Love me some critters

It's true, I love all of God's creatures...dogs, bunnies, horses, cats, snakes, spiders, goats...you name it I like em'. So here is a few snapshots of what we've been seeing around the neighborhood, driving to the store, walking to school, at church, etc.

And since every moment around our house is what I call a "Kodak moment" so must be the critters.
(Dead or alive of course!) :o)

They had to pick Pink famingos

After we moved into the new house I asked the girls what kind of "bathroom" they wanted. Mama was thinking jungle animals, rubber duckies, maybe bright color fish, etc. But noooo both girls decided they wanted a Pink Flamingo bathroom.

Can I just tell you how hard it is to buy Pink Flamingo decor - especially for a bathroom, without spending a fortune? It's hard y'all...
I tried, I shopped, I searched the web and everything that I found was either too expensive or not cute.

So I decided I had to do it myself. But before I started I did try to put up a really girly looking floral/Hawaiian print shower curtain but all that caused was more chaos and sending my then 4 year old into a frenzy screaming, "Nooooo, I said I wanted a Pink Flamingo bathroom!"

What's wrong with that picture??

Well it worked, Mommy got guilted into making the bathroom decor for the princesses. Now I know this is way past due since I finished the bathroom about six weeks ago but here is what I came up with...

For the shower curtain: I bought some stripe-y fabric, used some of my leftover aqua blue fabric, special ordered the iron-on sequined pink flamingos and glued on some hot pink beady trim.



Note to self, be sure not to talk on the phone while measuring and cutting fabric!! Ugh! (This made the project way longer than it should have been.)

Then, since all the pictures of pink flamingos I found online were u-g-l-y and expensive, I decided to have Sissy draw a picture of one and frame it. (Hubby and I agree it's the most precious thing in the house.)

The countertop decor I found at Wal-Mart to match the stripes in the curtain. And the cute little soaps I found on Ebay for $2.99! So now the girls are happy and mommy is happy because everything is finally done.

Can I get an Amen?

We survived it

Today was our second day of Kindergarten and boy does she love it. Sissy got up on the first day, Tuesday and ate breakfast, brushed her teeth, we did her hair, she got dressed all in TWENTY minutes flat. We had determined the night before we were going to do our neighborly duty and walk to school to help with the first day school madness (per the principals' request). Luckily for us, it was a cool morning. However, we took the wagon along just in case the girls got too tired or hot. Our biggest challenge was trying to convince Sugar that she can't go to school yet. (Preschool starts for her next week). Sugar has a matching backpack and carries it to the school each morning. Today she even managed to put her backpack in someone's cubbie in the classroom- oops!

When we finally made it home the first day I asked Sissy what her favorite part of the day was and she said, "when we colored and played outside".

Spoken like a true Kindergartener.

So far the week is going well. She is very hungry and tired when she gets home but we're pushing forward. For all the Grannies, aunties and friends I've posted some pictures from the first day of school.

Here she is putting her Hello Kitty backpack in her cubbie. On the back wall of her cubbie there is a really cute laminated frog with her name on it.

At "Meet the Teacher Night" the students got to pick their own seats.
So on the first day she went straight to her seat to find her name tag. She also
wanted to make sure there were other girls sitting at her table. :-)
Then right before we left, the students were doing "working hands" as there first
activity for the day. I even had to ask for a kiss goodbye... I shed two tears and
decided to skip the "Yahoo, Boo-hoo breakfast" for the moms!

Well tomorrow night is "Meet the Teacher Night" for Sugar's preschool. That one should be a little less stressful. Ha, ha. Sugar is SO anxious to go...she cries everyday, "I want to go to schooool". I'll do a new post on her first day, September 4th. It should be a good one. :-)

Happy 5th Birthday!

It finally arrived, Sissy's 5th birthday party!

Oh how we've been counting down the days and planning. Sissy first started off by wanting a Hello Kitty party but as we were driving to Party City to get the decorations we changed it to Care Bears. Then as we were walking down the aisles looking at all the Barbie paraphernalia we decided on Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses.

And so it was... exactly 12 princesses and one prince.

I think they all had a blast! They played dress up, made princess crowns, played pin the star on the wand, had a water balloon toss, blew bubbles ate pizza, cake and ice cream. I have to admit, it was probably our best party thus far. If this tells you anything, it was scheduled from 11:00 - 1:00pm and our last guest left the house at 4:30pm!

Here are a few snapshots from the big event. Here are the girls in their princess crowns they made. I'm not sure how it happened but one little prince and princess escaped before when we snapped the shot.

One of the most popular princesses there was the cake I made...Princess Genevieve.


Here they all are diligently making their crowns.

