Encourage their inner artist

I was laughing tonight as we finger painted with Em about how many little "art projects" we've done in just two short years. I wish I had photographic evidence of all of them, but when I started looking I realized I did photograph a lot.

I believe that encouraging the inner artist in our children is hugely important. I think nurturing their creative side really is as crucial as teaching them to read and count (I was equally surprised at how many pictures I have of Em reading...the kid LOVES books). Not just because I'm a designer... BUT maybe I am a designer because my family encouraged creativity in me. My Mom always had blocks and puzzles for me, and when I solved them, she got new ones to keep me always challenged. My grandmother is an amazing crafter. She started me sewing before I could probably tie my own shoes. She always had a project for me to do and it's some of my best childhood memories. I try to make sure Em and I are always doing something to spur her creativity and once I realized I had so many pictures of our fun, I thought I should share them :)

Before I trusted us with real crayons or paint, we "painted" with food. Here we're using yogurt but we've also done ketchup and mustard for some color fun.

We started to color with crayons by her first birthday. We experimented with all different types and sizes and had lots of fun learning what she liked best!

We started building before by her first birthday as well. This was good for working on our fine motor skills but building and creating something with the blocks was fun too.

What started as just putting pieces together has already grown into building castles, and cars, and then putting people in the castles/cars. I can see her imagination growing every time we play :)

Play-doh is another one of those that started as just fine motor skills and learning to play with the texture, but has grown into creating things and she loves it!

Here we're still getting used to the texture

Now we've advanced to stamping the play-doh

To creating entirely different (may I say abstract) pieces

Finger painting was a progress too. We started with "clean" finger painting...

To handprint painting (a gift for Grammie Gigi)

To full on finger painting fun!

And don't forget things like stickers, drawing, and decorating!

Ok so usually they end up on paper, but our first gymnastics coach would put a sticker on their noses after class if they'd been good and we went through a sticker face phase.

We love to draw with pens and pencils but seem really drawn to our new magnadoodle lately.

She loved decorating her own cookie at a Christmas party.

And we MAY have let her help "re-decorate" our master bath...

Apparently pulling down tacky wallpaper looked fun...and honestly, her little fingers were great at the job! LOL

I hope you've enjoyed my trip down creativity lane. We've done plenty of other crafts but I'm not always good about the camera (luckily that shouldn't be a problem anymore). It's fun to watch them learn to do a project and morph into REALLY doing it. When we first started to color it was purely scribbles on paper, now she picks colors with intent and does her best to color objects, not just all-over. It's also been a great way to teach her colors and shapes without it being boring for her.

Creative thinking is a huge part of my career, but more, it's a huge part of me. I love a good project...I love to create something with my hands. I hope to instill that love into my children.

Life with a two year old is...

AWESOME!!!!!

It's seriously awesome. Yes, she's more opinionated, yes sometimes she pushes my buttons (she IS two!) but 98% of the time she is a dream to be around! I love it. I'd always heard of the "terrible two's" and so far they really haven't been bad at all, we're only half way through though and I've actually heard that three is worse...so we'll see!! I bet for us, three actually is worse, because she'll be having to share Mommy and not used to that.

Yea...I'm just going to pretend that's not going to be an issue for a few more weeks.

What's hilarious to me is that when Em was an infant...I LOVED having an infant! I was having so much fun with my little baby. Then when she was a creeper, I LOVED having a creeper, it was even better. I have truly loved every phase of my little girls life and each one has been better than the last. So while in another year I'll think 3 1/2 is better than where we are today...I LOVE having a two year old!

This is Emilie after I was trying to take a picture on friday to finish her most recent photo book. She literally climbed up on the table and said "my turn Mommy, take MY picture!"

Those beautiful big brown eyes get me every time! They really do, she is insanely hard to say no to!!

So these are just a few of the silly things she's done recently that make me laugh:

1- Today as I was running out the door to head to the Dr for my nasty glucose test (BLEH) she says, "Bye Mommy, drive safe!" HA! Seriously?! Apparently I say that a lot when people leave!

2- I find it hilarious that she will change the subject if we even think about discussing pottying in the big girl potty but she will run and hide to do her business. So if you're in my house and see her in her playhouse or her tent -- beware! The area is probably about to be fumigated!

