A chill in the air

It has been so warm here lately, so the last few days I was excited for a little cool down. Rhett was able to wear some of his warmer clothes, and he looks so darn cute. I just had to share a picture. (He would not put his shirt down, no matter how many pics I took!) Not to worry, the meteorologists are forecasting a warming trend, so we will be back up in the 80's in no time! But, I can't complain, at least it is not 90 or 100.

Lights, Camera, Action!

I saw this idea over at For the Love of My Home. Since the tops of my cabinets don't have much space on this side of my kitchen, I wanted to do something to bring some attention up there. I thought that this project seemed easy enough, so I grabbed my left over Home Depot gift card and headed out to buy some rope lights and a lamp timer. I drilled a hole in the top of the cabinet above my microwave and plugged the timer and lights into the extra outlet. The drilling made quite a mess, but I am pleased with the way it came out. I have always wanted lights over and under my cabinets. But, this is a cheap way to get them, post-construction. I just laid the lights on top of the cabinet, and because of the moulding, you cannot see them from the floor. They look much brighter in person, but you can get an idea.

That little hole produced a TON of sawdust. I even vacuumed out my stove top!

Boo at the Zoo

Last night, we went to Boo at the Zoo with Heather, Marc, Luke and Dylan. We also met Betsy, Toby, Jack, Sam, Sue, Nicci, Hayden, Ava, Niki, Hudson and Janet there, but quickly got lost from all of them. It was SOOOOO crowded! I doubt Rhett got the whole feel of the zoo, but we enjoyed ourselves and all of the candy we got as well. We left a little early and headed for a Tex-Mex dinner at Mercado Juarez. (This was the place we had our rehearsal dinner at :). All of the kids looked so cute in their Halloween costumes. Here are some pics from our evening. I wish I would have gotten more with our big group before we lost them!

Luke and Marc and if you look closely, a Gorilla's butt (or some kind of animal- I don't really know my primates:))

Heather and Dylan in her precious tutu that I made her.

We had to put overalls on him when the wind picked up after sunset.

Precious Hudson. His mommy was very creative making his costume work with his cast!

A silly show we watched called "The Drumming Monkeys". I really thought that they were going to be real monkeys, not humans dressed in costumes. (Yes, I am blond!)

Whew, what a weekend!

WARNING: This post contains A LOT of pictures!!!

We have had the busiest weekend I can remember in a long time. Yesterday, we went to Luke's birthday party at a big bounce world place. The big kid in my husband and myself came out and we really enjoyed the arcade games they had there. Not to worry, we gave all of our tickets to the birthday boy. After that, we went to Heather's house so Luke could open all of his presents. I forgot my camera, so any photo ops were missed.

Next, we rushed home to get ready for the "MONSTER MILE". This is a fun celebration in our neighborhood where children get dressed up in their Halloween costumes for a safe Halloween celebration and some early trick-or-treating. It is a mile-long stretch of road where characters are waiting every so often to fill the kids' basket with lots of candy. Since this is our first year as parents, we have never attended before. We decided to ask our friends and family over to attend with us and have dinner. My husband made his delicious chili and it didn't disappoint! Here are a few pics from the evening:

Hayden, Jack and Ava enjoying some food before the fun

Getting ready to go after lots of playing

Heather, Batman and a pretty little ghost

My mother in law stopped by w/ her dog (ready to trick or treat as well)

Jack, Ava, Hayden and Luke

Heather and her princess w/ a princess

Sam & Jack are ready for more candy!

Nicci and her princess w/ a princess

Luke (in stroller), Nicci w/ Ava, Mike, Heather w/ Dylan

Back row: Hayden, Marc, Jeremy w/ Rhett, Me, Toby w/ Jack

Not pictured: Sam (asleep in the stroller) and Betsy (WE MISSED YOU!)

My tired scarecrow

Afterwards, we enjoyed Nicci's cute Frankenstein cupcakes

Today, we went to a local park to celebrate Luke's birthday. We had a nice time and then again rushed home so we could watch the Cowboy game. Luke got a lot of nice gifts for his birthday!

Cool, a motorcycle!

Rhett and Dylan enjoying the park

Happy Birthday Luke!!! I can't believe you are already 3 years old. You are a wonderful cousin to Rhett and we love you very much!

