The Wohlschlaeger Family

So Long, Farewell

2012-01-18T15:47:00.001-06:00

It’s been real blogspot. You and I have known each other for about 4 years now….I can’t hardly believe it.

If you want to keep up with the Wohlschlaeger Family and all our shenanigans, please come on over to our new blog at www.wohlsfam.tumblr.com

All About My Momcation

2012-01-17T16:22:00.001-06:00

That’s right folks. I got away. Alone. It was amazing. I knew I really,really needed a break from mommy-ing, but I don’t think I realized how much. Don’t get me wrong, I love my girls to death. However, they require a lot of attention, discipline, and love during these young years. I’m exhausted. I knew it was a pretty obvious sign when these texts were exchanged.

I couldn’t have been more happy to sit in the airport alone. I drank my mocha and didn’t know a single person. I people watched, for 30 minutes I think or maybe more. I felt so much freedom. It changed me. Yes, right there in the airport. Is that weird?

That was only the beginning. I spent the weekend doing these things:

Going through old pictures of childhood with this guy.

I tried a new beer: Spotted Cow. I actually liked it.

Laughing at this guy. Meet Boston. He makes a lot of strange noises and snorts.

Having coffee at Alterra with Josh (Jackie had to work)

Eating good food: Breakfast Veggie Burrito. Words can’t express.

Drank more coffee. No kidding. One day, we made coffee, then went to get coffee, and then came home and had more coffee. It was a little out of control, but amazing. Oh and I tried espresso for the first time. Josh made it with their Moka pot. Not too bad, although I think I’ll stick with my mocha.

ps. I was wearing that sweatshirt first. Jackie likes to copy me.

We went to the Lake. Holy freezing! It was worth the view and this cute pic of my bro and I.

So many thanks to my fab hosts. Thanks so much for a much needed break from my “real life”. Love you guys!

If you’d like to see much better photos of this trip, please check out Jackie’s blog. She’s kind of awesome with a camera. If you really like her photos, you can also find her on Etsy.

Cure for Mom-Itis

2012-01-11T14:28:00.001-06:00

picture from here

This is what I need. This is what I am praying for this weekend when I go to see my brother and his wifey. All. By. Myself.

Painting It Up

2012-01-08T16:06:00.001-06:00

We finally chose a color for our living room/kitchen walls. Whoop! Ben recently reminded me that our walls were still white after 8 months, a fact that I had somewhat glossed over. Ya know how you just get used to something and you don’t even notice anymore?

After debating, painting samples, and quitting a few months ago, the walls remained white. Then we decided to take advantage of Ben being off work for the long holiday and paint.

Boy am I glad we did! We both LOVE the color. It was a giant risk. The color is a lot darker than I had ever imagined. I was freaking out the whole time until the color went up and I fell in love. We are quite happy. Every wall we painted I got a little happier. Mostly cause we were closer to being done, but also because I love the color!! We even got a little crazy and tried the old bull up there….yeah, it still doesn’t work.

Check it out!

Sherwin Williams, Web Gray

I love that it’s sometimes blue, sometimes gray.

See what I mean?

Ben brought these home one day after he heard me going on about how good the yellow bananas looked against the new paint. He’s so thoughtful. The man knows how to love me so well.

We also added a few other things. While I cut in the paint, Ben hooked up the new wall speakers (Christmas present) and mounted the tv (another Christmas present) and hid the wires in the walls. I can’t even tell you how blessed I am to have this man. How much would that have cost us? He seriously knows how to do everything I think. Plus, he’s cute.

Due to a bummer placement of some studs, we couldn’t center the tv under the vent, so we may paint it so it’s not such an eye sore. Also considering painting the speakers (they’re paintable…cool huh?) Thoughts? Leave em white? Paint em to blend? Opinions please.

Also, brought up our little treasure from the basement. This cute little AB box was from the year of Ben’s birthday. Sweet huh?

We have finally decided on a route for our living room and I’m so excited! We’re heading towards the industrial path (more on that later).

Yeah for us! We finally painted! The problem is, it’s making all the other unpainted rooms scream at me (dining room, hallways, powder room) At least we’re making progress….

Art Fail

2012-01-05T11:04:00.001-06:00

Some of you have had the pleasure of meeting our bull. For those of you who have not, let me introduce you.

It seemed like a good purchase at the time. He came from one of those online flash sites, where they only sell the items for only a day or so, then they’re replaced with new items. They have some really good deals. I thought this was one. I really liked the picture online, but it was WAAAY different when we opened the much anticipated art. We never buy art, so it was quite exciting…and then… a huge disappointment. There are two sad parts to this story.

1. It is non-refundable (I know…my first mistake)

2. It cost us over $100, a huge splurge for us, considering we never purchase art. This is prob’ly inexpensive to some, but for us…it’s a big deal. We normally hang photos and children’s artwork.

So, who wants to buy it from us?

Let me give you some interesting details.

-It’s carved out of styrofoam ….cool huh?

-It’s handcrafted!

-It’s painted metallic…what doesn’t go with silver??

-It has cool printed words on the background if you look closely.

The whole thing was a nice idea that just didn’t play out for us in the end.

Give me your best offer!

These are a few of my favorite things

2012-01-05T09:21:00.001-06:00

We are blessed to have so many awesome people in our family, which is QUITE enough of a gift for me. They babysit, send us on dates, let us into their homes for a week at a time to make a giant mess, pray for us, buy our children clothes “just because”. I am very thankful for those in our family. I am also thankful for my Christmas presents. If you’re nosy like me, you like to see what other people got for Christmas. So, I’ll share some of my favs.

Don’t judge me. Ben stuffed these in my stocking and I LOVE them. Ellie constantly steals paper and post its from me, so I have deemed these “MINE!” They are bigger than regular post its and they have lines. If you know me, I like lists. It may be a disorder. I think Jackie would understand.

This was by far the most unusual gift. It is a cross made out of bog from Ireland, where Rick and Jill recently visited. They claim to have 10,000 years in each piece. How cool is that? If you want to read more about them, you can do that here.

Slippers! I’ve been wanting them for awhile now. In the end, I got two pair. I took back one pair and somehow ended up with a pair of Clark’s boots. I am keeping these. In an unfortunate turn of events however, I tried these on and they don’t fit. I am slowly (very slowly, like creeping) coming to the realization that I have GINORMO feet!!! These are 10s and I barely can get my feet crammed in there! SO, I have to send them back and get an 11. ELEVEN, PEOPLE!!! My feet have grown in pregnancy and have not “gone back” like that mean lady told me in the Dick’s sporting good shoe section 4 years ago while pregnant with Ellie. SO mean. Either way, I love my slippers. Thanks dad.

Another don’t judge me portion. Anyone watch The Real Housewives of New York City? NO? I do. There, I said it. This book was I think, sort of like a joke gift, because Jamie knows that I watch the show. I began reading it the other night just to “see what it was all about” and found myself entranced for like 2 hours. (I later regretted staying up late to read such a ridiculous book) Some of my favorite statements the Countess makes ( a part of 12 Things Elegant People Are Never Seen Doing)

1. Exposing the sold of a shoe when crossing legs for all to see.

First of all, she is most likely talking about heels, which I rarely wear, so I don’t have to worry about this problem. Seriously though?

2. Chewing Gum

I love gum. I have a major problem with this one.

3. Yawning

Ok, you try having a 4yr old and 2yr old run you crazy all day (without a nanny) and then tell me you’re not gonna be yawning all day)

This book is entertaining but unfortunately most of it doesn’t apply to me. Or actually, it’s fortunate. I think my friends like me enough. I don’t have to be Elegant and have “flair”.

That’s right folks. Laura got me a sewing machine. Do I know how to use it? Not at all. Do I know what all those fancy buttons do? Nope.

Who wants to teach me how to sew? The memories I have of sewing are my mom letting me use her machine when I was younger. I just remember being so PO’d that I wanted to chuck the thing across the room. The stupid bobbin dealy kept getting stuck. So, there’s that.

Truthfully, I am super excited to try it. Now if I can get some time to open the box!

I feel pretty, oh so pretty! I love that Ben spoils me with perfume. To me, a scent is really personal. Your nose likes or dislikes something that others may like or not like themselves. Ben and I must have the same kind of nose sensories because he always chooses the greatest scents. He has a tendency towards Chanel, which I am more than fine with. Chanel Chance has been my favorite for awhile, but this year he bought me COCO Mademoiselle. SO delicious (I don’t drink it). I feel so feminine when I wear it. I just want to smell myself all day. Mmmmmmm. Plus, how gorgeous is that bottle?!? Thanks Ben!

