because blue is beautiful

Being a mom of two little girls, it seems like my house is overdone in the color...PINK! It's everywhere, from towels to bedsheets, toothbrushes to ponytail holders, socks & shoes, toys...and don't even get me started on the closet. Whoa, it's a pink overload in the clothing section - LOL

Well, the other day pretty shades of blue began to draw me. Something cool, something fresh, new, different. This is what I ended up with after much debate on how I would use these precious fabric pieces. For some reason, this print reminds me of the beach. I am not sure why, just the blue I guess!

5 happy thoughts

There are many things that I find happiness in, much of it being my family and friends. However, here lately I have been digging deep inside to find what really makes me tick. There are many days that go by that seem to began and end before I realize it. I am a busy mom, like most, and the days seem to slip away. I find myself wondering if I gave it my all, if I made the most of it, if my labor really counted for something or someone(s). I am sure I am not the only mom who has sleepless nights pondering these thoughts. So, the next time you have the mommy blues or just a plain rotten day, give yourself a little treat. Find some happiness...it works!

Here is a list of 5 things that make me happy. Like I said, there are many others, these were just some of the random and probably not so obvious things that I enjoy....here goes

1. I like to get a new toothbrush when I get a new tube of toothpaste.

2. I like to eat blackberries in a cup sprinkled with sugar then flooded with milk.

I like to use a clear glass so that I can see the blackberries floating around...it's pretty!

3. I like to watch birds, all kinds. I love to hear them sing and I especially love to see them nest

and watch the babies come to life. We have had two seasons of birds nesting in a plant

near out front window, it's the coolest!

4. I love to smell baby lotion. Is that a mom thing? Man, talk about an addiction, I could lather

up in that stuff all day!

5. I love to buy paper! Paper products of all sorts...stationary, scrapbook sheets, plates and

napkins with colorful and fun designs, paper dolls, unique calenders & daily journals, note

pads, stickers, folders/organizers, gift bags, wrapping paper, crafty boxes...I LoVe it all!

Well, now you know some simple things that make me happy. What about you? Do you have certain things that you like to do that are not so ordinary? Please tell me I am not the only quirky one out there-LOL!!!

cuteness

Here is a bit of cuteness that I had to share with you. I am getting those tale tale signs from Bryar that she is interested in the potty. She will grab at her diaper and say "tee, tee" when she's wet and she does not like "dirty" diapers at all (me either)!

She has been sitting on the potty for a month or so now off and on and we have had some success. So, I could not resist finding her some cute little panties to encourage her. She wants to do everything just like her big sister, so...cute panties are a must, right!

Going green

...and orange! I mentioned that I was a Farmer Market fabric lover, right? Well, here's proof. I told you that my dining room had a bit of showing off to do. My house does not get a lot of direct sunlight indoors due to the wooded lot and the large porch overhang. So, we went outdoors to capture the true colors of lime green and orange...it's amazing!

I picked up this fancy chair at the Goodwill about 6 months ago. It was a dark brown wood finished chair with a brittle peeled leather seat. I felt sorry for the chair in it's pitiful condition, I had to rescue it before it became part of the landfill. So, I decided to go GREEN, save the chair and save the planet from its waste!

Since we have been doing a little redecorating I knew the chair would be a perfect new addition in my dining room. It's a little weathered, so I wasn't sure it could withstand being in a high traffic area such as the living room. To say the least, the dining room was a perfect fit. I recovered it's tattered leather seat with a bright orange and white design and made a pillow using a floral design (all Farmers Market prints) to accent the chair along with my dishes.

My husband even loved the fabric so well, he insisted that I make napkins to coordinate with the chair and to add some punch to the tableware. He was right, it looks fabulous! Thanks Tommy for your help on the fabric selection and recovering my thrifty find!

R&R

I hope you all have a restful and relaxing weekend. It's gonna be sunshine all the way here in Georgia....it's suppose to be around 80 degrees, WoW!! I managed to clean the patio furniture yesterday just in case we decided to grill some good'ole burgers & hot dogs....yumm-O! Have a great weekend!

Paint in my hair

There is an awesome blog titled "Paint in my hair", however, this is not about that blog. It's about my hair! We have been in the midst of a living room and dining room makeover. Tommy and I worked together to primer the walls to rid any trace of the old wall color (yuck). I had primer from head to toe. I am a good painter but I am messy. After we got the primer on we called in the professionals to put on the paint.

See, a few weeks back the whole spring fever thing hit me one day and I rolled with it. I was in need of a change. Our living room lacked life in the world of color. With kids running about, I felt like we needed to add some vibrant kid friendly colors. And being a stay at home mom, the last thing I want to look at are ugly walls :(

I have been in love with lime green for quite sometime. I love it paired with orange, it POPS!! The love for the color combo came about when Sandi Henderson

debuted her Farmers Market fabric line.

(I am crazy for it, and my kitchen table is proof (pictures later)).

We decided to use those color tones in our home. We wanted a fresh look, not to loud, but something to jazz things up. Well, here's a sneak peek at it. Whatcha' think? The color is called apricot mousse. It's a light orange, it reminds me of those yummy orange cream popsicle that I love in the summer time....fresh!

lovin' some legs

I hope I am not the only one out there who loves to see chunky baby legs. There is just something about rolly polly babies that I adore. Roxanne was my chunky baby. She greeted the world wearing a whopping 9.4 lbs of sweet, soft baby skin....loved it! Bryar was still a good size, 8.2 lbs, but nothing like Roxy's little baby fat legs.

