Summertime One Liners

I have never picked fresh flowers from a garden.

IMG_2212

Boy was I missing out.

IMG_2211

I think I pulled a muscle swatting at a spider that was hanging down from my belt.

I’m so glad kids don’t inherit the fears of their parents.

IMG_2205

I do wish she had inherited my ability to lay down and go to sleep right away without getting up 800 times or crying.

It’s amazing what a difference 10 degrees can make. 90 feels a lot better than 100.

80 would feel a lot better than 90.

Samson broke out of the backyard tonight and then 30 minutes later, after I got him home, he stole one of Munchkins’ toys.

IMG_2218

The old boy’s got some spunk in him yet!

I still feel like that spider is still on me. Is it on me?

Magic beans do not work.

Magic Mike, on the other hand, will work quite nicely for me tomorrow night.

I’ve started adding mid-day walks back in to my work schedule.

I like it when I stumble across things like this on my walks.

IMG_2209

The nasty blisters I developed on the back of my foot from wearing the wrong shoes I could do without.

Now that the 4th of July has come and gone, the end of Summer will be here before we know it.

Better enjoy every minute of it while it lasts.

IMG_2213

If you liked this, you might also like:

Damage | From the Mouths of Babes: Rhyme Time | Long Holiday Weekends

Spring Things

Don’t you just love this time of year? It has been unbelievably nice and warm here in Omaha lately. We were in the 80’s and 90’s all weekend and in to today.

IMG_1358

No complaints from me. I’d much rather have warmth than cold; sun than snow; green than brown.

But I will miss my cute winter boots.

IMG_1360

Remember that glass art project I did a couple Friday’s ago? Well we got them back last week and I forgot to show you how AWESOME everyone’s stuff turned out!

Ta da!

IMG_1325

Aren’t they all great? Each one is unique and different, yet super cool. Mine is the second from the left on the bottom row.

Here’s the before pic:

IMG_1275

And a close-up of the after!

IMG_1327

I am super happy with it and I particularly like how the colors sparkle and shine when the light shines through the window. I plan to hang it in one of the windows above our door. I just have to figure out a way to do that…

Speaking of projects…I tackled another one on Sunday.

A co-worker friend had given me a doll cradle a while back that was hers as a baby. It was in great condition, just needed a little TLC in terms of dusting and touch up work.

IMG_1334

(By the way, it was impossible to take a picture without Samson photo-bombing it. Apparently the cradle had some tantalizing smells on it that REALLY intrigued him!)

IMG_1335

I decided to paint the wood white and re-upholster the bed part. I’ve done it once before so naturally I’m an old pro…

I started by pulling the bottom out and ripping off the old fabric. I found some cute flannel stuff at the fabric store that would work for a couple projects, this being one of them.

I first laid the board on the fabric so I’d know how much to cut.

IMG_1337

Then I trimmed a nice rectangle, making sure I had a couple inches of trim around each side.

IMG_1338

The next step involved some very intricate fastening measures that should really only be left to people who know what they’re doing.

In other words, I used duct tape.

IMG_1339

I folded in each side and taped it down with a long strip.

Then I folded the corners in and secured those.

IMG_1340

The back can be ugly since it’ll never be seen.

When all was said and done, the “bed” looked like this.

IMG_1341

Then it was time to tackle the painting. I simply drug the cradle outside and sprayed the bejeezus out of it with white spray paint.

IMG_1342

The finished project turned out really nice! Isabella is going to love it!

IMG_1356

I plan to give it to her on Easter, and use it as a “basket” for all her other goodies.

IMG_1355

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t include one final picture of the cradle with Samson in the background.

IMG_1357

Somehow I managed to get this whole project done during Isabella’s nap time. Unbelievable.

Finally…you can’t have spring and Easter season without sugar cookies!

Isabella helped me make them yesterday. I got the dough prepared ahead of time and she helped with cutting them out.

IMG_1343

At first she didn’t get the concept of using them as actual cutters. She would just set the cookie cutters on top and them pull them off leaving very faint outlines.

Eventually she got the idea though.

IMG_1344

 

IMG_1345

Not only did we do bunnies and butterflies and dog bones (for Samson of course), we also had to do Christmas trees and candy canes and gingerbread men.

Naturally.

Once they were baked and cooled, she helped me frost them too. She chose to use yellow and pink frosting.

IMG_1348

They all turned out absolutely perfect! And they taste even better because they were made with love!

IMG_1350

My last project of the day was to fix her Gingerbread Man doll which she has slept with every night since December. Mind you, “Ginger” was a toy of mine as a kid so he’s not exactly a spring chicken. As such, part of his shirt was coming unstitched and he head was, um, partly falling off.

So morbid.

I used the same fabric that I bought for the cradle to fix Ginger, basically just sewing a new “bib” on him (which also attached his head back to his neck).

IMG_1353

Isabella helped.

Let’s be clear – I’m not exactly a seamstress. But I can sew on a button and apparently fix an old cookie’s shirt (and head).