And finally, possibly the best gift of all. It really wasn’t my gift, but Sophie’s. Corb and Carol are sending Sophie to Parents Day Out once a week until the end of the school year. YIPPEE!!! We went to visit the room yesterday and meet her teacher. She seemed ok with it. We may have a little terrorizing departure on Friday, but I am so happy for her. And for me. I will have a morning to myself, which I have SOOO needed. So, I think this gift is more for me than for Sophie. Thanks a billion!!!

As you can see, I had a wonderful pile of gifts this Christmas. Thank you everyone for all the great gifts. I couldn’t mention them all, but they all meant a lot to me.

A Christmas Story

2011-12-28T18:32:00.001-06:00

This year we celebrated Christmas 6 times. Each time was different and fun in its own way. We love our family. We love that they are flexible with us and love us enough to do what is best for us. Next year our celebrations may look a bit different (not quite sure how yet) but no matter what we do, we are thankful for our family and friends and of course, for baby Jesus. Hope you had a Merry Christmas too!

Celebrating 2

2011-12-28T17:46:00.001-06:00

This week we celebrated not only Christmas (more on that later) but our dear little Sophie turning 2. Sophie Claire is such a stinker. She has a lot of spunk. Don’t let those big blue eyes fool you. She knows how to roll them, squint them and bat them to get just what she needs. She also had a soft side. When she’s tired, she’s great at cuddling (until she is ready to go to bed….then you better immediately put her in bed or she starts yelling, "BED!”) She has a caring heart for her sister. Whenever I get her a snack, she says, “Ellie??” She is always thinking of her.

Soph has started using her imagination. I’ve caught her lately playing with little people like they are talking to each other. She loves her baby dolls more than life itself. Feeding them, patting them, taking on and off their clothes. Now she even has a potty chair and bathtub for them.

I can’t believe it has been two years since that night I went to the hospital on Christmas night (sure that I wasn’t really in labor) and gave birth to our sweet Sophie. Happy Birthday girlie! We love you so much.

The white table

Her special birthday chair

Love the silver glitter sprinkles!!!

Checking out the cake

Reading a new book with Grandma

Christmas Past

2011-12-20T10:23:00.001-06:00

A walk thru Christmas in pictures

Letting Go of the Past

2011-12-20T09:49:00.001-06:00

What traditions do you have for Christmas? Decorating the tree as a family? Caroling with friends? Opening one present on Christmas Eve?
I love traditions. That is why it’s so hard to let go of them.

Why must I let go you ask? Ben and I have found ourselves so overwhelmed by the holiday, that the season has become more about traditions than the birth of our savior. It’s more about who we will see or not see, then celebrating the tiny baby who came into the world to save us.

We have declared this year the last of the hustle and bustle. Not that we don’t love our families or enjoy seeing them on the holidays, but we have to start our own family traditions. We want to remember the reason we even have Christmas in the first place. We are cutting back. This year we will enjoy the traditions already in place. One last year we will run from place to place and squish in short visits with relatives as best we can, with crabby no nap kids, and tired parents. We will try our best to not be crabby.

I am really sad to let go of these things. It’s not something easy for me to change. If you know me, I DO NOT like changing things. Moving to Eureka was a HUGE life changer for me. Some may not understand this, but seriously, it did a number on me. So, it is going to be really hard, and sad and I’m going to have to walk through it all.Luckily I have an amazing husband to walk through it with me. We are actually a little excited to set up a new system of Christmas. Somehow we hope to see all of our family, but it will be in a new way. We shall see.

Let’s not forget:

The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn-not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John 6:9-14

Fun for Free! (A mom idea!)

2011-12-13T08:45:00.001-06:00

The latest obsession in our household:
Trying on the hats, scarves, gloves from our winter box. This has been lasting for lots of minutes while I cook dinner! Longer if you say, “Let’s see who can come up with the craziest outfit!”

Or if all else fails, let them dress up the dog:

Stalker Mom

2011-12-13T08:28:00.001-06:00

Ellie had her first field trip last Friday and I don’t know how it happened, but I turned into stalker mom. We are usually running late to school by about 2 minutes, so I made sure to get there on time so the bus didn’t leave without her. Ellie was so worried about it. On the way to school she kept telling me to drive faster.

For once, we were 15 minutes early! Unfortunately that meant that I had to hang around and wait until they left. They were headed to the Magic House.

I had Sophie with me and I just couldn’t see myself being helpful in keeping an eye on the kids while she was present.

In her classroom, were the moms who had signed up to go, then there was me. People kept saying, “Are you going?” Nope. I’m just taking pictures. Note that nobody else had their cameras….oops! Maybe this isn’t one of those big events you’re supposed to capture in a child’s life. I felt like such a stalker mom. Oh well. Maybe one day they’ll be wishing that they had taken a picture of their child’s first field trip……?

Doing some Christmas tangrams until her friends were all there.

Headed out to the bus

It was also her first school bus ride (other than canoeing)

Here she is stepping on the bus (stalker..see?)

She knows how we roll. She immediately turned to smile at the camera after she chose a seat!

Pujols Interview

2011-12-12T14:47:00.001-06:00

I was happy to be in the car this morning and catch most of this interview with Pujols wife. I was really moved by her words and how much she and Albert trust in the Lord with all of their life. Listen if you have a minute and hear their perspective. All this negative talk is really getting old. Like she says, “He doesn’t belong to us, he belongs to Christ!”

Interview with Diedre Pujols

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-05T15:32:00.001-06:00

Today we had some fun at a friends house making Gingerbread houses. It was fun to see my friends and the kids loved it! Sophie mostly sat and ate the candy and I ended up putting on her decorations. Not sure what we were thinking…here kids. Eat all this candy and then take a nap. NOt working so well. Sophie is currently in her room crying herself not to sleep. Whatevs.

Where is Eli?

2011-12-05T15:28:00.001-06:00

Let’s start with WHo is Eli? He’s our Elf on a Shelf of course! This is his 5th day of hiding and the girls are having a great time finding him everyday. As far as the whole, “You better not do that, Eli is watching and he’ll tell Santa” thing goes….yeah, that’s not working so much.

Day 1: I thought I was so clever, putting him on the elk.

Then this happened! He fell off.

As I was about to pick him up, Ellie screamed, “DON”T TOUCH HIM! You’ll make his magic go away!” So, he laid there all day and the girls would visit him behind the couch. Great start!

Day 2: Breakfast Area Chandelier

Day 3: Curtain in the kitchen

Day 4: Ice skate

Day 5: Jingle Bell wreath

Christmas is Coming

2011-12-05T15:21:00.001-06:00

The tree is up and the manger scene is out. They have only been up for 3 days and Mary has had her arms broken off, Joseph took a good beating to the head on the table and today Auggie ate one of Ben’s ornaments his mom gave him years ago. Awesome. Isn’t it fun!?! I’m not going to let this ruin our fun of putting up the tree. Sophie is WAY into the manger scene. Ellie is WAY into the nativity Advent calendar and they are both in to finding our Elf, Eli. More on him later.

The Naughty List

2011-12-02T07:27:00.001-06:00

I had the following conversation this morning with Ellie:

Ellie: I hope I’m not on the naughty list. I hope Sophie’s not on the naughty list either. If Sophie’s on the naughty list, I’m gonna make her a present. Even if she’s bad. I hope you’re not on the naughty list either.

Me: I’m not on the naughty list. (a little too defensive)

We aren’t those kind of people

2011-11-21T15:03:00.001-06:00

This is a quick disclaimer, in case you may have seen our dog recently. We don’t put tee-shirts on him to make him look cute. He doesn’t wear sweaters in the winter either. It’s ok if your dog does. Auggie does not. He’s wearing a shirt because he had surgery to remove a skin tag (it looked like a third nipple, but just really flat, long and dangly and made you throw up in your mouth when you looked at it) He is healing well, but the vet wanted him to wear a shirt so that he didn’t lick his incision or tear out the stitches. At least it’s not a cone right?

Cousin Night!

2011-11-21T14:58:00.001-06:00

This last Friday, my mom invited over the kids….I mean all of the kids….all 7 of them. Oscar, Amelia, Tyler, Sophie, Charlotte, Ellie, and Evie. While I questioned the sanity of my mother and aunt for a brief moment, the reality set in that I was without kids. At first I was sad because my cousins and their husbands were going on dates with their spouses. Mine was out of town, so I planned on going shopping alone. I was beyond happy when Ben texted me that he got back early and he wanted to go wherever I was going! It was a fun night had by all. Date night for us, and crazy cousin movie/pizza/grandma/auntie night for the kids. Memories are being made people. The best part is that mom survived it. Not sure that I could have myself.