After cake they lined up to play Pin the Star on the Wand.
As you can see, two of her favorite presents were the
Blendy Pens and the Princess Genevieve My Size Barbie. Now it's time for the real deal tomorrow...our 1st day of school. Stay tuned... :-)

Tax-Free but not Tear-Free

Reality has officially set in...as early as next week I will be another mama in the neighborhood with "school-aged" children. It became official this weekend while Sissy and I participated in the Texas' tax free Back-to-School shopping weekend extravaganza.

Oh yes folks! We got up early Saturday morning and shopped the same weekend as the rest of the state of Texas in order to save about eight bucks per every $100 we spent. And then you ask, was it worth it? Because really...how many clothes does ONE kindergartner really need?

Y'all it was worth it.

Sissy and I had a great time picking out clothes, trying them one, laughing at the ones that were way too big and too small. Then, we made a pit stop at Starbucks for a quick cup of java and chocolate milk to down our donuts and muffins. We needed a little sugar/caffeine jolt to hit the next few stores. We got all kinds of fun stuff like, skirts, shirts, tights and pretty little lacey socks (you know the kind you need for gym class *smile). But the look on her face was priceless through it all.

And even though it was fun and tax-free, I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed walking out with a bag of clothes through the parking lot with my firstborns little hand in mine. At that moment it all became a little too real. Now I will be the first to admit that I never thought I would be one of those parents who cry when they drop their child off for the first day of school, but after this weekend...never say never.

Now if I can only make it through Wednesday for the back to school BBQ and Friday for Meet the Teacher Night I should be good to go for Tuesday, right?

My new project

After weeks of looking for something of organizational use for my hobby/sewing stuff, I finally completed this little beauty.

This was (I think) a little girls dresser hutch that I bought at a resale shop for $5.99. It was a dingy yellowish and gold piece that I repainted white. Since I didn't have room on my sewing desk to use it as a true hutch I decided to hang it on the wall instead. All I did was install some mounting hardware on the back upper corners. Then to hold my ribbons, I bought four little rod holders (i.e. the kind that hold your closet rods) and drilled them on inside walls on the bottom half of the hutch. Then I found a small wooden curtain rod for $2.99 at the thrift store to use as dowel rods. I just measured the width of the shelf and used a saw to cut two pieces from the same pole. I slid on all my spool of ribbons and wha-la!

The last "thrifty" idea was storing all my new and vintage buttons. I found three clear plastic jars at said store for .50 cents and spray painted the red lids aqua blue. I used my one of my own jars from the pantry and painted that lid pink. Now they match my guest/hobby room and store all my buttons!

1 dresser hutch - $5.99

1 wooden curtain rod - $2.99

1 bunch of plastic roses - $.69

3 plastic jars - $.50

Organization - PRICELESS!

Want to see the coolest thing ever?

The fact that my hair grew 6 + inches over night? With layers, and low lights and highlights! Okay it's not the coolest thing ever but lhj.com is! Ladies, you've have got to visit the Ladie's Home Journal website. They have this wonderful linkage called TRY-A-HAIRSTYLE and it's FREE! Well of course you can upgrade but the free stuff is just as good.

Ever wanted to know what you look like with short hair, a bob, redhead, long hair, a celebrities hairstyle? You can do your own makeup and choose your own colors. The options are endless at this site. The best part is you can save your favorite looks and print them out or email them to a friend. The above picture was my favorite hairstyle and I've already printed it out the picture to take to my hair appointment this Wednesday. I still need to grow more in the length but you get the picture right?

So go now and sign up it's loads of fun!

More divas in the house

This past weekend my wonderful friend Robin and her girls came in town to visit. We had blast and so did the girls. If I list everything we did, well the post would never end. But it did include some great shopping, food and laughing. So here are a few shots from this weekend. Saturday was the big night when Sissy's friend and Sugar got the "Diva haircut" (as I call it) at good ole' Sweet & Sassy.

And can I just tell you how excited I am that the owners are building a brand new a Sweet & Sassy right. down. the. street. from. my. house. Man, I just love it here...

Sissy and Mini-Me outside Sweet & Sassy.

Back view of Sugar's hair (sorry y'all but the next few are for Grandma and Grannie!)

Sugar showing off her glitter star they painted on her cheek.

Shopping...shopping...shopping...boy they start early!

Monkeying around...

...Texas style. Well both girls started taking Gymnastics a couple of weeks ago and they are having a blast. Almost everyday Sissy asks, "Mommy, how many more days till Gymnastics?" Of course the plan was for Sissy to take lessons while Sugar and I observed from the window. BUT after listening for 45 minutes to Sugar crying and saying, "Mommy, I wanna do dat" during big sister's first lesson, we went ahead and signed her up too.