Tonight, we are going to Boo at the Zoo at the Ft. Worth Zoo. It is our first year to attend this as well, and I am really looking forward to it. I will post pics tomorrow assuming that I remember my camera!

Just Jotting Ya!

Edited: I am entering this entry into Shanty2Chic's Rust-Oleum Revamp. Since this is an older post, I do not have a picture of the product I used (because it has since all been used up). But, I PROMISE that I used Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint in the brush on, black variety. (Purchased at Home Depot). I may be disqualified for not showcasing the product, and if so, that's ok. I still wanted to showcase some wonderful things you can do with Rust-Oleum Paint, and not just spray paint!

I stole this idea from Shannon. She painted the inside of her pantry door with chalkboard paint. I thought it was so cute and wanted to do it on one of my doors, but my doors are paneled differently, so there was not a smooth surface to write on. So, I was talking to my friend Betsy, and suggested that she get a flat door (like the one in my laundry room) to use in her sons' playroom and paint it like a chalkboard. She suggested that since I had a flat door, why don't I do it in my laundry room. DUH! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks Betsy!

So, I convinced my husband that I was going to do this and it wasn't going to cost him any time or money. I had some gift cards left over from Christmas, so I used them to get all of my supplies. And, I even have $8.00 left over so I can use it on another fun project. I had so much fun painting this and I can't wait until Friday when it is ok for writing on. It took two coats to get a smooth finish. (Let me tell you, the first coat was UG-LY!) I thought, "what have I gotten myself into"?!? But, after the second coat, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted something cute at the top so it didn't just look like a solid black door. (My husband said that we might run straight into it in the dark). So, I googled the word "notes" and tried to find a catchy, fun synonym. I traced chipboard letters to make my word, my handwriting would never suffice!

I am pretty pleased with the way it all came out. Now I have a big place to write love notes to my husband! I also figure that when Rhett starts walking, he can go in there and draw on it too. I do not have a sophisticated laundry room like a lot of bloggers post, but I like my hodge-podge laundry room and my new chalkboard!

Tag- Memories

My friend Jessica tagged me on this one.....Rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people & posts their names, then goes to their blog & leaves them a comment letting them know that they have been tagged & asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

10 YEARS AGO I...
1. Was 17 years old
2. Began dating my husband (in December)
3. Was Homecoming Queen
4. Drove a 1997 Teal Green Eagle Talon
5. Was applying to Colleges

5 THINGS ON TODAY'S TO-DO LIST

1. Have a Birthday lunch w/ my mom

2. Take back paint to Home Depot

3. Pick up my watch from being repaired

4. Go to Office Depot

5. Cook dinner

5 THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE

1. Build my dream home on land with a shop big enough for all of my husband's toys

2. Buy my parents their dream home close to me

3. Pay off student loans

4. Pay for Rhett's college

5. Put the rest in savings

5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED

1. Cedar Hill, TX

2. Red Oak, TX

3. Ft. Worth, TX

4. Arlington, TX

5. Lubbock, TX :(

5 JOBS I'VE HAD

1. Hostess at Cheddar's

2. Junior's BBQ

3. Nanny

4. Receptionist at RTC

5. Student Intern at Ellis County Chronicle

Now, most of my blog friends have been tagged, so I'll just tag Shannon, Nicci & Christie!

It's HERE!

My mom ordered me a new tree skirt for one of my trees. It arrived today and I am so excited! It is by MacKenzie Childs and the minute I saw it, I knew it would be perfect. If you don't know MacKenzie Childs, then click here to find out!