My control issues in full effect

2011-11-17T12:59:00.001-06:00

So, I realize that I have a lot of control issues with the girls. In my defense, they are in place for good reasons. Chewing gum gets stuck in hair. That’s a no for the most part. Flip flops get caught in bike spokes. You have to wear tennis shoes. See? There are reasons.

Some strange thing must have happened to me today, because I SUGGESTED that we finger paint. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have busted out the yogurt to paint with, like all the good Parents as Teachers educators tell us. Nope. I took the girls to Wal-Mart and we BOUGHT FINGERPAINT!

I tried really hard to “not care”. They both had on shirts that I wasn’t particularly attached to. They are taking baths tonight, so I didn’t care if it got in their hair. I put Sophie in the high chair and used the tray. Ellie had a piece of cardboard under her paper to protect our new-ish table. Yeah, it didn’t work.

“Don’t touch the table!” “You just got paint all over Sophie’s hair!” “Stay on the paper!” “Sophie’s hands are stained blue!”

I’m just not good at it. That’s all there is to it. I often think of Greta and her ability (and GIFT) to let her kids do things that they think are creative. Mismatchy outfits? Sure! Colored hair? NO problem! Why can’t I be more like that? Ugh. I try so hard, but I just can’t let go. I think I have some learning to do so that I don’t make my kids feel smothered and not in control of their own lives. Thank God for GRACE!

Elmo Loves You

2011-11-15T12:02:00.001-06:00

I turned on Elmo Loves You video this morning while I finished some cleaning up in the kitchen of the turkey mess. What started out as a great imitation of the movie, ended up a little rough….You’ll see what I mean below.

And the hair-pull finale.

Getting Ready

2011-11-15T11:57:00.001-06:00

We are having our housegroup over tonight for Thanksgiving Dinner. I am super excited. I am super nervous. I am super exhausted. I (as usual) didn’t take into account everything that needed to be done before they showed up. I am in a good place now. The turkey is in the oven. It is stuffed. It is sizzling. One thing off my list.

Harry the 22 lb turkey.

We have worked up to this point on several things. One thing to tackle was the basement. Since we are having kids to play, it HAD to be cleaned up. This gave Ben and I a great opportunity to get rid of stuff. YEAH! Another Goodwill run! Here is the before:

How does this even happen? I really don’t understand it!

And the After, and much calmer place, with a floor! Who knew!

As we were cleaning upstairs and organizing at the same time, the girls got into the winter bag of gloves, hats, etc. I was about to get frustrated at the mess, but it was pretty fun to watch them try stuff on.

Lots of cleaning, but it needed to be done and sometimes it takes a reason for it to GET done. I feel so much better!

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged

2011-11-11T17:17:00.001-06:00

I used to judge people badly when they had a car full of McDonalds trash, random pieces of clothing and who knows what growing between the seats. Guess what? That’s me. I don’t know when it happened, but I became that person. It’s like the last thing I can worry about, my car being clean. Today I humbled myself and cleaned out my car. Among other things, I found:

-5 Pairs of Shoes

-1 Single Shoe

-8 Hair Accessories

-4 pair of kids sunglasses

-11 Socks

(I normally find about 7 cups, but have recently gone on a cup hunt)

The sad thing is, I think I cleaned out my car a week ago. This is just a small sample of the things I found. I apologize for all those hateful thoughts oh you mothers of messy cars! I’m right here with you!

Birmingham in Pictures

2011-11-03T09:53:00.001-05:00

While the kids were a bit of a disaster, it was great to spend time with Carol and Corb. We’re thinking maybe next year will be better…

Ellie wearing my new sunglasses from the airport gift shop…(aren’t they sweet!) and blowing a whistle

Her nickname for this trip: HOT MESS

So many beautiful birds for these bird nerds to see!

She insisted on holding the dog poop bucket while Bama picked up poop…..so weird.

Playdough, but they DID make a pumpkin pie!

At the pumpkin farm, they had a trailer full of cotton the kids could jump in! How fun!!

Queen of Hay Mountain!

Bama and Tube on a beautiful fall day at the pumpkin farm

Our pumpkin family

Our butterfly girl, without her wings and Georgia

Trunk or Treat at the church. Carol’s jungle themed trunk.

Playing at the outlet mall

Sweet Georgia

Pizza Party and Marmaduke Movie night

Amy Grant and Michael W Smith concert Sunday night, 6th row!

Ben couldn’t believe that I knew every song but one from Amy’s set! This guy obviously doesn’t know about my Amy obsession…..

Punkins with Papa and Laura

2011-11-03T09:29:00.001-05:00

I have yet to post our pictures of pumpkin day/night with Dad and Laura. We had a full, busy day. After church with Papa, we headed to the pumpkin farm for a couple of hours, played in the play area, wandered in the fields, pulled old red wagons, and rode the wagon barrel ride.

After a short nap, we headed back to Papa’s house for a fall dinner. Stuffed Pork Chops, Carrot Soup (delicious, even though it sounds gross) Stuffing, Pumpkin Crisp….I was stuffed! We carved pumkins into Disney characters and then called it a night. Whew! Happy Fall!

Laura got confused…she thought it was Christmas!

Soph loved the creepy nails

Scooping the Goop

A nurse who is grossed out by pumpkins…..

Daddy’s Ariel Pumpkin for Ellie

I really love this guy….a photo montage

2011-10-18T12:18:00.001-05:00

My sad attempt at fall decor

2011-10-18T12:16:00.001-05:00

We aren’t going to be here for Halloween and it’s not my favorite holiday ever (at all) (I kind of hate it) so I really don’t feel like decorating…maybe next year?

Punkins coming this weekend……stay tuned.

Park Time

2011-10-18T12:14:00.001-05:00

Now that Jame and I don’t see each other at drop off and pick-up anymore, we are having a hard time making time for each other. So, a couple weeks ago, we headed to the park for some play time with Charlotte and Jame. We got some cute pictures out of it too!

Getting Back to My Quirky Roots

2011-10-18T12:09:00.001-05:00

I have really been itching to get things decorated around here. I was beyond sick of looking at Sophie’s blank pink walls with a random picture and a beautiful window treatment. I’m not sure what got me going and motivated, but once I started, I was on a roll. I think Ben just watched with his mouth open. I couldn’t stop. I kept doing one thing after another. It feels great to finish some things.

I have to admit, I’m really disappointed in how Soph’s room came out. There’s going to have to be some changes. For now, there are things on the wall. Some I like. Some I don’t. Let me give you the run down of what quirkiness I’ve been up to and Ben’s been dealing with!

Project #1 Goodwill print

I found this Currier and Ives reproduction print at Goodwill for $4 and I thought it was really sweet with the sheep, and the pink, and it would be perfect for a vintage feel in Sophie’s room, along with some other modern things…going for eclectic.

Problem: It had this ugly brown wood and gold frame:

So I busted out my craft paints to get an idea for what color to paint the frame to tie it into her curtains.

I went with a bright blue/tealish spray paint, which didn’t actually tie it in at all, but it stands out now. It also looks good with the bright window treatments.

And voila! I love the final product….unexpected color on a vintage print!

Project #2 Pinterest Paper Mache Yarn Letter

It was fairly easy, but took some time.(Enter Celebrity Rehab on Hulu) I also had trouble with the curves in the S but again, I’m happy with the result. The funny thing about the yarn is that it had a lot of the room and curtain colors. Later when I looked at the wrapper, it was called “camo”….wasn’t really part of the scheme, but it looks good.

Project #3 3 Frames

I spray painted 3 wood frames that we already had white. In one I printed the numbers in Sophie’s birthday in different fonts and angles and sizes and all mixed up. The second I cut hearts out of a fabric I loved from some baby pants. The third was a cut out of a baby shirt out of the same outfit, that I adored of a little Russian girl.

Project #4 My favorite Piece…the Piece de Resistance! Behold the Mustache!

I’m obsessed. I saw this guy on Pinterest, and it sells on Etsy here. I figured I could make my own though. It’s the ultimate quirky piece. I love it. Sophie loves it too! This makes me happy too. She looks at it at night and points and says, WOW! See? She loves it. This is what I should base the room around for it to be what I wanted….and I may in the future. For now, it’s the center piece (in my mind).

I also added a few knick knacks, vases, and a shelf to finish off the wall. It’s ok. It’s not amazing. It still needs work, but I was happy to be in creative, quirky mode. It really made me happy to be doing those kinds of projects.

In going with the quirky theme, Ben chose to hang the S in a funny spot. You don’t get it do you? It’s ok.

Project #5 Put up a couple of things in Ellie’s room. Where? I know, right???

Well, we hung this pink puffy ball above her night table.

and we hung a new piece of art in her cool art frame (I happen to think it’s one of my favorites she’s done)

Project #6 Living Room Addition

We found this awesome table at a barn sale a couple weekends ago. I was in love and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Ben let me have it. I love it.