The place we are going is incredible. The building is decorated with (of course) a Texas theme inside and out, full of saddle seats, cowboy boots, bears and stars. The coaches are young and talented, the equipment is top of the line, and the environment is very positive.

The only drawback this session is that this is Sugar's first time so mommy has to take the classes with her. Yikes! So for right now we only have pictures of the little one performing and Sissy posing.

So Sweet

This was a conversation that Sissy and I had the other day while playing in the playroom. She was lying on the floor with a huge grin on her face and she said:

Sissy: Mommy?

Me: Yes

Sissy: I think I'm in love with a boy!

Me: What??? (she's four y'all)

Sissy: A boy. (giggling with the sweetest smile)

Me: What boy?

Sissy: (softly giggling)...my daddy...

My heart melted, then I immediately ran downstairs to the bedroom to tell hubby.

I have to admit it, I was a little scared at first. But then when she answered 'Daddy' I thought good, that's what every little four-year old girls answer should be! :-)

Wheels Off

Last evening was one of those nights I have dreamt about growing up. It wasn't about purchasing a dream car or finishing a marathon it was about my first born, my little girl.

She's growing up...

The early evening started out with teaching her to roller skate and having some wonderful mommy daughter time since Sugar was in bed. Then together we decided it was time to take the wheels off. The training wheels that is on her My Little Pony bike.

With just a few cranks of a monkey wrench, I was holding the back of her bike seat as she frantically tried to pedal, balance and look straight. We went up and down the street several times then around the block and down the little alley hill behind our house. It was good times. I continually laughed out loud while bending over trying to hold her 40lb. body and bike up while she screamed and laughed, "Mommy I'm scared!"

It was that moment that I realized I was doing what I dreamt about doing as a parent. Teaching your little one how to ride a bike. Laughing and giggling and watching the amazement on their face when you let go for just a second. It may seem like such a small thing to some but to me, it was an amazing time watching her grow. I know this is only one very small milestone she will reach in her lifetime but being a part of it and watching her was wheels off.

Seriously?

Has it really been that long since I posted?? Okay, so maybe it has...Now I have this blank text box and not a thing is coming to me.

I could post pics about our roller skating party we attended on Saturday but then that would mean I would have to download the pictures off my camera...scratch that.

Oh I know, I could post pictures of my french toile duvet cover that is just about completed and the bunch of pillows I made for the daybed in the guest room...but that's just boring.

I could tell you about our wonderful Father's Day...when I mopped floors and scrubbed toilets to help make it a better Father's Day...but that's not good news.

I could post a picture of the last minute Spiderman cake I made for hubby's birthday last week...but it didn't turn out that good.

I could tell you the story how I paid the electrician a bunch of money to come out and push a silly reset button...but that would just embarrass me.

Oh...I could tell you the story about how a golf ball busted out our upstairs window...but we live across the street from the golf course... so I really don't know the story.

Well apparently, I have no good stories to tell...so for now go look at my friend's super cute new baby it's much more interesting than this old blawg!

Watchout Martha

Lately, I've been a bit of a Martha Stewart in action. Now for those of you that have known me for a loooong time probably never thought I would utter those words. As much as I hate to admit it, it's true.

Since moving in the new house I have smothered myself in house projects. I think I've got them going on in almost every room of the house. Hence, the reason the ole' blawg has been neglected. Below are some shots of Martha + Frugalness = Happy Mommy and Daddy. :-)

Here is a sneak peak of my sewing room/guest room. I'm currently making [read attempting] to make my own duvet cover and I made some pillows for the day bed. My choice of colors are aqua blue and chocolate brown. This happens to be one of my favorite rooms in the house and and I even had the painters paint it blue to match! I'll post a final picture when it's all done because it's going to take a while for this novice sewer to complete.

We have big peformers in the house and they will perform on anything with height. Needless to say, they were ruining the last wood step on the stairs and I was certain one of them was going to get hurt on the fireplace hearth...soooo mama made them their own stage. I just used some free wood (thanks previous homeowners) to make the platform and sewed purple sequin curtains with a matching drape on the front of the platform. Lastly, I glued some purple leapard print fabric on top.

This is Sissy performing with my Karoake machine I had from when I was in high school. It plays the radio and tape cassettes but it still works. Smile. (Now I'm showing my age...)

If you haven't noticed by now, I had the painters paint the playroom PURPLE! Oh yes, it is bright purple. Hey, their only kids once right? This is a picture of a ceiling fan that was left behind from the previous home owners (thanks again). It was antique gold and I spray painted it white and painted the fan blades in different colors. I actually searched for one like this on the Internet and couldn't find one so I made one myself and hung it up. *The colors are actually much brighter than what they turned in the picture.