Seriously...my two year changes the subject!
Tonights convo went a little something like this as I changed her diaper.
Me: "Em, I think you should go teetee and poop in the big girl potty, not in your diaper anymore"
Em: "Um...I want my monkey pajamas, not the hearts"
Sigh...happens every time!

3- If she really wants something (like candy) she will climb up very close to you and WHISPER it in your ear. Its precious! And again, very hard to say no to! And its continued because she's smart and it WORKS!

4. She is a sponge! Be careful what you say near her because she is using language I have no idea where she gets (not talking profanities, I mean grown up words I wouldn't expect to come flying out of my two year olds mouth!) And making connections. Like today when I yelled at Abbey and Em was across the house I heard..."ooooh Daddy, Abbey's in big trouble!" For a little girl that's never been in "big trouble" I couldn't help but laugh from across the house that she'd made that connection.

5. Tonight after I got her in her pajamas I said, "ok Em...what's next" "Oooh Mommy (exasperated with me), I get three books and we read books" So I went to get her milk and we sat down to read. She will quietly sit through long books and enjoy them and then after the last one she said "Ooookay, its time for bed" and got up to go to her room! LOVE IT!

Ok...I do realize none of these things are earth shattering things my two year old is doing, they aren't probably even that funny to most. But that little brown eyed girl lights up my life, she makes me laugh at every turn. And she is sooo compassionate. If I'm upset or if a friend is upset, she immediately runs to hug them. So I'll say it now like I did at every other phase...two and a half IS my favorite age thus far! I love it. She is sooo much fun right now!

But just in case I missed some fun along the way...we're about to do it ALL OVER AGAIN!! This time with a boy...oh my this Momma is in for trouble!! I have no idea what to do with a boy. NO IDEA!

Need a smile? I can share one

I needed a little pick me up tonight. I tried icecream but amazingly it just didn't do it. But this did...

My baby looks so big today, and she has a smile that will melt your heart. Thankfully when my heart hurts, I can look in her eyes and almost immediately I feel better.

I don't handle change well. I love to change THINGS, but I hate when things change. I know that sounds confusing but its true. I found this and find it really true and inspiring...

While I don't like change and while the current changes are upsetting at the moment, I'm going to try to dance to the music and just take it one day at a time. Everything changes, nothing is constant. Even the thing that once was the constant...will eventually change. I guess it is kinda like music...listening to the same note all day would be boring right? So I suppose change is good. In time, all change is good...

Happy Birthday!!! To...ME!!!!

Ok, I know I promised to show our master bath makeover but honestly I haven't had the time to get the pics together and frankly the stats on the last two makeovers have been incredibly low compared to other recent ones...so I'm not in a big hurry. But I do promise to get to it in the next week or two, I know your dying to see what I meant by killing all the brass :)

Today is...

MY BIRTHDAY!!!

I don't usually like birthdays, in fact, I kinda dread them. It's not about the age thing, its about the anticipation and then let down. I know, poor pitiful me. I think it started with my 21st birthday. You know, the one that you get crazy excited for, its supposed to be a night of fun with all your friends?! Well...being in college with a birthday a week after Christmas meant 90-95% of my friends had gone home for Christmas break (apparently I had already come back) and weren't around to celebrate with and the few friends that stayed in town AND had already turned legal so we could go out together were all stuck at home because we had a HUGE ice/snow storm the day before. Welcome to living in Northern Kansas!!! I loved every moment at KU, I loved living in Lawrence, but the winter weather was less than fun at times. So I ended up spending the night alone in my apartment iced in. Awesome!! LOL Anyways, since then I've kinda had a sour taste in my mouth about birthdays and nothing until now has been quite enough to shake it. But today was AWESOME!!!!

The hubby did an amazing job surprising me (even with the two year old tattle tale who ratted him out before I figured out what was going on, lol). I don't normally like surprises, but this was the kind I can enjoy. Harmless fun. I woke up to this...

Ok so the kitchen's a hot mess after the hubs staying up until 2 a.m. to quietly bake and ice a cake without waking his girls, but I could easily look past that. He made me a birthday cake and had a little gift for me. Which was not allowed because he blew the budget at Christmas, but when has he listened?! LOL

Help blowing out the candles :) I'm guessing he couldn't find the right numbers for the candles but his reasoning was I was his "perfect 10" ha! But super sweet!