I’m hoping to get rid of the giant armoire that currently holds our TV and components. It’s too big in our room. Eventually we’ll add some more seating in there. I have a million things I want to make out of the armoire. It won’t go to waste. This new table will be our TV stand/component holder. (we hope) Isn’t she cute?!?

So, that’s what I’ve been doing with my quirky self. Oh, and also, I’ve been embracing my quirkiness.

Better late than never?

2011-10-01T15:55:00.001-05:00

So, I took a little break from blogging. I apologize. I have to say it does feel nice that people notice when I am absent. Sometimes I feel like I write and nobody reads. Which, I guess is okay? No. I don’t think I’m ok with that to be honest. I don’t write for myself. I write for others, even if it’s just to catch up with us. So, hope you read….anyway.

Ben was gone on a business trip to Mexico this week. No, not to a resort….more like a sketchy part of town. I was a tad concerned and nervous about it, but he made it back safely. In order to make the time go faster, I made a lot of plans this week. Let me catch you up.

Monday: Got my car re-aligned and ended up with 4 new tires as well. Not in the plans. Sophie and I hung out at Firestone for 3 hours while Ellie was in school. Not fun.

Wednesday: Went to the orthopedic to get my shoulder looked at. It’s been bothering me for quite some time (3 years?) I figured it was time when my elbow and hand started tingling. Luckily, it wasn’t a tear, but tendonitis. I have to exercise…ugh. Glad that it’s not anything serious. It’s still annoying.

Thursday: I took the girls to Purina Farms. I always love that place. We had a nice time, just the 3 of us. Ellie and Soph both LOVED the dog show and seeing the barn animals. One of the piglets bit ellie….kinda funny. We had a date at Steak n’ Shake afterwards. It was a really fun day for the girls.

Friday: DADDY came home!!!!

Saturday: Celebrated Simon and Halley’s wedding at Forest Park Golf Course. Beautiful wedding, laughter, great cakes, great friends, lots of love.

It’s been a busy week, but really fun!

Dirty Little Secrets

2011-09-14T16:17:00.001-05:00

All of us have them. These kind of secrets I speak of are more like things that I would never want anyone to see. I’d be embarrassed. I try to avoid these things being exposed if you come over to my house. I hide them! Close the door. Perhaps through sharing, I’ll be free of the expectations I’ve put on myself. I started reading, Grace for the Good Girl and it’s changing the way I think about myself. So, in an anxious-type way of trying to rid myself of self-imposed expectations that are nowhere near achievable at this point in my life (with hope, in another season) I’m going to divulge my dirty secrets.

Walk with me….enter Sophie’s room. This is a pile of clothes. The “GOOD MOM” would sort them into piles….colors, whites, darks….no? Guess what? I put them all together! GASP!!! I know. Crazy right? Well, it works for me. Owning it.

Another secret:

This “CHAMP”…..it only gets changed once a week. It sometimes smells like poop. It sometimes makes Sophie’s whole room smell like poop. It’s gross. I’m not perfect. You surprised?

This is a picture of our master bathroom when we first bought our house:

So Fresh. So clean.

Now it looks like this:

Need a better picture?

There is crusty toothpaste in the sink. The counters are cluttered. The mirror is splattered. I can remember cleaning that bathroom 3 times since we moved in April 23rd. Yikes! This is the season…..of not cleaning my bathroom every week like I would as a “good wife”. Guess what? It’s totally ok.

This is what our kitchen island looks like on a daily basis.

We’re used to it.

Finally, this guy, is about the only plant that I’ve only kept alive. I think I’ve watered it 4 times. Ever. It was a house warming gift. Somehow it has stayed alive.I think it’s one of those plants that is nearly impossible to kill…like cactus. I bet I could kill a cactus. I suck at plants. House plants. I managed to grow some tasty tomatoes this summer.

Well, those are my dirt little secrets. We all have them…..what are yours????

Then let them go! You don’t have to be perfect!

No one is perfect... that's why pencils have erasers. ~Author Unknown

Funny Things My Kids Say

2011-09-14T10:05:00.001-05:00

Ellie

“On Monday, Wednesday, Friday I’m gonna be a vet. And then on Tuesday Thursday, I’m going to be a firefighter and save animals, like kittens”

“When I get bigger, like an adult, I’m going to have an RV and have 5 kittens to live with me”

This morning while driving to school, we were noting colors of cars. We were talking about a neon lime green tractor trailer and she said, “That’s the color that my RV is gonna be. And the roof is gonna be gold”….yikes.

Sophie’s favorite words:

bupple- buckle, she’s really into trying to buckle her own carseat

bup-cup

help-I’m happy for this word!

yi- fly We keep getting flies in the house with the back door open so much and I’m constantly getting out the fly swatter. She helps me find them and yells yi!

Haircut Tuesday

2011-09-06T13:30:00.001-05:00

I took the girls to get their hairs cut today at Sweet n’ Sassy at West County. While I really don’t appreciate all the girly glitter, and sequins everywhere (not my style) I realize that Ellie does. The reason I go there is that Tuesdays haircuts are only $10. That includes glitter, a new hair bow or clip, and today a sucker for each of the girls. It was a tad embarrassing that I found out the stylist who cut their hair last (and was pregnant last time) had already had her baby. When I asked how old the baby was, she said 6 months….whoops! It’s been awhile.

Their haircuts went fairly smoothly and I love the results. Sophie’s bang-ish baby hair still remains and we’re hoping that this awkward stage goes quickly and they’ll grow to her normal hair length.

Here are the pictures:

SOHPIE BEFORE:

SOPHIE AFTER:

ELLIE: (forgot to take a before, so here’s a recent pic)

ELLIE AFTER:

Shopping with Bama

2011-09-04T17:13:00.001-05:00

Today Carol and I got a little shopping time in. The goal, per Ben’s request was for a shelf for the laundry room….slowly we’ll get that room done. I’m going to have to put the stencil on hold for awhile I think. Right now, it’s half painted. It needs another coat of yellow, but for now, I’ll leave it. So, we found a white wire shelf and then found these cute baskets to put on the shelf. I’ve been eyeing these for quite awhile at Home Goods, and they were still there today, so we bought them! The big ones were only $12.99!! They are huge and they have handles too, and a little window for a label. So cute!

Won’t these look cute with the yellow walls? Yeah, I know. They will.

So we also found another thing at Home Goods. It’s a risky purchase. Some may like it, others may think it tacky. I happen to be on the love it side. If you’re not (Ben is not by the way) I will still love you and value your opinion, but I’m stickin’ to mine.

BEHOLD: The deer lamp!

How sweet are these guys?!? We went to Lone Elk Park today, so they were calling out to us.

I understand how this could go the totally the wrong direction, like you found them at the estate sale of your grandma’s neighbor….

but this is a classy lamp people! Love it!

Anyway, not sure where it’s going, but it is staying. So you’ll have to love it or leave it.

ps. Did you notice the cute antlers as a finial!!!! Adorbs!

Score at Goodwill!

2011-09-01T15:29:00.001-05:00

Yesterday while Ellie was in school I ran to Goodwill to drop off a box of toys (ah, relief!) and some clothes. While I was there, I decided Sophie and I should run in just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything super. I follow a bunch of decorating blogs that inspire me to find old pieces of furniture and then repaint or recover them. I have yet to do this by the way, but it’s always in the back of my head.

Anyway, I found these 2 awesome pillows. Normally I’d freak out about random bugs living in the pillows, but they were brand new. I even talked to the salesgirl about them. They’re Target pillows. Target apparently sells things to Goodwill for half the price, or in my case, a third of the price. I got two $30 pillows for $8 each!! They’re giant and I love them. I plan on Lysoling them really well before we use them, although Ben has already tested one out. Hope he doesn’t have lice now...

Our couch is rather hard to work with in terms of accessorizing. It’s hard to match with navy blue leather. Our current pillow situation was this:

realize these pillows don’t match, but I like them together for some reason. I’m strange like that.

I love this pillow from Ikea with the world map stitched on it. It will have to find a new home. The new giant pillows are moving in!

I know you’re dying to see them right? Wait no longer.

They are some of the biggest pillows I’ve ever owned. They’re 24x24. My favorite thing is that they’re complimentary without being the same pillows. I really adore how they look next to the weather Johnson and Johnson crate (one of my fav pieces in our house!)

The best part of this story, though, is the price! I got such a steal! You can’t buy pillows this awesome for $8….nope! Em for the win!

In case you’re checking up on me…

2011-08-30T13:35:00.001-05:00

I claimed to want to try to finish a few things on my Pinterest boards this week. I have finished one! (you may have seen it on FB)

BUT! In case you didn’t see it, here’s the step by step of our Crayon Art, that came out really good by the way.