The little guy you see up there is a chunk and a half and I love him. I am not sure if I am in love with the product he's wearing or all of that chubby baby fat...too cute! Well, if you are interested in some baby leg warmers, you can check them out HERE. Or, I guess you could just go to the link and take a look at the cute chunky babies for grins!

fun love

I love to have fun and it is fun to love. I had a whole lot of all of it this weekend. Tommy was running in a 10k race Saturday morn. (he placed and got a medal!) so, Roxy and I decided to tackle my old bench with some red paint. I wanted the bench to have kind of a old farm house look, not a perfect finish. I love the way Roxy holds a paint brush...she's in charge! We got a little paint happy and now I have a red front door! - LOL However, it looks pretty snazzy along side the red bench and it dresses up my unique hand crafted door hanging (I picked it up at a craft fair) on my glass door.

After I had cleaned up all traces of the red paint I headed out to the yard to snap some pictures. I love my colorful wind chimes (also a craft fair goodie) that tinker with the slightest breeze. They are hanging in a large tree (cork screw willow) that I purchased for my husband (a birthday gift), so it's kind of a sweet spot for me.

Bryar had us all rolling with laughter with her shades she stole from Mr. Potato Head. The large blue rims add a funky look to that precious baby face. Bryar is a very spontaneous kid. She's always up to something and most of the time it's something silly! :)

Poor Sam! It seems like my dog always gets left out. Most of the time she is sniffing out trees looking for lizards, chasing the cat (Quinky) or hid out in Tommy's garage trying to take a nap. Well, she decided to join us in the yard for some family time. I got a quick picture of her just laying in the yard hanging out with us. She's a great dog and I have always loved her rich chocolate color. To bad she wont wear a collar, she'd look good in pink!

I hope you had as much fun and love as I did this weekend. I was way overdue for a good dose of family time, sunshine and a little red paint (wink)!

It matters to me

This is just a quick post to encourage all of you to have some family time this weekend. We have all been so busy with spring break, Easter and just plain every day life. Take a few hours this weekend and just walk around the yard, swing on a swing set, play hop-scotch or hula-hoop a while...just have fun. It's the family time that matters!

Funky and fun!

If you are looking for something with a little funk and a whole lot of fun...it's HERE! Lilly Anna Kids has it all :) They have a unique and stylish way of making the ordinary come to life. Misty Davis is the gal behind the fabulous designs and she is awesome. With over 10 years of experience, she's got the whole kids clothing thing down to a science! Take a peek at her site and I am sure you will find something you like for your little one.

**Photos are by Misty Davis**

Pink it is!

My little Roxanne has a belt fetish. I am not sure what started her on the fad of wearing belts, but she loves them. It seems like she's always wearing a belt. She will make them out of my fabric scraps, tying each piece end to end. She will tie her jump rope around her waist, my soft tape measure, blankets, ribbon and anything else that has any length to it! It's funny to watch her come up with new "belts" - LOL

She has about 7 belts in her closet that she wears. The problem is most of them are store bought and they have an unfriendly buckle that she struggles with at potty time. So, to make her life a little easier I made her a couple of Velcro belts. She loves pink, in any shade, so when I saw these ribbon prints I new they would be perfect!

Roxanne loves her new belts and mommy loves making her happy (wink)...I love you Roxy!

Never say "never"!

What a totally cool weekend! I am not sure if I should start with the delicious chocolate bunnies, the wonderful church service, my adorable two daughters or my art class? Well, it was a full weekend for me to say the least. However, I will have to be a little selfish in this post...please forgive me - :) I loved everything about the Easter holiday and I am thankful for my family as well. However, this post is about what I got to do. I had a total girlfriend day (squeal)! Yes, can you believe it? It has been about 4 years since I have had a full day just to be with my girlfriends...it ROCKED! I was waaaaaaay overdue and it was a prefect day in every way.


My cousin Kimberly (love ya girl) invited a bunch of us girls to Sips-N-Strokes. It's an art studio in Atlanta and it's sooooo fun! We all car pooled together, stopped by Starbucks to get our "sips" and then headed to the art studio to learn some "strokes"!


Stacy, our instructor was phenomenal. She will make you like art even if you don't like art. She's amazingly talented and a sweetheart of a southern gal. When you walk in her studio you immediately have a sense of freedom, a rush, a creative "BAM" if you will.


Stacy guided us step by step on how to create the "funky flowers" you see pictured in this post. At first, I was like, "No way can I do this...I've never painted...a canvas, your kidding, right?"
Low and behold, a few sips of my Starbucks (shaken green tea lemonaid (smile)) and I was on my way with the paint brush on the canvas...I did it! Yep, all by myself. No one but me touched my canvas, no one leaned over my shoulder with tips and tricks, no one even offered to help (unless you asked for it). It was a total do it yourself. I was amazed...me, I did this, Whoa!


I would highly recommend Sips-N-Strokes to anyone. It's a wonderful experience, fairly cheap and if nothing else, it will make you think outside of the box. If you live in the area, you need to give it a try. Hey, just call me or email me, I'd be happy to be your artsy sidekick!

sweet chicks

Have you ever been spontaneous? If not, you should try it! Well, I had a spontaneous moment last Saturday. An idea sprang up in my creative noggin and I ran with it. Chicks? Here is the end result...two adorable little chicks and two very happy little girls! I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

Planting in egg shells?

Sounds crazy huh? Well, when I saw the cover of Better Homes & Gardens, I knew I had to give it a try. OK, so mine do not qualify for the front cover, but they are pretty cute considering I am not a gardening professional - LOL