2011 May

New Reversible Skirt Pattern released by Seamingly Smitten!

May 31, 2011 3 Comments

I had the pleasure of testing another pattern for Jenny over at Seamingly Smitten!

Introducing the Girl’s Reversible Skirt Pattern!

This was a super simple sew and quick too!

Jenny creates the BEST patterns EVER! Seriously, I love ALL of her patterns and every time she comes out with a new one, I can’t wait to get my hands on it! (and if you know me, then you know I am not a “pattern” gal! – her’s are THAT fabulous!)

Harper LOVES her new skirt (and I do too!)!

Did I mention this skirt is REVERSIBLE?! So you get TWO skirts in one! What could be better than that?!

And it is super comfy so she can wear it no matter what she wants to do:

Of course I HAD to make her a matching onesie!

Aren’t the ruffled sleeves sooo cutie?!

So click on over to Jenny’s shop and get a pattern for your little one!

You’ll be so glad you did!

Filed Under: Sewing

Tea {time}

May 30, 2011 25 Comments

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

I want to take a moment to thank all of the men and women who are serving or have served our Country! We are so grateful for the sacrifices you and your families have made or are currently making!

THANK YOU!

Ok, now back to the scheduled programming…

On my kitchen counter lives this cutie:

My mom gave me this horrendous, old, rusted tea kettle that she found:

It is really heavy and was screaming with potential…

So after a little work (inside and out) this is what we have:

Thank you Silhouette for cutting out these fab letters!

I even spray painted the handle to give it a little sprucing up.

And because I know a ton of you will ask, I used Krylon Jade (one of my all time faves)!

What have you revamped lately?!

I am linking this post here here and to these awesome places!

Filed Under: Decorating, Revamping, Thrifty

Post OP week 28.

May 29, 2011 7 Comments

Since we were in the Keys last week, Cliff pretty much refused to walk. I guess it was the only thing he could really control – he was not going to walk and that was that. So when Ross and I got home, we were concerned because Cliff was sooo weak and was still refusing to walk. After TWO whole days of trying everything in the book (bribing, threatening, ignoring, time-out, praising, pleading, begging and lots of praying…) Cliff FINALLY decided he wanted to walk and just like that he was off! – although he is still a little weak…

The boy is a total ham. He knows exactly how to distract us in order to get out of anything he does not want to do.

So this past week we focused to strengthening, walking, basic exercises (and lots of praying). We are amazed at how fast Cliff regained his strength and endurance. He is amazing. We did not realize that 10 days of not walking to him is like three months of doing nothing to us as far as muscle loss is concerned and it is more important than ever for Cliff to continue to make progress.

One of the most difficult things Ross and I struggle with is knowing when to push Cliff and when to back off. It is so hard when you little boy is screaming, crying alligator tears, pleading for us to allow him to ”take a break” because he doesn’t want to walk or it hurts him to stretch or do exercises, but YOU have to MAKE him do them. We have to decide when Cliff just doesn’t want to do something and when he is actually hurting. It breaks our hearts and although he doesn’t know it Ross and I do a little switch off so we can walk out of Cliff’s sight and cry with him without Cliff knowing – we know when one of us needs a moment, but we also know that Cliff needs us to be strong. So the delicate dance we do with one another of smoothly switching off while pushing Cliff to keep going is our way of coping. It is our little system and right now, it works.

Please continue to pray for Cliff. He needs strength, endurance and we want to make sure that he understands as best as he can that Ross and I are helping him when we push him. Cliff is one awesome little boy. We are so blessed!

Filed Under: Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, The Boy

The Swtich.

May 28, 2011 6 Comments

As many of you know, Blogger is having a TON of issues.

So, now I am considering switching from Blogger to WordPress, but have NO clue how this is done…

Have you ever done this or know of anyone who would be willing to help a gal out?!

When Blogger messes up, it is YOU who loses out and YOU, my readers, have become like my littles, I love y’all, so of course I want to give you the best I can. And right now Blogger is NOT the best…

If you have made the switch or know of anyone who has please email me!

Thank you for understanding.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Uncategorized

Be Inspired by The Keys.