Step One: Put Sophie to bed so she’s not in the way. Ellie got to “stay up” for special time with mom.

Step Two: Hot Glue crayons in a row (arrange as you wish) onto a canvas.

I put it in an old box just in case we made a mess (we really didn’t, but glad it was there)

Step Three: Blow dry the crayons until they melt like you like them. We found it best to blow dry on the paper part of the crayon, or else it turned out gloppy. I sort of like that we did it the wrong way first, because it made a gloppy part at the bottom of the canvas that looks cool. This part didn’t take all that long either. (10 mintues?)

Look! Her eyes match the dryer! Oops, my camera didn’t catch the red eye!

Step Four: Be proud and show it off!

This was a really great project to do with a 4 yr old. She could do almost every step of it (all 2 of them) minus the hot glue gun part. She could manipulate the crayons to wave a certain way or splatter if she wanted. It was super fun.

If you’re wondering, it’s now residing in Ellie’s colorful room. It fits perfectly. I’m thinking I may do a pink version of it for Sophie’s room.

Pinterest project #1….DONE! Check it off baby!

Pinterest Goals of the Week

2011-08-26T10:44:00.001-05:00

I hear similar stories of fellow Pinteresters, that they love all the great ideas they find. They pin them to their Pinterest boards, but then they don’t follow through with them. I seem to have a problem with following through, not just on Pinterest. It’s sometimes easier to just give in to the tantrum and screams and not follow through with the discipline. It’s sometimes easier to not follow through on the good intentions of a diet or exercising once a week. It’s sometimes easier not to follow through with keeping up with my house and laundry.

I have a tendency to let my mind haze over and not think about those things….the feelings of guilt, the frustration with myself. It’s something I need to work on (thank goodness for counseling!)

In the meantime, I’ll choose maybe the easiest of those mentioned to try to work on, my Pinterest boards. Ha!

Here are the projects I’d love to accomplish this next week, possibly this weekend.

1. Crayon Art with Ellie. She would LOVE doing this!I think I may actually have an extra box of crayons too.

via Etsy

2. Art for Sophie’s room. I’m thinking possibly this framed name above her bed via Crapivemade

or else this quote found at SummerDandee. If you like it, there’s a free printable on the site. I love this quote.

3. Re-cover the dining room chairs. I’m really getting antsy to redo the dining room. There’s too much brown happening.

Brown table and chairs (with brown fabric seat)

Brown China cabinet

Brown Hutch (with brown decorations on top I might add)

(this looks orange in the picture….it’s brown. Trust me)

Brown mirror!

HOW BORING!!!! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I need some POP of color. I really love the Novagratz Family and the way they design. Here are a few of their rooms that I love. I’d like to see our house go this way eventually. Eventually people. Baby steps.

I got a little side-tracked, but here is the fabric I would LOVE to use in the dining room and then do something wild with the mirror or chandelier, like spray paint it bright blue…hold me back people!

So, those are my Pinterest projects. Learning to follow through. Wish me luck!

Birthday Girl!

2011-08-25T17:56:00.001-05:00

We shared the day today with Laura for her birthday. The plan was to go to the pool, but after realizing that it was only about 75 degrees, we changed the plan to the park. Steph and her girls came along and we had a nice play and picnic.

And if that last picture isn’t embarrassing enough, I figured, “What’s a birthday blog without a bunch of awkward and embarrassing pictures?” and lucky for me, Laura is an easy candidate. So without further ado:

Doing the limbo

A “one night stand”

Her favorite outfit

Her other favorite outfit

Can you tell she’s a big fan of Halloween?

She loves to ride bikes

I honestly have no idea what or who this is…but it’s on my computer

SOOOO innocent!

She’s stylish!

She likes a big ring!

She’s obsessed with Christmas and peeks at her presents (Still at 27!)

And since I feel bad about the embarrassing ones:

HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY SISTA!

Balancing Act

2011-08-24T14:14:00.001-05:00

Ellie is back to school! I have realized recently that this is a good thing. While I have great memories of the summer, there just comes a time when it must end. Ellie and I are NOT cut out to be together for a whole summer. I love her to death, but it was really rough. She needs stimulation. I need quiet. She needs structure. I need relaxing. She needs crazy play. I need reading books. We’re quite different and we really struggled this summer. I am happy that school has started. I am also happy that I get her 2/5 days. It’s a better balance for us. Next year I’ll be sobbing as I write that she’s going to Kindergarten and leaving me forever, but for now, I’m content with MWF pre-school. We both need it.

Choppity! Chop! Chop!

2011-08-24T14:08:00.001-05:00

It had to be done. I could take it no longer. My guess is that’s it’s been a year? or more? Gross.

So this:

(is there a bird in there somewhere?)

Is now this:

See now? Doesn’t that feel much better?

Kissing Cable Goodbye!

2011-08-22T13:58:00.001-05:00

Today, it’s official. We no longer have cable or a landline. It’s pretty crazy. We went from every possible movie channel to nothing. Well, not nothing. We purchased a ROKU box and we can stream through Hulu Plus and Netflix, but it’s really weird to not just turn on the news. Wish us luck!

My big surprise project

2011-08-19T14:01:00.001-05:00

While Ben was gone this past week, I wanted to surprise him with a new photo desk. He has been really itching to have a space to himself in the house where he can upload, sort and dream of pictures. I really wanted that for him.

I enlisted the help of my dad –Hey DON!

He is super handy and I knew that he’d help me. He’s that kinda guy. Lucky me!

This whole thing was really quite a project. I thought it would be somewhat easy. I have seen lots of really cute built in desks in closets online and they seem easy peasy. My idea was to throw a piece of wood (maybe paint it) on top of a file cabinet, or piece of already made furniture and voila! a desk. Not so much. The measurements of every piece of furniture that I looked at (including going to 3 different stores with both kids and scouring the internet) were off. They were too short, too deep, not deep enough…..so we decided we had to build something. And when I say we, I really mean Don. Let’s just say I got really good at supervising and asking annoying and stupid questions during the process.

Dad built the shelf and I did actually get to help. I stained everything, which was quite the task. Again, I thought it would be somewhat easy, but you really have to pay attention and it would prob’ly be best not to do it at the end of the night when you’re reallllly tired and you tend to spill things (aka the entire can of stain)

Somehow I ended up getting it done and I think it looked pretty darn good until I sanded it the wrong way and scratched it….we’ll get that sorted out later. It’s mostly done is the point people.

Next I stayed up until 1am to paint the closet, another time where I thought “that’s easy!”…not so much. It took so long just to paint a small space. I had to cut in the entire desk and not get paint on it, which required taping, which I normally don’t do. All for Ben. All for Ben.

Paint color:

My favorite part is coming up! I couldn’t wait to style it! Dad left and I think he may have skipped on his way out the door. I got to work on cleaning up the guest room. Get ready to drop your jaw.

This is what the bed and floor looked like in there. I have to admit, I think that none of it was work related items (tape measure, saw….nope.)

This room has somehow turned into a junk room. I really don’t know how it happened. I swear!

So, I cleaned off the entire bed and started setting up the desk! Yippee! It was really fun to get it all arranged. I know Ben may want to reorganize it later and that’s totally fine, but I really wanted it to look nice when he got home.

Ben loved the surprise and he had no idea whatsoever! He immediately started setting up his computer and put up another shelf to hold his lenses, which is actually really cute.

Here is the final product:

Jackie Inspiration

2011-08-19T13:43:00.001-05:00

Jackie inspired me when she created custom jewelry organization in her new house. I also, have a love of cute knobs, but realized that I have….none in our house. You’d think I would at least have one right?

Here are some of my favorites that I’ve found and drooled over recently:

found at Anthropologie (they have the best knobs!)

found at Restoration Hardware

found on Etsy

So, I went to Hobby Lobby, who also has a genius collection of knobs, and I chose one for Ellie’s side table in her room. Somehow???? hers came off and we weren’t able to screw it back in. Good enough excuse for me. I bought this one:

It’s so colorful and goes perfectly with her room and her bedspread (below) I’m really happy to now own a cute decorative knob! Plus, it was a cheap ($4) way to spice up a plain Target table!

Belated Birthday Wishes to Mom

2011-08-19T13:27:00.001-05:00

I haven’t blogged in a few days, and on Wednesday my mom celebrated her birthday! Lucky for us, she took a half day and had lunch here. I put up my feet while she read books to Ellie. Happy Birthday Mom!

Ellie got the camera

2011-08-19T13:25:00.001-05:00

While reviewing the pics on my camera, I came across the following. Ellie.

ps. She was in the bathroom.

