I'm Obsessed With White

I've been painting everything white lately. I think it's a nesting thing. I'm going to take some pictures tomorrow (during daylight hours) of all the other things, besides these fake pumpkins, that I've spray-painted white in the past several days. It's crazy.

And, thanks for all your support for the Nienie Auction. I never thought anyone would bid as much as they have on my homemade bunting. And, like my sister Whitney said, I do cry and/or get choked up thinking of the love being shared in the blogosphere right now for this sweet family.

Long live Christian and the Nie!

Happy Birthday Lil' Brother Ben!

My brother Ben turns twenty-four today! A big shout out to him and hoping he had a great day! I love this guy. He is funny, smart, tells funny stories and is a people person. He also got me hooked on the HBO series "John Adams." And, as if that weren't enough, he likes to eat my chocolate chip cookies (right, Ben?) At the end of this eventful day, I would just like to wish Ben many more happy years to come.

I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

NieNie Auction

Show your support for the Nielson's by bidding on items by the Fox Sisters here.

I'm donating custom bunting with your own personalized name or greeting (wouldn't "Happy Birthday!" be a good one?) The sky is the limit. I'll do custom colors if you like, or I'll even use either vintage or new fabric, depending on what style you like.

The bidding will all take place on my sister Whitney's blog. My sisters have made some really cool stuff to donate as well, so if you don't want to bid on the bunting, bid on one of their items!

All proceeds go to the Nielson's and we continue to hold them in our prayers and thoughts.

Long live Christian and the Nie!

For other auctions to benefit the Nielson's go here.

32 Weeks

Alot of people ask me when I'm due. I say the end of October. That means the baby weighs about 4 pounds and would have an excellent chance of survival if born right now.
I'm enjoying my pregnancy so far. Aside from the night leg cramps and bloody noses and general moodiness, I would say I'm hanging in there. I have this nesting instinct that is out of control. That means today I will clean, make something (hopefully--if I can decide what to make--throw pillows?) and do my best to "feed" the other birdies in my nest.

She is Like No Other

Let's talk about this little girl (Lucy) for a second. I am thinking about her because 1) I have scratches and little poke marks all over my neck from her little pinching fingers, and 2) she has stinky breath. My aunt Suzy, while we were visiting this summer, even commented on it. (I take no credit for this. I am blaming it all on her dad, wink).

While thinking of all the options for curing this girl of her bad breath (parsley, a thorough dental cleaning, less sugar), I decided to take a look at my own hygiene. Last night I had brushed my teeth, flossed, used mouth wash, used flouride rinse, and then I went to examine my gumline to see if I got everything. Lo and behold there was some residual plaque on several of my more sensitive teeth, even after all of that! So, I asked Travis what I was doing wrong and I showed him how I was brushing and he said I was brushing all wrong! I got a little lesson on proper brushing technique holding the brush at an angle, getting the bristles up around the gumline.

Phew! So maybe Lucy's bad breath was her mother's fault after all. Who knows? After all of this, I am going to brush better and now I truly know the why they call the plant, "baby's breath."

P.S. Stay tuned because Thursday I'm having an auction in honor of Nienie and Christian. It's gonna be a good one so ya'll come back now, ya hear!

Feathering the Nest

I rearranged my silhouette wall this weekend with the help of my handyman, aka T. Schuller. I got this mirror for a mere $3 (!!!) at a yard sale this weekend and it got the whole shebang started.
Little changes make me happy.

{a poster I made for the auction}

And, this Thursday, if you're in the Cleveland area, you must come to the Service Auction! It's going to be alot of fun and I promise, it will be worth your time.

A Flying Sunday

It doesn't get much better than wide, open spaces and some fresh air to do whatever one pleases: tinkle, run around with only a diaper and sit and watch your sweetheart fly to his heart's content.

Plantation Heaven, I like to call it.

Little Jobs for Little Hands

The little munchkins wiping the very handprints they created.

"Six days shalt thou labor..."

And, hopefully, we will rest tomorrow.

Shots of Friday

A little embroidered hand towel stitched by a yard saler's grandma lies beneath the fruit stand. And, I can't get enough fresh nectarines lately!
My ever-evolving mantle. The runner across the top will be on the table at our Enrichment service auction next week.
And I'm in the process of making these beads and baubles into a garland for the mantle. I had an image in my head of what beads I wanted and I found the exact ones at a yard sale this morning for a quarter. Little finds are so great.

Wishing you a happy Friday and a fun weekend!

Someone Pinch Me

I went to a yard sale this morning and I thought I'd stepped into McCoy's pottery studio in the 1930's. It was heavenly. This guy had so much pottery and he was selling it for so cheap. I got some Fiestaware too, because we've broken a few of our everyday Fiesta dishes over the last few months.

I felt as if I was turning into my Mother. I was thinking, "How could I buy these and sell them or turn them into something extremely cool?" Cleveland-ites: you might be seeing a Spring Show in my home (something my Mom did for years). At any rate, I am going to use these for wheat grass and other kinds of temporary arrangements around my house. I love vintage pottery and the prices, oh the prices!

And, it's only Thursday...I can't wait what the sales for tomorrow and Saturday will bring!