May 27, 2011 1 Comment

One thing I learned about the Florida Keys is that the people down here LOVE color and they aren’t afraid to use it! I mean seriously, I think I took more pictures in 9 days than I have in my whole life – inspiration was everywhere and it was awesome. So, of course I wanted to share it with you!

Here goes:

Reds and blues were everywhere. I think this color combo just may be my new obsession.

Even Ross’s fishing gear was beautifully bright and inspiring. (I never though I would call a fishing lure beautiful.)

Piles of junk on the side of the road were screaming with color. Everything was perfectly imperfect and I loved it all.

Inspiration. It was everywhere.

Guess what I learned from The Keys?

Color. Use it. Embrace it. Love it.

The art is amazing. Pure talent.

The most beautiful things in The Keys are in nature. Be inspired.

It’s official. I am going to have to make a funky sign for my yard.

Color. Use it. Embrace it. Love it.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Travel

Johnny In A Dress via Email!

May 26, 2011 Leave a Comment

I finally got on board with FeedBurner!

Now you can get the latest posts sent directly to your email!

So, enter your email address, you’ll be so glad you did!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Uncategorized

Tote Bag.

May 26, 2011 11 Comments

My aunt gave me these super cute Tote Bags! They are fun colors but plain and I can’t have anything that’s plain. So, I did this to it:

I made a ruffle pinned it around the top of the tote…

Stitched it on with two lines of stitches to make sure it stayes in place and doesn’t flop over.

Then my Silhouette cut out the “n” and I appliqued it right on the front of the tote.

Seriously I think this took about 15 minutes total! So simple and quick!

Now I have a cute tote to hold all of our sunscreen this summer!

Filed Under: Applique, Make Your Own..., Sewing, Silhouette, Thrifty, Tutorial

Chairs.

May 25, 2011 7 Comments

This post was supposed to go live about two weeks ago, right after the Dinning Room post, but then Blogger crashed… and the post was deleted… so here it is – almost two weeks later…

Now that you have seen my dinning room, I want to show you how I upholstered the chairs. The truth is that we have been sitting on hard chairs with no cushions for a few months… I decided to finally do something about it and this is what I did:

In case you forgot, our chairs began like this.

I took Ross’s hammer and carefully pried the wooden seat off of the chair. I made sure to leave the little nails in the wooden seat throughout this entire process.

I took foam (bought from JoAnn’s) and traced around the wooden seat.

Then cut the foam.

Then I traced around the wooden seat adding about 4 inches around the seat (that way you will have plenty of fabric for covering the foam and the seat.).

Layer fabric, foam then the wooden piece.

I stapled the center of one side then the center of the opposite sides until all four sides were stapled, leaving the corners open. Pull tight, but not too tight or else it will cause ripples in the cushion – and that’s not cute. (Confused? See next pic)

I staple in this order:

Make sure to leave the corners out like this:

See?

For the corners, I pull the fabric to one of the sides:

Then pull back to the center, making sure the fabric is folded nicely and staple very well.

Then you have a pretty corner and a newly upholstered cushion!

See the little nails that are poking through the fabric? Line then back up with the nail holes in the chair.

And hammer that puppy back down! Then…

You’re Done!

Filed Under: Decorating, Thrifty

Trip – Part Two.

May 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

We stayed in Islamorada in this beautiful house on one of the canals. The boats were docked right in the backyard, which made Ross super happy! One day we hopped in the truck and drove down to Key West!

Seven Mile Bridge! I must admit that it sure doesn’t seem seven miles long, but maybe that’s because it is so pretty!

We strolled up and down Duval Street peering into what seemed like a million shops. It was so neat – a cross between downtown Charleston and New Orleans. There were bars outside on the side of the street so you could grab a cocktail and stroll on your merry way. The people were interesting too, but I will spare you the details!

A perfect example of the things you see down there:

One of the days when went out into the ocean, it was so calm, like “lake” calm.

And of course we HAD to put limes in our beer – try it, it’s better that way!

The sandbar was a blast. The sand was like flour, the water was the perfect temperature and the sun was beaming down on us.

