WIWW

It's Wednesday already? I still thought it was Tuesday until I saw Lindsey's WIWW blog post-lol. Linking up with her once again.

Only took 3 pics this week...

black shirt-Target

brown little sweater thing over it-Target

Jeans-Banna Republic

Flipflops-Reef

hair down *shock!*

Eh-hemmmm...please don't mention my naked lamp behind me...I'm desperately trying to find a cute shade for it that I like...

Cami-Old Navy

Sweater-DKNY

Jeans-same-Banna republic

Same sandals

Necklace- made by me

Awhile back I saw some earrings made by Cassie Donlen that were so cute in this style and thought well, that would make a cute pendant in larger beads! I love it :)

Walked/jogged to school and a nice long walk with the boys taking the long way home...I don't think you care about this outfit ;)

I did make an attempt yesterday and doing somethig with that poor table behind me there...a few fall things. UGH-I've GOT to find a lampshade-and figure out a way to HIDE that lamp cord!! lol. It's driving me nuts now...Maybe by next weeks pictures it will have changed???

Boys and trucks

Our next-door neighbor's friend pulled up with this awesome old truck he had rebuilt.

It's a monster!

Gabe was playing outside with his neighbor friend and they were all over that thing! I had to run in to get my camera once I realised it could actually be a really cool backdrop...

Goofballs.
I think the pictures turned out really cute!
I may have to frame that 2cd one for Gabe's room...

Garage sale SCORE!

So totally worth the trip!!

I've been so sick for the last week and a half. Only today am I starting to feel a little energetic.

Saturday though I forced myself to hit a few garage sales on the way to the art fair. I'd promised Chloe we could go last week-and I had assumed I'd be feeling better...and I had to go since I'm planning on applying for next year and felt like I had to.

(I know-goofy...)

Anyyyhow, 1/2 way out to this neighborhood sale I was regretting leaving the house in a bad way. I just wanted to pull over and sleep. I was ready to call it a day and just go home after this last house when I spotted the antique printer's cabinet drawer..........the lady was packing up and it was just sitting there, leaning against the table leg...taunting me.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!

Another lady was heading up the drive....I walked faster-I knew she was heading for it too!

(I was wrong thankfully!)

I spotted a 5 on it...assuming she had $50 on it and that's why it hadn't sold...nope, $5.

Holy cow.

{scoop!}

The lady was saying oh just make offers on anything we're closing up-

Points at the drawer I'm clutching with my puny bit of strength that my adrenaline had given me-

"You can have that for $3" she says...

I don't think I've even paid so fast for something in my life-lol.

(I scored that antique fan at a flea market for $3 a few weeks back too!)

This is what I am envisioning:

photo:ali edwards

I have a few bits of things that had belonged to my great grandmothers...earrings, a broach...old photos from when she was young...old letters I could copy bits from...and if I dig enough from family I know I could come up with more...

I can't wait to start filling it :)

Getting creative with the kiddos

{When the mood strikes} I pull all the paints out and let the kids go crazy.

The antique dining room table is where it's at. Trav can't be home-he'd have a heart attack-lol.

Taping down the newspaper this time didn't even help. sigh-oh well, it scrubbed off...

(he was never the wiser hehe)

Anyhow~I ran across this project while reading Meg's blog and the boys LOVED it!

Who knew streamers were so expensive? pfft. Oh well we have many birthday parties it can be used for-right?

My fingers were covered in paint so I wasn't able to take better pictures...

But you get the idea...cut the paper plate in 1/2 and paint rainbows on each side (the backs)

You can even blend colors if you want-lol.



Glue the streamers to the insides and staple together and string her up!



Our dining room windows are so perty now-lol.
Chloe came home from school actually jealous that we'd done this without her...

Maybe when I feel normal again I'll drag it all back out...
Jeez-Pharyngitis, sinus infection and double ear infection. This is for the BIRDS. I'm soooo thankful the crazy fever that hung around is finally gone but I feel so whooped. Can't WAIT to feel better and appreciate the normal every day again!!

WIWW

Linking up with the Pleated Poppy.

I've not been participating in WIWW lately...but I can only take pictures of myself in jean shorts and tshirts so many times...

Summer isn't a great time for creative dressing around here-it's just too HOT!