Cake for breakfast was a huge hit!!!

After breakfast we had a nice relaxing morning at home and then got cleaned up and went to split a burger at our favorite local burger joint. It was AMAZING!!! Then we all came home and succumbed to a food induced coma...which was equally amazing! We planned to let Em ride her bike outside after nap but it just never quite warmed up enough so instead we gathered around the newly refinished coffee table and played as a family for a while. After a bit we got ready and headed out for dinner at P.F. Changs. One of my favorite restaurants and quickly becoming a birthday tradition (as 3 out of my last 4 birthday dinners have been there).

My cutie ready to go :)

We had a nice dinner with my inlaws, aunt, and cousin. We enjoyed all of our favorite appetizers, split a few entrees and then dug into the Great Wall of Chocolate! Have you ever had this thing? If not you MUST!!! This is a web image I just found because I was in too much of a hurry to EAT IT to take a picture...

I won't lie...I ate half of one myself! It's incredible. We got two for the table and Braden got something else he was dying to try. It's my favorite restaurant dessert anywhere and I get it once a year on my birthday...so I feel no guilt for eating as much as I did...maybe except for the fact that I've not quite come down off my sugar high to go to bed, lol!

Pretty birthday flowers from my inlaws!

Overall it was a great and very special birthday. I think it's renewed my faith in birthdays! I'm so grateful to have such a loving husband and family to make today great!!

One more year to 30!

Let's make it good!!

Older Makeovers...Part Two

Oh our master bedroom. It wasn't too long ago we were in desperate need of a more "grown up" bedroom. Our furniture was all throw away stuff and nothing really made it feel luxurious. While we still have a way to go I'm happy with our progress. The first step in making our room feel more "grown-up" was getting a new mattress and with a little one sleeping between us sometimes, we decided it was time to upgrade to a king. I don't think we could ever go back to a queen. But we didn't have a headboard and our new big bed was begging for one. I looked online but I either couldn't find quite what I was dreaming of or they were not within our budget.

So we decided to make one instead :) I enlisted the help of my Dad because he was good with large tools and while I know how to use most of them, I'm less than comfortable. He's also pretty good at this kind of stuff so it was good to work together towards something. We purchase some 1" x 6" boards and mitered the ends to match as well as a large piece of plywood. We made the entire headboard 7'-4"L x 4'-0"W which was perfect for my king. The inside plywood panel was 6'-4"L x 3'-0"W. We marked the panel where we would want the tufting to go through and pre-drilled those holes. Then covered the panel with foam. Here's where we got budget crazy...foam is EXPENSIVE...and I'm cheap. So instead of paying the cost of foam sheeting I purchased a 2" eggcrate from Walmart online. We cut it to fit and spray glued it finger side down to the panel. Then we covered the foam with batting and my fabric and pulled it around the back and stapled in place. Then we tufted it for added character. My Dad stained the 1" x 6" boards and we made the frame and then attached it the panel using mending plates. We also built cleats to hang it by for the best support (which turned out to be an awesome advantage when we moved...more on that later in the post!). Here is our finished product in our old house.

It was exactly what I wanted!! It fit perfectly between our windows and framed the bed well. It added such a nice touch with the addition of our new armoire (got around the same time).

Then we moved...

Our new house is about 10 years older and when they were built king size beds weren't exactly the norm. So the windows weren't as far apart on the main wall and when installed our headboard overlapped the windows by about a 10" on each side....

CATASTROPHE!!!!

I was devastated...but like any good designer (I have mentioned that right? My degree is in Interior Design. Now don't let that confuse you, I'm NOT a decorator...finishes, colors, decor...not the easy stuff for me. Dimensions, space planning, ect...right up my alley!) I went to work on a solution. I remember sitting with my aunt watching Say Yes to the Dress and we had an epiphany! What if we took curtain panels and ran them all the way across that wall and then cut them behind the headboard...the look would continue but it would hide the overlap. Luckily we had the cleat attachment on the headboard so it stuck out just a bit from the wall. We were able to use four curtain panels and run them the entire length of the wall and lopped the two center panels off behind the headboard.

And guess what...

IT WORKED!!!!!

P.S.-- This was a super inexpensive trick!! We used curtain panels from Ikea (which are always really reasonably priced) and the long rod is also from Ikea.