When I was done, I handed Ginger back to Isabella and she smiled, hugged him and said, “Thank you! He looks so handsome mommy!”

That’s all the thanks I need.

If you liked this, you might also like:

You Capture: Fun!  |  S & C  |  Projects

Mums the Word

Yesterday we decided to pack up and head downtown (well, to South Omaha) and see the Chrysanthemum exhibit at the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens. It was the last day of the show so we wanted to catch it before it was gone.

Fun fact: Chrysanthemums are the November birth flower, and therefore, my birth flower! They mean compassion, cheerfulness, rest, loveliness, optimism, abundance, wealth, friendship and secret love – all qualities that can also be used to describe me! Except for wealth. And secret love. And rest.

Anywho.

The flower show was lovely and Isabella enjoyed running along the paths and smelling the different types of mums (there are 9 classifications and over 30 types).

peeking 

We were the only ones there (except for some cute little old man) and it was kind of fun having the place to ourselves.

mom and bella mums

They also had a koi pond in there with about 6 large koi fish of all colors.

koi pond

Isabella thought they were really fun and she kept calling them “gooey fish” (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse).

daddy koi pond

She was in a rather silly mood.

When we were done in there, we headed outside to Kenefick Park, where they have the 2 of the greatest trains built by Union Pacific Railroad. Neither CJ or I had ever been there so it was a fun adventure for all of us.

It was a chilly day so we made Isabella bundle up in her “Murray” coat (everything these days is related somehow to the Wiggles. Murray is the red Wiggle) and put her hood up. She also insisted on wearing her sunglasses.

mom and jackie o

She looked very “Jackie O”, don’t you think?

Here’s “Big Boy”, the world’s largest steam locomotive (or Wags as Isabella called it):

big boy

And here’s Centennial No. 6900 (or the “Sam” train), the largest and most powerful diesel-electric locomotive ever built:

yellow one

These guys were huge! I really felt small standing next to them. Pretty cool to be so close to something so powerful.

daddy and jackie

But soon Isabella grew tired and it was time to go. She was also starting to get cold. And was tired of having her picture taken.

She fell asleep in the car on the way home.

It was a fun day and a nice little family outing – something outdoors before the weather turns too much colder!

Happy Fall!

If you liked this, you might also like:

The Perfect Day

Backyard Adventures

20 Questions

Snow Play!

Way back in November, as the weather was starting to show signs of the coming winter months, I bought Munchkin a winter coat and snow pants. I hesitated on the snow pants because I was being cheap and they cost an extra $9. But, my practical mind won out and told me that she would need those some day and probably on a day when the streets were too crappy to drive out and buy some.

I was right!

Yesterday was just such a day. I was home working and kept promising myself that when I was done, I would take Munchkin outside for her first adventure playing in the snow. I was really looking forward to it.

At precisely 4:19 p.m., I logged off my computer and marched upstairs, determined to start having fun, dammit! Munchkin was napping so I stuffed my face with popcorn and watched Jenny McCarthy tell Oprah about her first Playboy shoot. It was fascinating (insert Star Trek Spock voice here).  Eventually Munch woke up and I immediately changed her diaper (after she looked at me and said, “Diapa, poo poos.” I think she might be ready for potty training sooner than we thought). Then we started suiting her up in her snow gear.

First the snow pants, then the boots, the gloves and hat.

That look on her face kills me! It’s like, “Oh my God what is going on? Is the end of the world near? Is this my HAZMAT suit?”

Then we put on the coat and were ready to go!

I started out slowly because I wasn’t sure what her reaction would be. The first few times she was exposed to grass she freaked out and cried, refusing to put her feet on the ground…figured snow would be similar. But she actually took right to it!

I set her down on the deck and let her get used to it. She just sat there and looked at me. Gee mom, this is great fun. I showed her that you can kick it and run your hands through it and stuff. She eventually started getting brave and trying things.

After a few minutes, I took her down in to the yard. This time she stayed standing and tried to walk in it. However, the snow was up to her knees so she was unable to go anywhere. I suppose it would be hard for anyone to walk in that. I showed her how to lay back and make snow angels and she did! Sort of.

I love that she is laughing and enjoying herself. I remember being a kid and playing in the snow with my sister. We would pile it up along the side of the driveway and climb up, pretending it was Everest or something. And of course building forts and throwing snowballs. She’s too young for that yet but we got her started!

We went back in after about 10 minutes. I didn’t want her getting too cold since her gloves were wet and her face was exposed. Ok, fine, I was getting cold. Anyway, we headed in to get out of our wet clothes, take a nice hot bath and bundle up in warm jammies.

I’m so glad I took her out to play. Sometimes I hesitate to do that stuff because it feels like too much work. Or I’m afraid she’ll hate it and be fussy. But I do it anyway and am always surprised at how well she does and how much fun we have!

Happy snow days to everyone!

If you like this, you might also like:

The Perfect Day

Christmas Eve:…

Backyard Adventures