We all had the best time together! It was so great to spend time with wonderful friends – I needed this more than I realized!

Trouble.

Tarpon.

Ross and the guys HAND fed these huge, wild fish… I kept a safe distance on the dock and snapped photos…

The ~~boys~~ grown men wore their “battle scars” proudly for the rest of the week. Badges of honor, telling stories of that time when they hand fed tarpon at Robbie’s in Islamorada (Ross still has scars on his hands).

Pelicans.

They were NOT shy like ours are. They would just waddle right on up and stare at you, well actually, they begged for food like dogs… kinds strange but cute at the same time. (I think one even barked at me…)

See what I mean? I was literally about a foot away right here and they could care less… actually they began to walk towards me and I kinda got freaked out…

Everyday around lunch time (when I was waking up or laying out by the pool reading The Help- awesome book by the way) Ross and the guys would pull up at the dock with the fish they caught.

Mahi! Yummmmmie! – Blackened is my favorite!

Flags. Love them.

The streets and even the highways were lined with palm trees. I love the neatness.

The beauty of this place is unreal.

…Even when a storm rolls in it is still breathtakingly beautiful.

Ross and I needed this trip more than we could ever imagine! I highly recommend going on a getaway with your hubs! It was wonderful to have no responsibilities and be able to focus on us and only us. – It was almost like we were dating again – but better, waaaay better!

If you could do anywhere with your hubs, where would it be?

Filed Under: Family, Travel, Trip, Vacation

Trip.

May 23, 2011 3 Comments

Remember this post from a few months ago?

Well, guess what?!

Ross and I actually took an “adults only” vacation!… and it was AWESOME! We are already talking about doing it again this fall! We went to The Florida Keys and took our boat! It was a blast!

Seriously, this is how I rode pretty much the WHOLE way down there:

Ross drove like this:

We had the time of our lives! It was so much fun to let loose and have no responsibilities (although we love our littles dearly and missed them more than we thought possible).

Everything was beautiful. Even the highway.

And who knew a palm tree could double as a basketball goal?

The crystal blue waters and the perfectly blue skies melted together, creating a spectacular view.

Freedom. It was fabulous.

Needless to say, I think this is Ross’s version of Heaven on Earth.

He fished every morning while I slept in (yes, I was perfectly happy and content!).

The days and the nights were equally magnificent.

It was as if the sun gave the moon a high five as it was setting passing off the duties of providing light to dance and glimmer off of the water.

Sometimes the moon would hide behind a Palm Tree and it was beautiful.

The food was out of control. Fresh Mahi was a must everywhere we ate and it was delish!

This bridge was so neat. Not too sure why I love it so much, but I do.

And every moment it seemed as if we were in the right place at the right time. Like when a Coke-a-Cola truck came barreling over my favorite bridge and I just so happened to have my camera ready:

This bridge was another one of my favs:

Mangroves.

Ross would fly through the tunnels they created.

It was scary and exciting at the same time. But most of all it was beautiful.

The Lighthouse in the middle of the ocean was by far one of the coolest things ever. I wonder how many storms it has weathered over the years yet is still stands strong, unmoved – I think I actually learned something from a Lighthouse.

I love looking out at the ocean. It makes me realize how small we really are. It makes me feel vulnerable. It makes me feel out of control and sometimes I need to let go and just see where the tide takes me.

We snorkeled and saw a world so different from our own.

I grew up snorkeling and scuba diving so it always brings back some of my favorite childhood memories with my dad.

It kinda feels like going home.

(underwater pictures do not do it justice. The reef was filled with so many colors and teaming with life.)

I was so excited to teach Ross and our friends everything that my dad taught me so many years ago.

Tips and tricks.

Like the names of the fish (well the ones I could remember anyways…). How to clear your ears as you dive down to get a closer look at an exotic fish and how to clear your snorkel when you rush to the surface for fear that if you don’t get a breath of air soon your lungs may explode. Or making sure everyone spit in their masks, wiped it around with their finger then rinsed it out to prevent their mask from fogging up (gross, but totally works!)