Christmas Project

I LOVE Christmastime. It is my FAVORITE time of year. I am a big kid at heart. So much so, that when I got married I decided that we needed not one, but two trees in our two bedroom apartment. When we moved into our house, I had great plans for decorating, but that also included Christmas decorations. Thus, began the tradition of putting a tree in every room, six to be exact. Each one matches the room that it sits in. Since I was pregnant last year and nauseated most of the holiday season, I couldn't bring myself to put up all of those trees, so I settled on three. I'll admit, that was very sad for me. Since the arrival of Rhett, I had to come up with a new location for the tree that used to be in his room. Since I was moving that tree, I thought that he needed a tree in his room as well. So, I began looking for ornaments to match a nautical themed boy's room. That is no easy task. My mom had purchased some rope balls to use in Rhett's room before he was born, and I couldn't find a place for them, so I thought I'd save them for ornaments. But, there were only four and I knew that would never make a cute tree. So, the other day I was at Hobby Lobby and found some cute little wooden anchors for $0.25. I thought that surely I could make some cute ornaments out of them. So, I painted them red, blue and yellow and am pretty pleased. I hot glued ribbon to the back of them for hooks. I also went to Decorator's Warehouse with my mom and she bought Rhett a cute little fishing reel ornament. I plan on doing something cute with it to secure it as the topper for his tree. I plan on using small manila rope as garland and blue lights. Now, I just need to find a cute tree skirt! I am getting so excited for Christmas and can't wait to post pictures of all of my trees!








As an aside, if you live in DFW and love Christmas decor, you HAVE to check out Decorator's Warehouse. There are no words to describe that amazing place!

There are 65 days and counting until Christmas!

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's birthday. She is a wonderful mother and an even greater grandmother, and I am so lucky that she is mine. She has set a wonderful example as to what a mother should be, and I am very grateful for all she has taught me. She truly is one of my best friends! When I see her with Rhett and I see how much she loves him, it makes my heart happy. I hope that Rhett loves his Granda as much as I love my Nanaw! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM; I LOVE YOU!!!!My Mom, Nanaw and Rhett

It's Bananas: B-A-N-A-N-A-S

We gave Rhett baby food for the first time last night. I know they say to give vegetables first, but I just thought they looked disgusting, and thought bananas would be better. Since we have not had the best luck with the cereal, I thought it might go better if it were tastier (I know this is not a good habit to start or I'll have a kid only wanting ice cream, cookies, etc.). Here is a picture of Rhett mid-feed. He did pretty good until the end, and then he just gagged. But, I am having fun trying these new things and documenting it all!
Today, we went to Jack's birthday party. His mommy outdid herself as usual. I don't know how she does all she does. I admire her energy! We had a nice time. Below are some pics from the party. Rhett was worn out afterward.

This is Jack's reaction as we sang Happy Birthday to him......And this was Rhett's.Pinata timeJack got some nice Thomas loot!
Told ya he was worn out!

Happy List Part 2

Well, I was looking over my list, and I realized, that is not everything that makes me happy, and why should I limit myself to 25? Here are a few more, although I am sure that as soon as I publish this post, I will think of more.
26. My Puppies- How could I have forgotten them the first go 'round?
27. Tulips
28. Birthday Parties
29. Nordstrom
30. Food- and I am really missing this one right now!
31. Dessert with my mom. It seems like almost every time we go out to eat, we get a dessert and I love to try new ones!
32. The State Fair of Texas- though my husband HATES it, I love it and beg him to go every year. Alas, we do not go year after year, something always comes up. But, I did love it every year when I used to go!
33. Tearooms
34. The Candlelight Home Tour
35. Birthday cake icing
36. My dad's creativity and when he helps me with a project (or sometimes does it for me!)
37. Apple Cider
36. Hot Cocoa
37. Spiced Tea- Hot or Cold
38. Hobby Lobby- I can always find something there that I need!
39. The little boy that still lives within the grown man of my husband! Sometimes you can just see it in his eyes, and he loves his toys!
40. A roaring fire in the fireplace
41. This amazing state that I live in. There is no other place I'd rather be (except in the summer, when the temperature reaches a billion degrees).
42. This awesome Metroplex that I live in. There is always something to do or see.
43. Weir's
44. Chuy's
45. Being at Home

Ok, I'm done, but I am sure there will be more that pops into my head.

Happy List

My Sister-in-law, Heather, and my friends, Betsy & Jessica, both recently made happy lists on their blogs. So, I thought I would follow suit. Here is my list (as silly as it may be).
1. My Husband. He can make me laugh and makes me feel like there is no where or one else he'd rather be!
2. My Baby Boy. I never knew I could love him so much!
3. Whenever Rhett does something new for the first time. (Smiling, Laughing, Cooing, Eating Cereal, Rolling over, etc.)
4. Christmastime- I have 6 trees, one in every room and plan on adding a 7th to our hallway this year.
5. Fall
6. Spring
7. Hearts- I'm a valentine baby
8 Watching TV with my husband on weeknights and football on the weekends
9. My husband's BEAUTIFUL teeth
10. Shopping
11. The Dove's Nest
12. Talking to my mom on a daily basis
13. Talking to Betsy on a daily basis (several times)
14. My husband's family- They are truly like a typical fifties TV family- it's AWESOME!
15. My husband's chili
16. Making family traditions
17. Entertaining
18. Crafting
19. Decorating
20. Cooking and Baking
21. Watching Paula Deen
22. New Recipes
23. Looking at Houses
24. Reading Blogs- I'm so nosey!
25. My life

My little man is growing up!