{oh, and Lindsey-you're totally right-I keep the camera in front of me for the same reason! lol) It did finally cool down tho and I was happy to start layering up again.

sweater: Charlotte Russe

cami: Old Navy

jeans: Levi's

flipflops:Reef

necklace: made by me(but no closeup...)

I've been soooo sick since Friday! So just the one pic this week...No pictures of me in pj pants and Trav's old tshirts! lol. Hopefully I'll be feeling human again and will want to join the living soon.

Friday thoughts

link

*I saw chickens wandering around a neighbors front yard this morning on the way to school. Was a strange sight. We are not in the country.

*Wearing a sweater for the first time this season. Yes, it's grey.

*Gabe loved his first day of preK yesterday.

*Went to Sam's Club this morning EARLY. I hate when the front door lady insists on seeing my business card better to prove I do have a business (because I have kids with me I assume? who knows...)

*Feeling restless lately. Change of season? Needing to create and not knowing what I want to make.... Hate this feeling. I feel like I wander around during naptime trying to figure out what I should make and nothing gets accomplished.

*Speaking of, I need to get busy for 3 upcoming shows and a possible 4th all Oct/Nov.
{Nothing like a little pressure...}

*I'm on my 4th day of back to writing down/counting calories. I am finally not feeling like I want to eat everything in sight.

*Along with counting I've been walking daily and going to bed early. The sluggishness I've been feeling is starting to lift already...Wow.

*Excited for a Mom/Chloe day! After her crack-of-dawn soccer game tomorrow just me and Chloe are heading to St Louis to the Clayton Art Fair to wander around and she can create in the kids tent. We'll hit the Galleria while there and a few other boutiques...

*Sunday is the Carillon Art Fair. I'll be running over there to soak up more creativity. Maybe surrounding myself this weekend with art is exactly what my heart needs...

*Today*

He was so excited!

Backpack on for an hour prior to the bus.

Pacing the yard chasing birds to kill time.

Huge hug and a big fat kiss as he climbed the bus steps.

*sniff*

A few minutes of peace

I was able to sleep in a little. Travis took the day off (to have 15 tons of dirt delivered-more on that project later) so he walked the kids to school this morning.

My littlest monkey

Able to make the bed at a leasurely pace, able to remember to brush my OWN teeth, come down and kiss them all goodbye before helping myself to a nice hot cup of creamy coffee and sit and flip through a few blogs and catch up on emails.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

This will last for maybe another 10 minutes then I'm on my own again...but this sure has been a nice morning so far. Hopefully starting the day like this will help me to center myself, organize my day, be a more patient mom and be more productive...

{I can hope, right?}

I'm still trying to find that perfect balance~what do YOU do that creates balance in your life?

A walk around the state fair~

I ended up taking a little blog break. I do have way too much to say-lol-yet just can't make myself sit and upload photos and organise my thoughts. Maybe back to school has something to do with that. We're all just trying to get back into a new groove.

So, I'd mentioned I was going to see Blondie! My old friend, Shannon, drove a couple hours to hit the fair with me and see the show. Cheap Trick was to play too-I'd seen them before as well and are awesome. :)

But before the show we had to walk around and eat and sightsee.
No, I did not eat any alligator on a stick.
(eta: i just noticed the look on the alligator's face...looks like he's grotting his teeth and sweating-lolllll)

Hmm...the skies are looking a bit funny...but the lights sure look pretty against the dark sky!



The giant slide-a staple at our fair.




As we say it :Fried WHATTTT?? (said with a southern accent :))
hmm-fried snickers??



Now in the grandstand...still not liking the look of those skies.

Debby Harry takes the stage dressed in a see thru tulle skirt and theigh highs.

I think I calculated her age at around 65?

Wonder if my mother in law would ever dress like that? {LOL}

Just sayin-they're bout the same age. hehe...

Pic from the screen. Took Chloe's camera and the zoom was rotten.

Me and Shannon after they forced everyone high up into the grandstand due to rain.

That's rain on my boob. I did not dribble beer. lol

Bummer......
And our view after we moved up high and they kicked Blondie off the stage due to the crazy lightning and rain.

We hung out with Shannon's friend and sipped beer, sat back and chatted and watched the massive waterfall over the stage roof for an hour til they finally said ok, ya'll-everyone leave-the show won't be on.......boo!

So we tracked down some pretty black garbage bags (no pics!lol) and meandered thru the rain back to the car.