We also had a boring wall over our dresser so we gave it a little love as well. I love how just a few pictures of our girl, a nice canvas print, and a few candles on a floating shelf really dressed up the wall.

Please ignore antelope statue thingy in the middle of our dresser. My husband loves it and try as I might...its survived many a move...

So that's our master makeover! We still need to upgrade our nightstands and dresser but they work for now. And they're pretty low on the priority list, so they'll probably be around a while.

...Unless of course...

We run across a steal that just speaks to me ;)

Older makeovers...Part One

We have some makeovers that we did over the last year or so that we haven't shared. I figured now was as good as time as any to get us caught up.

Maybe the fact that I found a before picture I didn't think I had last night helped prompt me too...

About a year and a half ago we had our first big garage sale find. We went out that morning looking for a coffee table (we finally have one a year and half later!!) and instead found a couple selling a really nice Broyhill china cabinet and a beautiful armoire. We needed neither. They were priced a little too high for us considering we didn't need them but, we were so intrigued by them that we said if they didn't sell them by the end of the day to call us, and we'd negotiate. We got a call about half an hour later that it was starting to drizzle and they'd like to just wrap it up. Would we pay $200 for both? Um...YES!!! Seeing as they'd wanted more than $200 for each piece to start with!! The armoire is perfect and exactly what we didn't even know we wanted for our master bedroom. Its the perfect TV cabinet and we love it. The only change we made was to pull off the brass handles and knobs and spray paint them a hammered metal. They don't show up very much but I have a hate/hate relationship with brass and am systematically removing it from my house. (Don't believe me? I'll have to do a master bath makeover sometime!!!) This is the armoire...

The side table you see next to it is a great find too! We got that when we went to pickup a washer and dryer from my cousin and she and her fiance had put the side table and matching (huge!!) coffee table out on the side of the road for trash! We brought them home and re-finished them as well :) Its turned into the perfect spot for Em to eat a snack or breakfast and watch an occasional cartoon!


The china hutch on the other hand while a very nice piece was too traditional for me. Here it is as purchased. (This isn't a great picture but its the only one I have)

Like I said...it was a very nice piece.

It just wasn't...ME.

When we started discussing painting it we were initially looking at just darkening it up. But then I got a wild hair and we decided to go big or go home. I love the final product!

We took out all the glass (we didn't at first but learned quickly that it would be easier if we did), sanded it down to remove the finish and rough it up a bit but not to take all the stain off, and removed the metal diamond shaped leading. Then we got out our 2in1 paint and primer and painted the entire thing. We even painted the inside, this was a chore and something we debated on, but painting the inside really gave it a finished cohesive look. And it looks really great when we turn the lights on inside. Pretty sure it required two coats. And the wood character still shows through which we love. We also removed all the hardware and sprayed it with a hammered metal paint. Had to get rid of the brass ya know?!

Oh and as you can tell the diamond shaped leading didn't make it back into the finished product. I was sooo excited when it slid right out when we removed the glass and quickly threw it away before we could change our minds. I love it without it! It really helped get the look we were going for.

So now we're the crazy couple that hits garage sales on the occasional Saturday morning looking for great deals. We're even the crazy couple that will pull over and load up someone else's trashed piece if we think it's worth refinishing! Here's a picture of Em enjoying donuts and cartoons while we drove around one Saturday several months ago. It was early...she still had crazy bed hair :)

Hopefully I'll get up our master bedroom and bath in the next several days! Enjoy!!

Happy New Years!!!

Lastnight was NYE!! And we celebrated by...being asleep by the time the ball dropped! LOL!!! We are SO exciting!! Let's face it, life with a toddler and baking Landon is exhausting, there are very few reasons good enough to keep me up to midnight. Staying up to watch movies with my 13 year old sister last week?? Definitely worth it... Staying up to ring in the New Year... nope...not good enough to me, lol! I know so many that are excited for 2013 because 2012 didn't treat them well. I'm sorry that they had rough years! We've been there. Thankfully 2012 was a pretty good year for our family. While it had its ups and downs it was more ups than downs this time. I'm thankful for the year we had, thankful for the blessings and lessons it taught and looking forward to the year ahead.