Paper Mache Addendum

It's 11:25 AM and we finished the garland (thanks to some quick drying time in the oven). Not bad, after all. I like to think that at least Finn and Lucy will think they helped make this.

A Flock of Fools

It all started last night when I couldn't pry myself away from the computer. I found these lovely little handcrafted doves and I thought, "I could make those."
So, this morning, after a hearty breakfast of leftover chocolate cake (from last night's barbecue with the neighbors), Finn, Lucy and I went out to the back porch to make some birds.It started with the whole group participating, Finn making balls of aluminum foil and Lucy wadding up big sheets of butcher paper.
Then, our neighbor, upon returning home from the gym, offered them some ice cream bars and it started going downhill. I basically scrapped the idea of 18-month and 3-year-olds helping on any sort of messy project and threw them in the bathtub.

Then, I made these simple balls myself, and will either buy some Chinese export paper mache birds at the craft store or the original inspiration ones on Etsy.

Paper mache birdies are for the birds (or some great Etsy artist!)

P.S. Don't you think the birds would be cute strung on a garland for the mantle?

Bringing It Back

Thanks to my Dad for the curly gene and to Stacey for the advice and haircut, the curl is back in my life. (The humidity here plays a role too). I was in a hair slump for a long time, looking like a frizzy-newscaster-Barbara-Walters-sort, and now I feel like I've come back into my own again.

Let nature run its course!

Sadness and Hope

One of the blogs I love to read everyday is NieNie Dialogues. Sadly, Stephanie and her husband, Christian, were in an airplane accident this weekend in Arizona. I was saddened to see go to her blog this morning and hear the news. They are in the hospital and I can't help but think of them and their sweet four children. I am praying for them. See her blog here.

Last Bits of Summer

The End.

Saturday Night 9:42 PM

I'm folding this.

What are you doing?

Good {Things} Friday

I got this great package in the mail from my sister Whitney. I couldn't believe my luck to win one of her giveaway prizes. Oh, what luck! Here's what I won, a few of her Favorite Things:

• Vintage fabric
• Sprinkles cupcakes
• Cooking magazine
• Tags for everything
• Seam binding
• Collage
• Corner rounder

I love this collage of vintage papers sewn onto cardstock. I think I will hang this somewhere in my house.

And, last night, a triumph: I finished this quilt! I hand-stitched the edge on while watching Oliver Twist, Music and Lyrics and Olympic women's gymnastics.

I'm enjoying a new configuration of pictures in Finn and Lucy's room. It's amazing what a little change-up can do to enliven a room.

I love the blue pom-pom-like design on top (what is this called?).

Whoop-ie!"I'm doing it, Mom! I'm becoming potty trained!" (He still goes out in public with a diaper, but at least that's progress.) The secret: removing all underwear, diapers, and letting him run around naked (Thanks, Dr. Borus, for the tip. I owe you a plate of these, below).

For the recipe for these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, go here.

Last week I picked up some chocolate gold coins at the party supply store and we had a little scavenger hunt to find them.

I made little clues by drawing pictures of places around the house. The jackpot: the stash of coins hidden in the laundry basket!

I thought these matchbooks were darling. I used the motif for our upcoming service auction at church. There I go again with birds.

I hope you have a fun, creative day, and enjoy the little victories, though they may be as small as tinkling in the potty!

Rug Quandary Solved

I think little miracles make life interesting. The new rug came yesterday and I was relieved that, one, I still loved it after I got it out of the packaging, and two, that I was able to sell the other rug I had on Craig's List yesterday afternoon.
And, in case you were wondering what this body of two is morphing into, get a lookie here. I'm due October 21st, so I guess that makes it two and half more months left. But who's counting?

Some Lady's Smiling in Heaven
I got this unfinished quilt topper at a church rummage sale several years ago.Now I'm making it into a quilt, probably finishing what a lady who's passed on started fifty or more years ago. I hope she's proud right now. I will be when I get it done.
Speaking of little ladies, here's one here with her new sparkly shoes and purse. It's fun to have a little girl interested in wearing shoes and walking around strutting her little stuff. $1.25 couldn't have been spent better.

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Emily is the master cake maker. This is one of the many talented creations that has come from her kitchen. I wish she and I were eating a slice of this together today.
She is funny and loves the outdoors. She goes hiking, camping, biking, running and exploring in the wilderness and I love reading about her adventures on her blog. She recently ran the Moab Half Marathon and once played on a co-ed collegiate water polo team. I am always impressed by her tenacity and involvement in so many different activities.
She is a great aunt. Whenever I am out of things to do with my kids, I think, "What would Emily do right now with them?" She's that good. She does all the fun things the "favorite aunts" do with kids: plays games, paints, draws, goes on exploring adventures, and shows great interest in her nieces and nephews.
Happy Birthday, Emily!

Ever since we shared a bedroom together in Charlotte, NC, we've been best of friends. We would dress up in our wonderwoman leotards and jump on our beds and spread our entire bookshelf of books all over the room (much to our mother's chagrin). We would sing Alvin and the Chipmunks songs together as they played from our plastic record player. We have enjoyed many moments together and I'm happy to say I think there'll be many more to come!