The show-what we were able to see-was really good. Blondie sounded great and some of their new music was actually very good.

Treasury

My bangle bracelet was featured in a treasury!

So I'm not skilled at doing a full screen shot-this will have to do...

Unfortunately I can't get the link to work to view it any better...oh well...

This was my first treasury on Etsy to included on (that I know of!) so it's pretty exciting! :)

The Spastic Worm

Chloe's alter ego has been dubbed "the spastic worm" by her father.

And rightly so. I've never seen anything like it.

You take 1 part hormonal 9 year old...

Add in some hair that won't go back in clips just right...


And end up with some legs and arms flailing around like a crazed worm.
Can anyone tell she's gritting her teeth about ready to rip that paper?

I actually have all 3 looking and smiling at once! Too bad her smile isn't very authentic-lol.

Oh.....she's trying harder...
She really is excited about school-trust me!

Ok, much better. ;)

Thrilled once we reached the school...here is her teacher this year.

And waiting in line to go in.

Gabe will start preK in a couple weeks. I sure hope his first day goes better!

I can't wait to hear how she likes her class this year. -I remember 4th grade very fondly-LOVED it-great memories...I hope she likes her new teacher and the group of kids she ended up with!

The Tide is High........

Meep!

Just a little hint to where I'm heading tonite!

Soooooo excited! I'll be meeting up with my friend from way back in the day.

Shannon and I were great friends in jr high and high school. We reconnected after almost 20 years (gulp) on facebook.

Since we attended our first concert togther-(Eddie Money-7th grade-my dad took us then stood back by himself so we could feel cool and grown up) at the State Fair we decided last year to meet up and see Heart and the Bangles. We had a great time and are starting a new tradition it seems...

We'll also see Cheap Trick.....Report more tomorrow!

Ants in my pants

I haven't been able to get to the torch in awhile. Kids home with summer=not much beading. When I'm unable to create freely I find myself goinga little crazy and pacing around the house looking for ways to change things up around here. I end up painting rooms, rearranging furniture, trying new recipes,etc.

The other day I walked past the antique cabinetry we had built into our kitchen and realised I cannot stand how it looks (inside) It's become a catch-all. I'm posting pictures to shame myself into doing something about it.

My view from atop a barstool...

The drawers hold phone books, batteries, table linens...

Lower cabinets hold TP, paper towels, paper plates and cups, party supplies...diapers and wipes.

Exciting.

All accross the top I have my grandmother's china (1 of the 2 sets of hers) I anted it away from kid fingers-yet you can't really see it up there. Need to come up with a way to display it better!

The right side-basket of school papers on the bottom that all start to fall out when you open it.
Cookbooks.


My favorite picture of my grandparents. She's very petite and he was extremely tall.

So cute.

Vase made my Chloe



One of my favorite pics of my grandmother and her family when she was young. They sang on the radio. (she is 3rd from the right in the back) This was stage makeup-my great-grandmother didn't always have blacked out teeth-lol.


More random pics-Chloe when she was little, my mother in law when she did baton twirling and me on our wedding day...dried roses Travis gave me roughly 15 yrs ago.


Pottery Chloe made in class a few years back.
Baby photo of my grandpa.




Wine spinner and my snotty egg seperator-lol

My cookbook mess and junk Chloe throws in there.

School papers-can you believe I actually went thru and threw a ton away? this is what I am keeping-yikes. Need to transfer to a box and get ready for school to start next week.

Ok, so my quandry: what should I do with this space? Obviously it ended up being a place to stash picture frames (which unfortunately you can't really see or notice them when the glass doors are closed) and other odds and ends.....

Do I take the doors off? Do I line the walls behind with mirror? Do I make the whole thing into a china cabinet? A photo gallery? Cover the glass and turn it into a pantry?

What would YOU do in this space? I feel like it could be a great space but I just can't seem to figure out how to utilize it......anyone have some great ideas???

Help! lol

Today~

Just a little something I came across and snapped a pic of the other day...

Dreams?

Around 4 am I woke to the sound of pitterpats down the hallway...Next thing I knew a short little head peeked up over Travis, scurried up and over and dove under the covers in between us.

Sucking his thumb he laid there whimpering for quite awhile. Poor guy... Looks like he's growing up and starting to maybe have some bad dreams. Breaks my heart.