Now this picture is not from my house, but this is a project I worked on as a birthday present for my girlfriends' daughters 4th birthday. She was changing the theme out in her room so I re-made this canopy over the slide on her bunk bed in the new color theme of hot pink, black and zebra print. She loved it!

These are the curtains I made for Sugar's room. You can't really see from the picture but they are light pink silk panels with tiny pink and green embroidered flowers on them.

And last but not least one of my personal favorites is the conversion of the ugly attic door in the playroom. I could not for the life of me think of what to do with this big white door in the middle of wall of the playroom. See, I can't put toys or furniture in front of it because then I wouldn't be able to get in and out of my attic. So a few weeks ago I was flipping through my BHG Organizing catalog and read about this cool product called Chalkboard Paint. That's when I had an AHA moment. I headed to Home Depot and bought myself a can of black chalkboard paint and went to town. Next, to hide the doorknob I wrapped a pink satin bow around the door handle. Then finally I decorated a little cardboard box with zebra fabric to hold the chalk and erasers. Wha-la! The girls absolutely LOVE it.

So if you're wondering what in the heck T-Lo has been up to, there you have it...I've been playing susie homemaker. I think Martha would be proud don't you? :-)

Thursday Thirteen

Graphic courtesy of Kelly @ Diary of the Nello

Thirteen Things I have realized about my age over the past week...

1. You know you're getting older when...You switch your subscription from Cosmopolitian magazine to Better Homes and Gardens. (I coincidently subscribed myself this week.)

2. You know you're getting older when...You show up at the swimming pool with a one piece swim suit and matching body cover...with kids in tow.

3. You know you're getting older when...You know all the words to every song on Noggin or Boomerang but can't name a single current pop song.

4. You know you're getting older when...Your kids and dogs are dressed and groomed better than you.

5. You know you're getting older when...You can watch the History Channel for long periods of time, without falling asleep or getting bored.

6. You know you're getting older when...You only weigh yourself when all your clothes off.

7. You know you're getting older when...You get eight hours of sleep and still need a afternoon nap.

8. You know you're getting older when...You consider a "late night out" is after 9:00pm.

9. You know you're getting older when...You catch yourself repeating phrases that your mom or dad used to say to you.

10. You know you're getting older when...You have to pause and think about how old you are.

11. You know you're getting older when...You finally say your age and realize later the you were wrong.

12. You know you're getting older when...You change from sugar-coated cereals to fiber-filled cereals. :-)

13. You know you're getting older when...You can't think of thirteen things that you just thought of earlier in the day.

MIA

It's been a crazy few weeks around here but the reason I haven't blogged lately is because I'm in Tennessee visiting family. I've been here for almost two weeks now and we are having a blast. I have so much to blog about and quite frankly not enough time. So here is a bullet list of what's been going on and what we've been doing...

• My whole house has been painted while we and the girls are gone.
• We got a new bedroom suit that has been delivered and hubby got to sleep in it first. (I finally got my king-size bed!!)
• We've been to the zoo and got to witness a mama giraffe give birth to her baby!
• We got to see our nephew on leave from the army before possibly being shipped to Iraq.
• We've had a few family birthday parties while in town and a Memorial Day cookout.

That's just a brief list of what we've been up to...stay tuned for pictures and more posts. :-)

Texas Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I Love About Our New Home in Texas

You had to know this was coming...this is a special edition of Thursday Thirteen with pictures. I thought this was much more fun this way...and since everyone has been asking for more pictures of the house I've included a few of my favorites.
* Also, we still are waiting for the painters to come and I am in no way close to finish decorating so bear with me.

1. The Flowers in our Yard.

2. The Jacuzzi Tub in our Master Bath
















3. The Two-Story Stone Fireplace. By the way, that cross will be hung in the niche as soon as I figure out what hardware works on stone!




















4. Our home church...Fellowship Church.


5. The Large Girl's Rooms finally painted with color!



































6. Our New Banquette Table in the Nook. Especially since Sugar can no longer push the chairs over to counter to reach any medicines, scissors, etc. - yeah!
















7. The Green Grass with Texas Longhorns
literally down the street!
















8. The Media Room that hubby has so kindly allowed (read forced) to be the Playroom until the girls get older.
















9. The Big Trees and Huge Thunderstorms followed by Rainbows.
















10. The Circular Staircase when you enter the through the front door.




















11. Old friends...and because I did not get their permission ahead of time, I did not post any pictures of my girlfriends. I'm sure they are SO thanking me right now. :-)



12. The Double Convection Ovens




















13. The Tex-Mex Food