Baseball Heaven

2011-08-19T13:21:00.001-05:00

We attended the Ingersoll-Rand day at the stadium on Sunday. It was originally scheduled to be a day game, which would have worked out a lot better for our family situation. It later got changed to a night game in order to be covered by ESPN. Well, that meant that Sophie was no longer invited. She headed over to Papa’s and we took Ellie to the game, which was really special. Ben and I were both just beaming with happiness to both be with our easy version of family and to be at Busch stadium. I can’t hardly believe it, but it was our first and possibly only Cards game we’ve been to this year. Bummer. Here are some pics from our night of fun.

Dinner Menu for Sunday: Popcorn, Peanuts and Cotton Candy. Yikes.

Ellie camera skills

(I got bored halfway thru)

FIRE DRILL!

2011-08-15T21:17:00.001-05:00

I’ll make this short since my brain is totally exhausted from one of the worst days of my life. Let me break it down.

Lunch with Laura at Sansai (Japanese sushi)

Sophie and Ellie are exhausted and tired of shopping.

Sophie knocks over my cup, which falls on the floor, which I pick up and then spill on the table since there is now a hole in it. Lemonade (full cup) all over the table. Clean it up.

2 seconds later. Sophie picks up the booster seat that she’s supposed to be sitting in (clearly not) and puts it on the table, knocking over the soy sauce, spilling soy sauce all over the table. Clean that up.

Ellie is turned around not eating her lunch and getting yelled at every 5.2 seconds. Laura and I are both at our wits end with them.

I pick up my purse to move it onto the floor, and realize that I’m picking it up the wrong way, and proceed to dump almost every single item onto the floor from my purse.

As I reach to pick them up, a loud noise sounds, and I realize that Sophie has pulled the fire alarm, conveniently located right behind my head, which is currently in the bent over to pick up purse items position.

The restaurant freaks. I scream across the room to the workers that my child did it, no fire.

Angry patrons pick up their food and take it outside to eat, while glaring at me, and holding their hands over their ears.

The alarm sounds for 5 minutes until the man with the key comes and rolls his eyes at us. (thanks, I don’t already feel bad enough)

We leave before anymore damage could be done.

The man catches us on the way out and asks if Sophie is ok, which she is, and he says it’s usually 14 yr olds who pull the alarm …ha. ha. I guess I’m supposed to laugh.

Sophie takes in the severity of what just happened.

Hope that you all can find that a funny story. Maybe I will one day.

Coloring Day

2011-08-11T16:47:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we spent a good chunk of the day coloring. I had forgotten how relaxing the activity actually was. I found myself asking the girls several times, “should we go color again?” They were both really into it yesterday. In the past, Sophie had no interest in it whatsoever. I take that back. She had interest in eating the crayons. For that reason, I haven’t really encouraged her to try again. Yesterday she loved it though. She sat and colored her picture for about 20 minutes, which in 18mo time, is reallllly long.

It was fun to just hang out and not have plans. School starts soon and with that the chaos, the driving, the no-naps, the plans. I’m trying to enjoy the rest of the summer with the girls before all that starts.

Future Wohlsfam projects

2011-08-11T16:19:00.001-05:00

As you know, I’m also obsessed with Pinterest, where I can “pin” cute ideas, projects, recipes, etc. I admit I spend a good portion of the girls naptimes lately fawning over beautiful products and getting inspired for my own home.

We’ve been here almost 4 months now. I know that we’ve made good progress in terms of settling in, but I want more for us. I am no longer content with how things are. I want to decorate. I want color. Being on the budget that we are, I’m going to have to get creative with how I approach this redecorating. Luckily, there are soooo many options out there for how to DIY. I am willing to learn people.

Here are some of the projects I’m thinking about doing in the next couple of months (besides the ikat dining chairs):

Project #1 Laundry Room Spice UP

The laundry room is such a small little space, I tend to get in and get out of there. It feels claustrophobic and blah. The bland walls aren’t helping. Ben is willing to install some type of cabinet or shelving above the washer/dryer which will help hide all the “laundry junk” (fabric softener, dryer sheets, detergent)

Then I’m thinking about doing this to the walls:

via Aphrochic

I think I could find a stencil to do that right?

So that’s my first project. To get rid of this:

Project #2: DIY Detergent

While I’m working on the laundry room, I figured it would be appropriate to mention that I’d like to try making my own detergent. Seems like a money saver huh? Not sure it will work, but I found a site with fun recipes that I’d like to try at Yellow Brick Home.

Project #3 Door Beauts

There are so many cute ideas for what to hang on your front door. I really want to spruce mine up. It’s really plain. So, I found 2 ideas that I really love that seem fairly simple.

One is a DIY Stick Wreath found at The Painted Hive. Cute huh?

Here’s the other idea. I saw this as a gift when my friends baby girl was born. Her mother in law had it made at a florist with the baby’s first initial. What a great gift instead of flowers!

This was found at this Etsy shop. I think it’s a DIY easy project. Buy the letter (W in my case) and some moss and glue it on….easy peasy. I was thinking I could even do it at Christmas using berries or pine needles or both. Fun. Really love the burlap bow too. Makes the project.

So, that’s a quick list of a couple project ideas that are stirring around in this head, getting my creative juices flowing. Let’s see how well I can move ahead and execute them! Wish me luck!

Ikat Time!

2011-08-11T15:31:00.001-05:00

I haven’t forgotten my obsession with Ikat. It’s still in there, it’s just been suppressed under a pile of other things to worry about. It resurfaced yesterday out of nowhere and I googled “free ikat stencil” after seeing a blog about stenciling (will talk about that in a future post). Lucky for me, I found a great source for creating your own ikat fabric, using a stencil and fabric paint. I know it sounds a bit sketchy, but what can it hurt? It’s not like spending a ton of money on new ikat fabric that I may not like just the same. Right?

So, I am going to try the technique found here at The Mustard Cottage. This is how her dining room chairs came out.

Aren’t they beautiful?!? I think I can totally do that. I’m thinking I will most likely choose blue of some variety, but this coral is really pretty too.

These will be a great pop of color in our dining room. Can’t wait to start!

Another Birthday Goodie

2011-08-08T16:51:00.001-05:00

And this came with my gift certificate to Sunglass Hut from Rick and Jill. Apparently my favorite $12.99 Target sunglasses aren’t doing it for my eyes. Can’t wait to shop! Mysteriously my sunglasses disappeared after the fishing trip….something’s fishy…..

Thinking of these:

or these:

or even these:

ok. Maybe not those. They’re BURBERRY though!!!

Birthday Goodies!

2011-08-08T14:15:00.001-05:00

While I got diamonds this year for my birthday, I also got another really exciting gift from Corb and Carol.

A trip to Birmingham! Not only a trip to Bham, but…wait for it………………………………

4 adult tickets in the artists circle at this concert. If you’ve known me for a long time, you know that I’m a HUGE Amy Grant fan. I feel like I know her, we’ve been friends in my head for so long and for awhile I think I may have actually thought we were the same person. I know..scary. But true. Michael and I go way back too! I went to his amazing concert when Ben and I were dating (actually in the middle of a break-up…anyone remember that we broke up? Weird.) He is so awesome in concert. I can’t even tell you! I am BEYOND excited! I love each of them and for BOTH of them to be together…it’s incredible. Ben has no idea what’s in store!! Get ready!

OCTOBER….hurry and get here!!!

He Wow-ed me

2011-08-04T21:12:00.001-05:00

Ben gave me a beautiful birthday gift tonight. The girls birthstones in earrings and a necklace. Diamonds for Ellie, and Tanzanite for Sophie (she actually has 3 stones) I’m such a lucky girl!

More of Rockbridge

2011-08-04T21:09:00.001-05:00

Sister Fun

2011-08-03T12:38:00.001-05:00

dress up shoes. big bouncy ball. no clothes.

First Fruits of My Labor

2011-08-03T09:48:00.001-05:00

With much help from Ben on the watering front (I’m known to forget watering) I’ve grown my first 2 tomatoes!! I’m so excited! Growing up, my dad had a great garden with lots of veggies. My dream garden would have bell peppers, tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, carrots, squash, zucchini, and whatever else I could grow. I plan on trying more next year. With all the sun we get out here I think I could grow anything! So, if anyone wants some tomatoes, in about a week or 2 I should have plenty to hand out. (I really don’t even like them)

I will hopefully be putting them in my egg white omelets and making them into pasta sauce. Yum!

Hooked

2011-08-03T09:42:00.001-05:00

Ellie caught her first fish this past weekend at Rockbridge! What an exciting moment….that I missed unfortunately. I was busy trying to push Sophie in the umbrella stroller down a hill of rocks. Why I didn’t get her out and carry her, I’m not sure, but in the moments of me doing that, Ellie and Ben were reeling in her fish. I missed it on camera. Trust me, I tried (very unsuccessfully) to capture another fish catch. They caught about 8 in a row that tore off the hook. I got those on camera….anyone wanna see that? Thought not.

