Cardigan Re-do

I came across this fabulous blog which featured a basic tutorial using a cardigan and extra material. Her end result was just gorgeous and it made me what to try it out, especially since I had a cream cardigan that I never wear because it just looked too grandma to me....sorry grandma!

There are two other items on her blog that I can't wait to make.

My cardigan before.....
My cardigan after...





The funny thing is that I couldn't find anything in my closet that was anywhere close to what I needed for the ruffles so I searched Eric's and found what I needed. Long johns saved the day! Let's not mention this to my husband because he actually uses these to keep him warm for when he goes hunting. He can borrow my cardigan instead! hehehe

Hilarious...isn't it!

Highlights of the week!

Ethan: Progress Report from school...." Ethan continues to do so well in Pre-K! He is doing a great job at rhyming words".

Gracie: Survived her first visit to the dentist! She was a little weary about going in when her kind big brother told her. "If you have cavities they are going to drill in your mouth". Thankfully, she didn't have any cavities but that sentence made it quite difficult for the dentist to look.

Lexie: Has learned how to clap her hands! This is a HUGE milestone because it is evident that her left and right parts of her brain are working together.

Ladybug Mania

Saturday was Gracie's party and she requested Lady bugs to be the theme for her party. Being her very intense and maybe at times psychotic mother....I totally ran with it. Everyone seemed to of had a fabulous time and Gracie only had ONE meltdown so we call that a success! I think the highlights for her were the lady bug cake and receiving a Fancy Nancy dress. She was very appreciative of her cake and even told me,"Mommy, you are soooo nice to me". Which made me laugh because you know, I am a wicked stepmother the rest 11 months of the year! Now I know why I have that mole on my face?!! Anyways, we had a great time and I think/hope Gracie had an even better birthday. Brace yourselves for pictures!

I made Gracie's tutu and her shirt. The tutu looks really
long in this picture but it wasn't that long!

If you pay close attention you can tell that Gracie made sure every detail was
Lady bugged out! It wasn't me but you can just say that this little girl has a
certain guy wrapped around her little finger.

You can't see the ladybug that is on Eric's arm but
Gracie wouldn't touch it.

Taking our pics before the party!

Birthday Kiss!

Her daddy!!

A special cake for my little girl!

The table decor

I told you it was lady bugged out!

Her seeing the lady bug cake for the first time!

I guess she likes it!

The boys.....

..and the girls.

Pinata time!!!!

Just to show you how fast a meltdown occurs in our house.
These pictures were taken within seconds of each other.
First, there is Gracie searching for candy and coming up empty handed which could be because she has a marshmallow stick in one hand that just cannot be parted with.

The slow whine is starting......

... it is escalating......

...until it gets to a full sob. But wait... her buddy Ryder is giving her some of his candy!

All is right with the world again! I hope you noticed that the
marshmallow stick stayed in her hand the entire time.
I told you she was a riot!

My little girl laying her eyes on a Fancy Nancy dress and falling in love.

Cake time!

Everyone wearing their ladybug antennas!

Lexie showing off her antennas.
She was even lady bugged out.

Don't you just want to bite her... or is that just me :O

Party favors consisted of real Lady Bugs.

Side note: If you ever open a bag of live ladybugs make sure you are outside and not inside!

Birthday Song

Happy 3rd Birthday Gracie!!

Gracie has officially turned 3!!! Gracie is a riot and her character is truly unique. She came into this world the only way anyone would expect Gracie to come into this world. She is a ball of fire and can definitely hold her own. She cracks us up with her sudden burst of girly screams when something is just too wonderful to contain. She has this amazing smile and will always tilt her head to pose for the camera. She is known to just walk on up and say "I love you" for no reason at all. Anytime she is feeling neglected she will complain about some body part being broken and always replies with..."But it hurts willy willy bad, Mommy!!!!" Hands down she is a daddy's girl! If I am scolding her, she will run to her dad and tell on me like it is nobody's business. She absolutely adores her brother and sister! Even when she gets into an argument with her brother and he will stomp away from her. She will scream after him," I want my brother...BROTHER!!!" She has never, not even once been mean to Lexie. She could hold her all day and love every single second of it. She is obsessed with anything pink and purple, especially dresses! She is a giant compared to kids her own age and boy is she a talker! We still have no idea where she gets that from ;)! Lately, her favorite saying has been "Absolutely not!". Especially when it comes to cleaning up the toys. She is already addicted to shoes and purses so we are prepared for a few setbacks when she gets her own checking account. Unlike Ethan and I, Gracie does not wake up happy. She needs her space and if you get too close you may lose a body part. Gracie is infamous on saying "I am not talking to you then" and running to lock herself in the bathroom if you upset her in anyway. It is actually quite hilarious! When Gracie has her mind set, there is no going back! She is one determined, independent, silly girly girl. We never know what will come out of her mouth but life would surely be boring if she didn't keep us on our toes!