So, today Rhett officially turns 4 months old! FOUR MONTHS! Where did the time go? I have enjoyed my life so much more than I ever knew I would or could since he came along! He truly is the best baby and is a joy for all to be around. I had surgery this past week and had to rely heavily on my husband and family to help out. Because Rhett is so good, he was not a problem for any of them. This week he accomplished some major milestones (in my book at least).

• 10-12-08: Held his bottle by himself for the first time!

• 10-12-08: Had rice cereal for the first time. It was not a great success and we will definitely have to work on our eating skills.


• The worst of all was surviving without his Mommy for 5 days! I missed him so much!

Here are some pics of my hospital stay and the rice feeding once we (thankfully) returned home. Luckily, my sweet husband brought him to see me!

Please ignore the quality of these pictures (and my appearance). They were taken with a camera phone!

A BIG THANK YOU to all of my family that helped out with Rhett and stayed with me at the hospital. I know it was a tiring task and I hope we all never have to do it again! I especially appreciate my husband, Nanaw and mom for all of their unending care! They all would make great nurses!

Home again, YIPEE!

I'm back from the hospital and missed blogland so much. I am still a little weak, so I doubt there will be many posts this week. But, as soon as I am feeling better, I promise to get back in the swing of things.

I was tagged by Heather to post the 6th picture in the 6th file on my computer, so here goes:
Actually, this is not the 6th picture from the 6th file because that file didn't have six pictures. I just posted this one because I think he looks so cute! We were about to go on a walk and it was chilly outside, so I put his Harley hat on him. So, since I broke the rules (and Heather tagged almost everyone on my friends list) I am not tagging anyone else. But, I had fun playing this blogging game!

Projects

I have been so motivated by so many crafty people out in blog land! I love doing crafty things, and while not the best there is, I enjoy my time spent doing them. Here are a few things I have been working on since I began blogging last week. At this rate, my wallet won't be able to keep up! Luckily, a lot of blogs out there showcase some cheap ideas. I got this towel at Ross. It was part of a set of some other stuff I needed. Ordinarily, I would not have purchased it if it was for sale by itself. It was just plain orange with the candy on it. I decided it needed some sprucing up. I used ribbon and trim that I already had. I am not too good at sewing straight lines, so I used my new friend Liquid Stitch to attach the ribbon and trim. I stole this idea from my good friend Betsy. She is very, very talented! She and her husband make quite a team with their creativity. I am very lucky to have such good, creative friends! I could not find anything for the top of my tassel, so I used a place card holder. I used a permanent marker to color the leaf and stem black to match the ribbon. My husband thought it needed a face, and so I drew one on the other side. I didn't like the way it came out, so I will keep him turned this way! This is the original piece I started with. I bought this little place card holder from Target and used a bunch of ribbon that I already had. So, for under $2.00, I made a pretty cute little tassel. I like it so much, I am planning on making another one for my mom. It was so quick and easy to do.I know the PC thing to do in blog land is to give credit for your ideas. I would love to do that, only I cannot remember for the life of me where I saw this at! I know it was someone whom Shannon has a link to on her blog. I thought this was a cute and cheap idea. All you do is take a paperback book and fold the pages in half. Then you fold the front and back covers towards each other and use tape to secure. I had black card stock to make a face. I decided he needed a little something extra, so I added the black ric rac that I had to the bottom. So, this was a free, homemade Halloween decoration. And, as an added bonus, the book I happened to use had lots of orange shaded pages. Thus, adding to the Halloween theme! There are some other really cute versions of these out there in blog land, but I could only cut triangles!

I hope these inspire you to get creative with things you have laying around your house and you create some free and cheap decor yourselves!