a fair time!

Since Johnathan's been home, we've made it a point to do really fun activities together as a family and then with individual and/or small groups of our children. 

The fair came into our town last week, and since I had never been to a fair, I encouraged that we go to it since Easton and Reagan were fairly old enough now to ride some of the rides. 

First up, the Ferris Wheel...or the "Ferris" as Reagan says! I'll let the pics narrate themselves.

Can't remember what this ride was called, but the kids enjoyed going round and round, and round and round, round and round...

Fishing for a prize! Look at that expert fisherman!

Weeeeeeeeee! The giant slide was a huge hit with Easton...Reagan, not so much!

And, of course, Easton had to ride the train. Reagan rode with him too, but I didn't get a good pic of her on there. :  (

And, finally, the roller coaster. As you can tell, Easton had a blast! Reagan begged to go on there...

But as you can see from the sheer terror on her face, it wasn't her favorite ride!

 

We also went to the aqaurium this week. I'll post those pics soon! Happy Friday and last day of summer!

gun show.

Welcome to the gun show, ladies!

This handsome little man was "taking care of business" (directly quoted from Easton himself) by helping his daddy build a Monster High dollhouse for his cousin Jaicey, who turns 7 today!

The dollhouse turned out great! We are adding the finishing touches today, and I'll post pics soon...for any of you who want to build one for yourself. ; )

Happy Friday!

chalk it up!

Remember that post about a "little" weekend project I wanted to do, oh, about 5. MONTHS. AGO? Well, it finally got finished the week before JT came home. And it's AWESOME!

We went from this hap-hazzardly-decorated wall that's looked exactly the same since we first moved in 9 years ago:

To this wall with a beautifully GIGANTIC chalkboard! It's at kid height for their scribbles, drawings and writing. And at adult height for our sweet messages to each other! I'm. In. LOVE!

There's really not much of a step-by-step to this project. We basically had this frame, which use to hold a mirror, and had a cheap piece of smooth particle board cut to fit inside. I painted the frame a bright white semi-gloss, and painted the particle board with three thick coats of chalkboard paint, and attached it to the inside of the frame (where the leftover staples were that held the mirror). With the help of my dad, we hung it up securely with 100 lb rated hooks, even though, amazingly enough, it only weighs thirty pounds, but with little ones, I wanted to be safe!  And voila!

We love our chic, new, repurposed, GI-NORMOUS chalkboard!

(P.S. For all you word-smith's out there, I know "grateful" is spelled wrong in my husband's sweet message to me, but we like to say "greatful" because our lives are GREAT!)

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.~Isaiah 40:8

weekend.

It's been great having Johnathan home again. We've just been taking it easy on the weekends, and spending lots of quality family time together!

Check back this week, and you'll get to see the final results of a few projects I've been working on!

Have a great weekend!!!

rainbows, ribbons and rain.

It's that time again. Time for another Reagan-isms post! 

Here are some of the things she has been saying/doing lately that I always want to remember.

~Upon giving her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she pulls the bread apart to examine the sandwich I have made for her and says, "I want peanut. butter. jelly...where's the butter?"

~I call to her to come into my room so I can change her diaper. She runs in and says, "Here I am. I'm soooo fast!"

~Talking about Brooklyn, she says "She is my bestest friend!"...We'll see how long that lasts! ;  )

~Me: Reagan, you are so pretty!

  Reagan: I know this.

~As Brooklyn is playing with a toy, she says to her, "You will break it honey!"

~Talking to her Daddy, she blurts out all of the sudden, "You've got a friend in me that's real and that's true!"

~Her version of Rain, Rain, Go Away, "Rain, Rain, Go Away! Come and get some other ways!"

~While on her toy phone, I tell her that I love her. She tells me, "I love you too!" Then proceeds to wave her finger at me, "but shhh, I ordering a pizza!"

And I will leave you with this cute video of her doing her "Rainbow Ribbon Dance!"

For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures through all generations.~Psalm 100:5

picnic.

Easton had a sweet little picnic at school today, which I proudly attended. We enjoyed our time together on our blanket in the grass...especially the part where we talked about what he's going to do with Daddy when he comes home!

2. More. Days!!!

TERRarium-IFFIC!

In my junior and senior years of high school, and in my freshman and sophomore years of college, I worked at a local family-owned garden center. And since then, I have been in major love with all things plants, indoor and outdoor, flowering and non-flowering, you get the point.

Succulents, however, have deeply fascinated me for a long time, but because I don't really have that much experience with them, I was ever sure how I could incorporate them into my decor. Well, along comes Pinterest...you rock my world by the way Pinterest...and this tutorial. She made the cutest succulent terrarium, and from there, she had me at terr...

So, of course, I just had to make succulent terrarium of my own. In comes the World's Longest Yard Sale trip that I took with my mom in early August. I found this beauty...for only $10...and it totally inspired me to create the succulent terrarium of my dreams. ;  ) 

So, in the quickest tutorial you will ever read, here's how to assemble your own terrarium:

Get some clean pebbles/rocks/gravel, indoor potting soil, an apothecary-type jar, and 3-4 succulent plants (this really just depends on the size of your jar, and mine is huge!)

Visually divide your jar into thirds. All together, your rocks and soil combined should take up no more than 1/3 of your jar.

Layer in your rocks...

and then add in the soil.

