

What We've Been Up To

I am sooooooooo ready for it to get warm again so that we can get out of the house!!!!!!! We've been trying to keep busy by watching movies, doing lots of crafts, and playing playing playing.



I found the idea for a "Letter of the week" from the blog notimeforflashcards.com and we've been doing sort of a "Letter of every 2 weeks or so." One thing she does is lots of crafts making the letters into animals or things that start with that letter. So far we've done an alligator and an astronaut for A and a bumblebee for B. Jack really likes doing them, and has learned a lot. I also get together a box full of things starting with that letter and we go through it together, and we read books about things starting with that letter. It's been lots of fun for all of us, even Ali Grace gets in on it, and it's a grrrreat time-filler on these long cold days.

This is Jack painting a garden for the bumblebee we made.




Ali Grace loves to draw! She'll say "I want draw" over and over and over until you let her and then she announces "I drawing! I drawing!" as she draws. So sweet.



Here's our B for Bumblebee craft. It came out so cute.



We started doing a couple of early Valentine's Day crafts too. Jack looooooves to glue! He pours so much glue on his paper, that it takes days to dry completely.



I made a new place to display all of our new art work on the back door in the dining room. Jack and Ali love being able to see their drawings and they really like showing them to Brian when he gets home.



Some of his projects go in his room too. You can see the alligator and the astronaut that we did for the letter A.



One day last week it finally got sunny and warm enough to go outside! I was thrilled and the kids were so excited when I told them we were going for a walk. Jack enjoyed the puddles as usual.



He had to bring his new gun. Before we got outside he excitedly said, "I can shoot up all the trees with my new gun!"



Ali Grace enjoyed the time out too. I thought about letting her walk, but decided that I'm not quite ready for that yet. She would be running around everywhere, putting rocks and sticks in her mouth, and sitting in puddles. So she stayed in the stroller, I'm not sure when I'll be ready to let her loose--maybe when she's about 10???



I've been letting Jack--and Ali a little too--help me cook lately. The other day I made this coating for oven-fried chicken and had some left over. Jack played and played and played with it, stirring and moving and feeling it! The boy can have fun with the oddest things sometimes, which I love about him.

That's about all we've been up to lately. Just trying to fill the days with something other than TV, and waiting anxiously for spring to arrive.

Ali Grace's Room

I recently realized that I have posted a ton of pictures of Jack's room, but I don't think I've ever shown any of Ali Grace's. So now since it might be changing a good bit in the future--we're still not sure how we're going to situate the kids when the new baby comes--I'm going to show it to ya'll.



My dad made this for Ali Grace's door.




Her room is also our guest room, so we have a queen size bed in here. I love this bedding, it's a matlesse' comforter that my former boss at Simply Home gave us as a wedding present. I got the three frames above it at Dillards, and painted some branch and bird silhouettes to go in them. I've wanted to do something else on this wall, but haven't figured out what yet. I want to make an upholstered headboard for the bed, so that would help. Maybe one day.



Since we didn't find our whether Ali was a girl or boy when I was expecting, we couldn't get gender-specfic bedding. So we just got a white bumper and when she was born I did a little appliquing of some bird shapes and ribbon on it in pink, green, and white. You can't see it very well anymore because she has squished it down so much, but it's really cute. The paper flowers are from Martha Stewart. My cousin, Emily had a few of them hanging in her room and she gave me the ones she didn't need anymore. Ali likes to look at them. It probably won't be too long before she can reach them, so that will be interesting.



My grandparents gave us this dresser not long after we moved to Rison. I think it's supposed to be a sideboard, but it has been great as Ali Grace's dresser, though the drawers creak and squeak reeeeally bad. I'm thinking about switching this dresser and Jack's sometime in the future--maybe when we move the beds around. The painting leaning against the wall was painted by my Mom at Easely Amused, a paint party place where my sister works. I've been meaning to hang it for a while. I think I want it on the wall it's leaning against, but I'm not sure.



These shelves I found at a garage sale for about 10 dollars. The green ones were already green, but the larger one was blue, so I just slapped some pink paint on it and it was perfect. I orinally had two decorative paper-covered boxes up here, but one refuses to stay up...so.

I have come to really like this room. We don't spend that much time in here because there's not much room to play, but it's been a great room for Ali Grace so far. There are still a few things I want to do in there, but I'm happy with it for now.

Knock off Wood and Another Quick Craft

I've been blog-surfing A LOT lately thanks to my sister who sent me a HUGE list of her favorite haunts. A blog that I ran across a couple of days ago that I'm in looooove with is knockoffwood.blogspot.com!!!! The author, Ana, gets the measurements for furniture pieces from Pottery Barn, Land of Nod, and tons of other retailers, figures out how to build them, and them makes step by step plans for anyone to use to build them FOR FREE! I have about 20 pieces that I want to build (have Brian build) right now including a bed for Jack, an activity table and chairs for the kids, and several entertainment centers--I can't pick just one. She has plans for all styles, but mostly the Pottery Barn look, which I LOVE! Hopefully we (Brian) will be able to build Jack a new bed before the new baby arrives, and we might use some of her plans, I'll keep ya'll posted either way! But I'm in LOVE with this site! She's so talented, and is even applying for HGTV's Design Star! SO check her out!

Also, another super-quick craft I did last week was this necklace hanger for myself. I have gotten tired of hunting all over my jewelry box for necklaces, only to find them in a huge tangle! So I had two shutters, and decided to use one of them. I had already painted it blue, hoping to hang it in the living room, but that fell through, so I went for it. All I did was buy a few small screw-in hooks (not the really name at all, but you get it) and after nailing a hole in the shutter, kinda like a pre-drilled hole, I just screwed them in. Then I hammered a picture hook hanger thingy on the back and hung it on the wall. I have already filled it up as you can see--but I might have to evict some of the less-pretty necklaces if I get any new ones soon. I love it!

P.S.-I tried soooo hard to do this all by myself without Brian's help--just because I wanted to--but I hammered the hanger on the back of the shutter so crookedly that he had to step in to get it to hang right. HAHA. I'm pretty scatter-brianed when it comes to getting things level, straight, plumb...whatever. Brian just shakes his head and laughs.