As a sidenote: We ate Ellie’s fish for dinner on Monday and she was a little sad, cause she really wanted to put it in a bowl of water in her room. The topic that followed: What does decay mean?

We had a really fun time at Rockbridge. Sophie was a bit much, but she’s 1 1/2. I have to give her credit for hanging in there while we sat down to dinner at 7 at night, hijacked her into a canoe for 5 hours, skipped her morning naps, and gave her about 3 toys to play with for 4 days. She was a trooper.

We had some great time with Nana and Gramps, Laura, Keith and Chris. It’s a nice tradition that we have going.

Here are the first of the photos. Ben has much better pictures and I’ll try to get those up soon.

Daddy Daughter Time

2011-08-03T09:26:00.001-05:00

What a special moment I caught Ben and Ellie in. He was fixing her painted nails. I love that he has a soft, special daddy side to him.

Rockbridge 2011

2011-07-27T17:03:00.001-05:00

We are headed to our annual fishing spot. (I act like I fish…) Well, we really go to hang out. Some people fish…I don’t. See ya on Monday with some pictures!

In the meantime…enjoy some reminiscing from past trips:

2008

I think I may have actually caught that one!

2009

Nothing more classy than a family picture at the bar!

2010

more to come!

Going Away Party

2011-07-27T16:52:00.001-05:00

Sadly, my sister-in-law Jackie lost her grandma this past week. This afforded me some time however, with my brother. He had quickly returned to Milwaukee after their 2 week trip to Europe. If you want to read about it, check this out! (amazing photos)

Luckily Josh had a little extra time to spend with us while he was home for the funeral, so on Saturday, he and Jackie and my mom came over for dinner. Mom brought all the ingredients and we all hung out in the kitchen and cooked together. It was such a good time. We were all chopping and talking and drinking wine, and looking at Europe pictures. It was what I feel like a family is supposed to do. It was a really great night for me and I hope to have lots more of them….sadly, Josh is back in Milwaukee and Jack is headed there this weekend….one day….one day.

Briley’s 1/2 Birthday

2011-07-27T16:42:00.001-05:00

One of Ellie’s besties had her 1/2 birthday and they celebrate since it’s the summer! She had a pool party luckily for Ellie. Unlucky for me, it was 9,000 degrees out, and I chose not to embarrass myself by getting in a swimsuit. Ellie had a great time though and loved seeing her friends from school.

Summer Days

2011-07-22T14:39:00.001-05:00

A few other things we’ve been doing this summer:
The girls have really been working hard:

Sophie is getting into modeling, mostly evening wear:

And they’ve also been taking a few movies in with friends: (really only one movie)

Soulard Market

2011-07-22T14:36:00.001-05:00

We took an impromptu trip to the Soulard Farmer’s Market this morning. I’ve forgotten how much I just love that place! It feels really good to be getting fresh veggies and fruits and supporting local farmers. My goal would be to get there at least once a month, but for now, once a summer may have to do. Today between Laura and I, we bought:

Cherries

Potatoes (including PURPLE-they’re a “superfood”)

Apples

Pineapple

Apricots

Zucchini & Yellow Squash

Cucumbers

Green Beans

Green Grapes

Goat Cheese (YUM!)

Flowers-Lilies

What a bounty! I have big plans I tell you!

This all makes me remember this photo take about 4 years ago:

So cute! Our Watermelon girl!

Beat the Heat

2011-07-22T14:26:00.001-05:00

The only way I see to beat the heat is to take it face on, and that’s what we did yesterday. We headed to Kirkwood park for some time in the sandbox (how awesome is that they have a sandbox!) and a little run through the fountain. That park is filled with so many memories for me. I used to go there as a kid and play on the playground while dad played his church softball game. They still have the concession stand and I bought a snow cone to share with Ellie and Soph. After the park, we took naps and then headed to the pool with grandma. It was a really fun day and the girls were definitely tired out. Matter of fact, so was I. Maybe the heat beat us after all.

Spooner’s

2011-07-16T21:26:00.001-05:00

Tonight we had Dad, Geri and Laura over for dinner. It’s been quite awhile since they’ve been over! After a delicious dinner, we headed to our local ice creamery. Spooner’s doesn’t look like much from the front of the building, but it’s really cute once you get around back. They have fun purple tables and bright colored umbrellas. The custard is reallllly good! This is the 2nd time this week (and ever) that we’ve been there. Tonight I got the “Minty Meremac” spooner…so tasty! I highly recommend it if you’re out in our town!

Our sad attempt at a family picture….

Pool Time!

2011-07-16T21:16:00.001-05:00

After a really relaxing week of saying no to people and just hanging out with our family, we’re off to a relaxing weekend as well. We spent a lot of today at the pool. Ellie has started to really blossom in the water. She has started to go under water and try to swim. Just a few weeks ago she was still not really going under. I’m really relieved to not have to worry about her the whole time, mostly because Sophie is such a problem child at the pool. This is the hard in between stage where she’s totally over floating in a blow up turtle, but I can’t really let her go on her own, because she’d walk into the deep end. Not to mention, that she really only wants me to hold her at the pool….so messing up my tan! (The nerve)

Look how much she LOVES the turtle….

A few little projects

2011-07-16T21:10:00.001-05:00

Ellie has been asking me for weeks, ok months, if she could make this garden stone path thing. I have been avoiding it for as long as possible because it looked like a giant mess (it sort of was) but I finally gave in and bribed her with it for a good nap one day. Unfortunately for me, she took a good nap, so we went to work on the stone. It turned out pretty cute I have to admit and she had a really fun time painting it.

It’s always bad when the package includes a face mask….

Waiting for the plaster to dry

Who doesn’t love a handful of glitter and gems?!?

We also had some time to make Rice Krispy Treats…so yummy!

Life is so fun when she’s good!!!

Attitude Adjustment

2011-07-16T21:05:00.001-05:00

I honestly have no idea what happened to change Ellie’s attitude back to the sweet girl I knew, but on Wednesday she was a whole new girl. I think it may have had something to do with our whole housegroup praying for our family….honest. She has been kind to Sophie, using polite words with Ben and I, and then on Thursday morning, she did this:

I was still in bed sleeping when she came in and said, “Mom, I made us all breakfast!” That got me up pretty darn fast with visions of smoke coming out of the toaster or something on fire. She was perfectly age appropriate in what she “made” though. Strawberries, banana, a cheese stick and a piece of American cheese. Then she got each of us a juice box and a glass of cold water. How cute is that?!? I’m telling you it’s like night and day. She made a decision to be good “all the days”….(she told us this) and she really has been doing it.

It is such a relief for me. I was truly at a breaking point, about to send her away for a few weeks or run away myself. I am so thankful for her change of heart!

Ikat Obsession

2011-07-13T15:48:00.001-05:00

I found a new obsession today. Ikat.

Know what that is? I wasn’t even sure how to pronounce it, so I looked it up today and according to Dictionary.reference.com:

i-kat [ee-kaht]

–noun

1. a method of printing woven fabric by tie-dyeing the warp yarns (warp ikat), the weft yarns (weft ikat), or both (double ikat) before weaving.

2. a fabric made by this method.

Still confused? It’s this:

or this:

I. AM. OBSESSED.

The strange thing is when I started seeing this stuff, I hated it. I didn’t get it. Why were people wearing it? Confused.

Now, I love it. There are so many cute ideas what to do with it: lamps, wallets, shorts….I’d love to make some curtains or cover chairs…not sure which. Here are some more images of ikat in case you need some more inspiration for your own obsession.

ikat chairs-super cute!

ikat pillows? yes please!

ikat pendant lamp- of course!

ikat table? mmmm not so much.

Enjoy the Scenery

2011-07-13T13:56:00.001-05:00

I found this image on this website and I actually also like the article I found it with. (I haven’t read anything else attached with this but found it through a Google search, so if there’s anything weird..forgive me)

I have made an intentional decision today. I have decided to slow down. I can’t keep up the pace. My kids can’t keep up the pace (See previous blogs about our Ellie troubles).

We have been missing the scenery. I have made an idol out of busyness. While being busy, I have neglected my kids, my house, myself, my Lord. I have made the busyness my god.

Today we are all wearing our jammies. Ellie has been playing, with not ONE time out. She has been sweet and loving to me and Sophie. She has been obedient. I’m pretty sure that she’s enjoying the slow.

Know that being slow isn’t easy for me. I’ve had to tell several people no, which I think most people know about me, is one of the things in life I hate most. I love to do things, do a lot, see people, be friends, make meals, but those things are actually keeping me away.