One of the things I expect to see a lot of today is everyone's New Year's Resolutions. I don't make them. Why? Because 90% of the time you just break them...so why make a resolution (or promise) that you won't keep?! It's just silly to me. But I do like to look ahead for the coming year and set goals. Because if I don't reach my goals its usually not because I didn't try...I may not have tried hard enough, but I'm pretty good about trying. So I've decided to set 5 personal goals for 2013.

1. To continue to work on my OCD behaviors. I've made HUGE leaps in the past few years. Those who know me will agree that in the past year or two I've made big changes with my ability to give up control and relax more. I worry less, and let far more just roll off my shoulders. I've learned through both life and faith that I cannot control my life. If the past four years haven't taught me that...well I would have missed a huge life lesson. We've had major things happen in the past four years but if I've learned anything from those things it's this... You cannot control everything, worrying about it does absolutely no good because what will be, will be. God is in control of my life, only He knows the plans He's set forth for me and He has a reason for everything that happens in our lives. While some of the things we've faced seemed devastating at the time, they each taught us something, and in hindsight...they were all for the best. That's a hard lesson for a type A personality like me to learn...it took a bit. But I hope I can continue to grow to have faith, to trust in God's plans for my life, and to worry less by doing so.

2. To cook more! LOL This seems to simple but I'm not a great cook. I guess I didn't spend enough time watching my Mother and Grandmothers cook as a kiddo. I remember spending a lot of time in the kitchen with them while they cooked but I don't remember paying attention to what they were actually doing. I want to feed my family better, feed myself better. I need to plan ahead to cook nutritious meals and provide ready to eat, easy, healthy snacks/breakfasts/work lunches for hubs. I'm going to start experimenting with some recipes and when I find things that work I'll stick to them. I want to make bulk items of some breakfast/snack foods that we like and freeze them for easy mornings. I for some reason am getting pickier about what we eat. Maybe because I'm feeding Emilie. I laugh at the nutritious meals I present her while I eat junk. I don't know WHY I don't feed myself as well as I do her...but it's on my list of things to fix. Wish me luck! This one will be hard!

3. To craft more. Ok, I craft a lot. But I keep it to myself for the most part. I have a few select friends and family that I routinely craft for. I see things and make it for myself or one of them and call it quits. I'd like to change that a bit. I'd like to make an effort to put some of my items out to the masses. I don't expect it to do much, but I have SEVERAL of my designer friends that have started "crafting" side businesses and they are all successful! I find myself green with envy when in reality I'm just as capable of doing that as they are...the difference is...I haven't! I want to work on some of my items. Hone them until they are great, and then try setting up an Etsy store. If they don't sell they don't sell, that isn't really the point. The point is knowing I tried. My goal is to have an Etsy store up by the end of the year and to have at least a few sales. We'll see. This one's tricky as this will be a busy year adjusting to a new baby in the house. Lots of changes, but I think its doable. I'm going to give it a good try!

4. I'm going to date my husband! LOL! I know...that sounds ridiculous. But we get caught up in the day to day parenting/working/life madness and I think it would be good for us. I'm going to take advantage of the generous people in my life who WANT to spend time with my child (soon children) and allow them to so that we can get some small breaks. Now as ridiculous as this sounds...it makes me sick to my stomach. I adore my daughter. To the point that I enjoy time with her so much, I don't like to share her. I also have some issues with anxiety and get nervous about leaving her. I want to work on that because it isn't healthy for any of us to not leave her some. And with another one coming...we'll need it even more.

5. I'm going to nurture my relationships better. I have gotten so busy in the day to day stuff that I've not talked to some people who are huge in my life in much too long!! There are people that I care about and love that I rarely talk to anymore...when we catch up its great...but I want to be involved in their lives, not constantly playing catch up! I need to make the time every day/week/month to check in with my friends and family members that I don't talk to regularly. I'm going to be a better friend, cousin, aunt, sister, ect. And I plan to get out of my homebody ways and come see some of you! LOL

So while I'm not making "resolutions" I have set several goals for myself and my family over the year ahead. It's a big year! We'll welcome a new member into our lives and home. I pray that we adjust to this HUGE change with grace and our lives will be richer for it. I HATE change. DO not handle change well...at all. (Unless it's to my house/decor/ect...that I love!) But I'm getting better. I'm working hard at embracing changes. I hope to look back on this blog post next New Years and say whooo hooo!! We did it!!

I hope you all have a wonderful New Years and a wonderful year ahead!!