Next, is the fun part. Dig tiny little holes in the soil with your hand...yes, you gotta get those hands dirty...and arrange your succulents to your liking. I actually had two leftover that I am going to put into another smaller jar.

And there you have it! A new item to your decor that is TERRarium-IFFIC!

Just put it in a place that has a LOT of light, and water it with a couple of spritzes from a water-only spray bottle once or twice a week. Easy schmeezy!

  

 

built-ins.

Got a big project going on today. Check back in a few days for the finished product!!!

single digits.

We entered the single digits today! 9 days until Johnathan comes home to us...or til I go pick him up in the "spaceship!" ; ) I can't wait!!!

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ~2 Corinthians 4:16
 

make-out.

Even though I wish I could do some real making out right now, I'll just stick to taking my makeup from in..to out. ;  )

Like most girls...or girls that wear makeup, I have too much of it. And, when you put it in a makeup bag, you can't always find what your looking for without sprawling it all over the vanity. Well, I wanted to put an end to that and to weed out the old and un-used makeup that was taking over! 

So, in comes this handy dandy DESK Organizer from the Dollar Spot in Target. It was actually $2.50, which I think defeats the original purpose of the Dollar Spot. You hear that Target? You suck us in and we spend so much money in your stores but you have $2.50 items in the Dollar Spot. Yeah. I'm talking to you Target. ;  )

Anyway, with this now MAKEUP Organizer, I can easily see what I have, and in my case, because I don't really wear a ton of makeup, it all fit perfectly in the little slots. I have concealers, mascara and brushes of all sorts up front, eye shadows in the middle, and then my blush, powder and foundation in the larger back slot.

It works perfectly for what I need, and after I am done putting on my "face," it then easily tucks away inside the drawer of my vanity.

What creative re-purposing have you come up with for solving problems or creating solutions in your everyday life?

carpeT diem!

Okay, I need your opinions on a few options for a new bathroom rug. As you know, I recently painted over the blood red with a beautiful watery aqua.

I don't really necessarily care if the aquas in the rug match the aqua on our walls, but what really matters if the rug looks cool in the room. I don't usually go with a modern style of decor, but I think it would work when creating the spa-like feel I am going with in the bathroom.

So, here are the three Ikea carpet contenders:

The organic jellyfish looking "Malin Blad"

The geometric soothing tones of the "Mailin Figur"

Or the simple white shag of the "Flokati."

Which one do you think will help me "carpeT diem" in the bathroom!?!

fifty shades.

I gave in... and started reading the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.

Please don't put some kind of satanic curse on me...I just have to live vicariously through a book right now! Sorry Mom! But it's true!

It's actually more than just what you think; There's actually a good love story involved. It teaches you many lessons on accepting others for who they truly are and accepting yourself for that matter, which is what I've had to do in my life more so a lot lately.

It's gotten where it's hard for me to put it down at night and go to sleep. It's THAT intriguing to read. Thankfully I am on the third one, so I will be catching more zzzzz's in the next week!

What are some good books you've read lately?

love.

Guess what this little one told me today?

As I was leaving to head back to work from my lunch break, I was giving hugs and kisses and telling I love you's, when Brooklyn replied back with "I love you, Mommy!" It warmed my heart!

Now, don't get me wrong, she's only 19 months so it sounded more like "I duh do, mah-me," but I knew what she was REALLY saying! ;  )

Happy Hump Day!

carrots.

I just pulled these babies out of the garden. Probably too soon to do so, but don't they look yummy anyway!?!

waiting.

Easton rode the bus to school this morning. He was excited! Don't you just love that his book bag is twice as wide as he is?!? ; )

it's gonna be a - o - K.

Our little guy is officially gonna be a - o - K... K as in Kindergarten!

He's been so excited about going...up until today. I don't know if it was the early morning or him coughing through the night and not sleeping well...probably.

He was all excited as we walked in, and as I reminded him how to get to his classroom. See the blur in this photo; it's because he's practically running to get into the school. That's my boy! - a school lover like me!

Once we got to his classroom, he was not happy once he found out what cubby he had. He's very particular about things being a certain way, and had already made up his mind during Open House on what cubby he wanted. So, I had to explain to him that it was someone else's cubby and that he had a different one. He was okay after a little persuading.

He doesn't like things being on his shirt, so he wouldn't wear his nametag, but thank goodness his teacher is one of Johnathan's cousins. She already knows Easton. Phew!!!

A few little difficulties getting started this morning, but I know he's going to do well today and on through the year.

I hope that this year is a blessed one for Easton. I pray that he grows and thrives in his new learning environment. I hope that he makes lots of friends and gets along with others. I hope that he conquers all his fears and flourishes on his successes. I pray that he understands the love that we and God have for him, and that he never gives up on his abilities!

Easton, you're gonna be a - o - K!!!

 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.~Psalm 139:14

it's friday.

Just say "cheeeeeeeese!"

TGIF! Enjoy your weekend!

first haircut.

I took Reagan for her first real haircut today. She is such a priss and diva, so she was just eating it up being the center of attention. Plus, we play beauty shop at home so she was an expert client! ;  )

Look at this face! This is before the haircut began.

She's loving it, and being so still and following Amber's directions.

Such concentration. It's tough getting pampered! ; )

All done! I asked her if she liked it, and she said, "I beautiful!"

 

Beautiful as ever! A sweet little bob!

Look familiar? This is me at about the same age.

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. ~Song of Solomon 4:7