I’m gonna try going forward, to slow down. I can’t honestly say that I’ll be able to keep up with it, but I’m sill sure try to, for the sake of my family. Especially for Ellie.

It’s summertime. I’m gonna enjoy ~~the~~ MY scenery!

Grinch Update

2011-07-11T19:48:00.001-05:00

The grinch is back. This time in the form of a woman with long blond hair….the books are gone. All of them. We’re down to furniture and blankets. She’s gotta break sometime right?

Pray. Pray hard.

Random Acts of Kindness with Kids

2011-07-11T15:47:00.001-05:00

Today we met my friend Jocelyn at the Humane Society on Macklind Ave. She has started a club this summer with her kids and her church called Random Acts of Kindness with Kids. It teaches her kids to do nice things for others. One day they took cold water bottles and handed them out to kids at a local camp. Today, we brought old baby blankets, rags, peanut butter for treats, and stuffed toys for the animals. We got to visit them all too! Dogs, Cats, Rabbits and Hamsters. The girls were so excited and we had a really great time. The facility was amazing and it blew me away how clean, updated and home-like it was. The pets all seemed to be well cared for. There were some really cute puppies there, but I kept my head and remembered how much work Auggie was as a puppy. (Ben may remember that differently….technically he was the one who cared for him)

Curtain Closed

2011-07-11T15:37:00.001-05:00

We have closed the curtain so to speak, on Sophie’s window treatment situation. Carol graciously had one made in Birmingham and ordered the fabric that I chose. I could get used to this! I am so happy with how it looks. Her room is finally coming together instead of being the misfit room.

(ps. Doesn’t Ben look cute with his haircut?)

Spinach Dip Attack!

2011-07-11T15:34:00.001-05:00

I have been slightly concerned with Sophie’s strong aversion to any type of vegetables. She refuses to even try them. What is a mom to do?

However, yesterday Ben and I busted out the spinach artichoke dip leftovers and Sophie turned into a veggie maniac! She kept grabbing chips and dipping them. While I’m sure there isn’t MUCH nutritional value in spinach dip, there IS spinach, so it can’t be that bad, right? I was more than happy to let her eat all my snack.

Then today, we tried these squeezy baby food things recommended by Robyn from Target. It’s basically baby food in a squeeze bottle. I was preeeetty sure she wasn’t gonna go for it, but she POUNDED it. I mean, in like 3 minutes. It was a spinach, pea, pear mix. It’s all organic and this particular brand doesn’t even add water to it. She just packed herself with vegetables. I am feeling better about her aversion. We have possibly turned a corner.

First Fruits of Our Labor

2011-07-11T15:23:00.001-05:00

This weekend we got to taste the sweet taste of fresh, home-grown strawberries. Why is it that they’re so much more delicious when they’re fresh picked and warm from the sun? I am so excited to have strawberries! One day I hope to have a giant strawberry patch! (Shhhh…don’t tell Ben!)

I had them growing up and it was always fun to go pick them. I’ve been lucky that they actually made it to fruit, since we first had the beetle attack and then I keep catching Auggie nibbling in the vicinity. We picked 4 this weekend and my fingers are crossed for lots more this summer! Now, if only those tomatoes would start turning red!

I’m being Romanced

2011-07-08T20:57:00.003-05:00

Ben came home from work tonight with these:

I’m being romanced. and I love it.

Ellie came flying in the kitchen with them and said, “Look what daddy brought us!!!” (us). I didn’t correct her. It feels good to be loved.

Robyn Visit

2011-07-08T20:57:00.001-05:00

This past week Robyn, Ben and Olivia have been in town. It’s awesome. I miss these peeps. Mostly Robyn. It’s been really fun to have all the kids together and also get some girl talk in.

We’ve been crazy busy this week trying to hang out with the cousins. Monday we were at Jame’s for July 4th. Tuesday was a chill day at home. Wednesday we went to Tilles park with Jame and Steph (Robyn couldn’t make it). Thursday we hung out at Jame’s. Friday Steph, Jame, Robyn and kids came here for water play and lunch. HOLY COWS! It was chaos. I’m ready for a relaxing weekend with my fam. I love the cousins, but I need a break.

Side Note: Anyone ever read this book? So good! This post reminds me of it.

Anyway, instead of trying to organize the photos and post about each day, I picked the best ones and threw them all together. They’re mostly in days, but don’t get picky. Just enjoy the great pics.

Surprise! Pete’s in town.

Look at the “babies”…they’re 1 1/2…how did it happen so fast?!? Remember them like this:

TROUBLE with a Capital T

2011-07-08T20:25:00.001-05:00

She climbed up here aaaaallll by herself. Anyone know my brother? He also did this when he was about this age, possibly younger. My mom has this same picture somewhere.

Water Play

2011-07-06T14:15:00.001-05:00

Today we went to Tilles Park for some fun in the water. The kids played on the playground, played in the water and then we had a picnic. It was way hotter than I was prepared for it to be, but luckily the kids were fairly well behaved. I can say that, because it depends who you’re comparing them to!

Update on Ellie: she’s still having her “moments” but it sort of seems like they’re getting less?? I hate to say it b/c I don’t want to jinx myself. I’m still taking things away every other minute, but she did really well at the park, besides making Charlotte ‘s nose bleed. (it really was an accident)

The Grinch

2011-07-05T16:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday the Grinch came by in the form of a 34- year-old daddy figure named Ben. He took every single toy (except books) out of Ellie’s room. She has been bad. Really bad. We are at our wit's end. This was a last resort. Trust us. That’s how bad it is. Her room now looks like this:

There was once a toy box here.

He even took the desk drawers. It’s pretty bad folks.

Happy July 4th! (A photo Story)

2011-07-05T08:25:00.001-05:00

T Rex, Musical Harp and Playing on top of traffic

2011-07-01T18:08:00.001-05:00

Can you guess where we were today?

The St.Louis Science Center! We headed there today with Auntie Laura, along with 500 summer campers. It was nice to be inside for something fun, because it was SCORCHING outside. I broke a sweat just walking to the car a block away.

I never think to go to the Science Center for some reason. I guess it’s because I’m not really a “science person”. That would be Ben in the family. Also both our our girls. I have a feeling I’m going to be the odd man out. Sophie kept taking her time looking at the exhibits, which was pretty hilarious. She would get mad if we kept going without her. Apparently she really likes outer space, because she was super interested in the flight and aerospace section.

Here are some pics of our trip:

Botanical Garden Party

2011-06-29T13:03:00.001-05:00

Today we loaded up the kiddos

and headed to the Missouri Botanical Gardens for the morning. It was pretty warm, but not scorching. Perfect sunny day. The kids got to play in the tree houses for awhile and then we headed to the Children’s Garden.

They played in the water area and climbed around in the jungle gym. It was really fun and they had a good time. Fun morning!

Rowing the boat

Soph was ready to get outta that thing!

Crossing the wobbly bridge

Ellie climbing up the rope

She wouldn’t wait to put her suit on, so she went in a swim diaper…you win some, you lose some.

Ellie and her sister the sheepdog

Workin’ at the CARWASH!

2011-06-29T12:47:00.005-05:00

Friday, June 24th…..the summer calendar read Wash Car! I’m getting her started early….practicing taking care of mommy’s car. It’s a free kid car wash for me, which trust me. As a person who washes her car once a year, it’s really a good deal. Never mind the streaks and the smears. She’ll learn eventually. It’s ok that she can’t actually clean the top, or that she isn’t allowed to use Windex yet…..it’s just a start. Sophie is also in training. She watched and got squirted with the hose (by Ellie, not me) in order to let her see the “fun” in washing my car. Training people. Training.

Breakin’ Up is Hard to Do

2011-06-29T12:47:00.003-05:00

It’s been five years now. She isn’t working for me. She doesn’t perk like she used to. She frustrates me everyday and I just can’t take it anymore. She doesn’t follow through with her job and leaves me to deal with the consequences. This girl:

Old Grind and Brew herself.

She was a wedding gift from Mark and Maggie and I have used her well. She has ground and brewed coffee for 5 years now. Some mornings, she has made more than one pot. However, her time has come. Out with the old, in with the new. I present you, Cuisie, her sister.

While she doesn’t own a grinder, I will still enjoy her. I’m mostly happy that she will definitely make a full pot of coffee without pushing her button 3 times, a problem I had with sis. I am excited to have this first cup this morning! Breakup done.

In case you need a pick-me-up other than coffee this morning, click here.

Mya Visit!

2011-06-29T12:47:00.001-05:00

Last week we got to have a special visit from Mya (the little girl I used to babysit) and her new baby sister Kate. Maybe you remember Mya like this?