Check back to see pictures from our Ladybug Mania!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!

LOVE

I do not know why I have not made more Valentine's Day crafts in the past??? Ugggh...Hearts, pink and the word LOVE everywhere should of sucked me in a long time ago. We had soooo much fun making crafts for this holiday. I am a little bummed that I didn't have time to make a wreath I have had my eye on but it is a really tedious craft so I will have to save that idea for future use. Once again, and I know you are tired from hearing this, but my kid kicks butt in the craft department. His love for crafts is so amusing to watch and if you peek into our house during nap time you will often find me and him scouring over blogs to find our next craft. The whole time there is a 5 year old voice in my ear saying "Ohh Mom, look at that!!! That would be awesome if we could make that" (while shaking his head up and down with his big ear to ear grin). He even picked out his own Valentines cards to give out to his classmates. We have seen it all over blog land this week and he was dead set on using it himself.

The pictures below are from a LOVE canvas craft that I thought would be easy enough for him to make but where it also looked like I purchased it from a store. The bonus with this craft is that it has the colors from Gracie's upcoming birthday party on it. Two holidays for the price of one! I got this idea from here and I love her choice of colors and her bunting!! I will be shamelessly coping her in the future.

(Is it just me or does it look my angel is flipping me off...Don't be a control freak mom!!)

The finished product! Of course it is not perfect and if you look close you can see where he went crazy with the glue but it is perfect to me and I love it!! This was the first craft where Ethan took the lead and did it all. He picked which letters got black or red and just ran with it. It was hard for me to step back but I have learned he knows what he wants and he will be proud of it!

The craft below is what we made for the grandparents. I knew I wanted to use the kids silhouettes but since I was mailing 3 separate packages, placing them on canvas's just wasn't feasible. Then it hit me...uggh why not throw it on a red heart! I had other embellishments on them and even ribbon to go around the heart. However, the more I placed on them the more I felt I was ruining them. Although the little jewels in the girls hair is a nice touch. I love their simple looks and I love them even more since the silhouettes are of my cherished babes!

Gracie enjoyed this craft a little too much by slamming her face with the palm of her hand.
She found it quite funny that she was hitting herself.

TADA!!! This picture doesn't even do them justice!
Isn't it amazing how much it looks like them.
I was amazed how easy it was to make their silhouettes and
I will be making a lot more in the future!
(Daddy favorite)


FINALLY--I know...I know...you are like enough we get it...he likes crafts!!
BUT I have to show you Ethan's Valentine's Day cards to his classmates.
As soon as he saw it, his mind was set! Plus, when you have such a gorgeous, photogenic child like mine how could I resist his request.


No seriously, have you seen his smile.......just take a peek for yourself!

Isn't it great!!!
I just love how they turned out. Ethan asks everyday if it is Valentine's day.
He can't wait to pass those cuties out!

Boys get pencils and girls get roses!
His school doesn't allow candy and I don't want to get into right now because I will go all night but I find it a huge injustice.... A HUGE INJUSTICE!!!

Snow day in Texas?!!

Yup, we got snow for one day and it literally shut the city down! I should say it was more of a snow dusting than actual snow fall but Texans are not used to snow nor ice. Interstates were shut down and if people did venture out they were often sliding all over the place. The night before it snowed we had sleeting rain and all the roads were iced under the snow. It didn't look bad to me, having driven in snow before, but the ice underneath the snow made for some interesting maneuvering. Even Eric was surprised how slick it was when he had to drive to work. Being how horrible it was, the kids and I decided to have a relaxing day at home. First we played in the snow and since it was Gracie's first time seeing snow she absolutely loved it. We only played outside for a few minutes because it was still way to cold. However, the rest of the day we did Valentines crafts. I will have to show you on a upcoming post how they all turned out. First I need the grandparents to receive their gifts before I ruin it for them. Normally, I don't mind showing them on here first and they are not really all that spectacular but I just don't think a picture does them justice. I love them all!!