What We Did Wednesday

Painting, pictures, packing, and pork chops! Wednesday was a busy busy day this week; I guess to make up for last week's rainy day. Waking up at 9:45 and realizing my kid is still fast asleep (kind of get nervous when that happens) is pretty awesome, but I had to get her up and get the day going. Raleigh did not like me waking her up at all.

Me- "Raleigh, it's time to get up" (peeks up from the covers)
Raleigh-"No. Momma, out"

I couldn't help but laugh and cuddle up with her for a few minutes. We went over to our friend's house to paint and play. We got the whole room done while she napped and even snuck in some grilled cheese and soup. Which was perfect because holy crap is it cold out there! It is very cold up here in Chicago today! Luckily I brought a few scarves, gloves, and comfy cozy coats. I am super excited because my Shaklee conference starts tonight! YAY!

We headed home after painting, ate a yummy pork chop dinner with the family, and then she ran around like a crazy person. Screams and giggles can make anybody grin ear to ear. She also found a red hat that she had been wearing all day and now calls it her "hobo hat". Thanks to daddy. In her plaid shirt, scratched up nose, and knit hat she looked a little ruff this morning so he called her a little hobo. Now she thinks that is the hat's name. Raleigh is such a happy girl that it reminds me to enjoy the small things in life. Enjoy your kids while they are young, crazy, and fun. They really do say the darnedest things and I started writing those sayings down so I will never forget the good times.

Look at that pouty lip!!!

Hope y'all have a great weekend and stay safe. 

What We Did Wednesday

♫ Rain rain go away…♫ that was the song we sang most of the day. We had a cold, rainy lazy day in this house. I hate rainy days and love them at the same time. I hate that we are stuck inside trying to stay occupied with every puzzle, book, play-doh, and coloring book we have. However, I love cuddling up on the couch with a blanket and watching a movie or listening to the rain hit the tin roof. That is one of the best sounds.

Country life definitely has it perks. Fall is the prettiest time of year. I love all the colors, smells, and weather. Raleigh always says "oooo pretty" when she sees the trees.

Raleigh has been obsessed with watching Mickey Mouse lately. She immediately asked for it when she got up this morning. While she danced to the hot dog song, I made her a Mickey themed breakfast. She will eat anything so this strange combo didn't phase her. This kid is a bottomless pit! Per request: "biscuits, awwberry, badada"

While terrorizing the house & emptying out the toy cabinet, she found this Homedics massager. She could not stop laughing. It tickles like crazy on my feet too. Thank goodness she is so easily amused or I would be drinking a lot of wine tonight to de-stress. 

This is the chalkboard I made today for the Shaklee booth this Friday. If you're in the area {Pleasant View, TN} stop by 24church for their Christmas Extravaganza! Or you can shop online if you can't make it.

Y'all gonna check out the CMAs? I have it recording on DVR right now :D

Have a great rest of the week y'all! 

Football Frenzy!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?! (It's already week 3! WHAT?!)

That is one of my favorite things around this time of the year. Along with: tobacco barns, candles, pumpkin patches, leaves changing colors, and boot weather. I grew up in a big football family. We watched NFL games every Sunday, ate yummy unhealthy food, and kept track of our fantasy football scores. I want to pass on all those good memories to my children too. I don't do fantasy football anymore but I still love going to games or enjoying them at home while cooking food.

We have to deck ourselves out in football gear. We are in Tennessee so we go for our local Tennessee Titans. My parents are from Iowa, but they never kept up with college ball as much.

Football Baby Legs ~ White Jacket ~ Pom-Pom Beanie ~ Converse ~ Jersey ~

 NFL Logo Shirt ~ Titans Thermal 

Last week my little one and I missed lounging on the couch for that long awaited noon game. That didn't stop us from dressing up for game day and rooting on our team. After we went outside to look at the fish in the pond (her fish face is too funny), running out some energy, and trying not to get licked to death by our dog then we finally got to nap time. This girl still loves her naps…thank goodness. 

Football Sunday isn't complete without some great food. One of my go-to cooks is the awesome Ree Drummond- The Pioneer Woman. I watch her show all the time, then I have to eat immediately after it ends. This is one of her recipes that I love and you can never go wrong with…potato skins! I mean look at those. Don't they make your mouth water? 

Well that's it today. I hear my little love waking up from her nap and I have to make a huge pot of white chili tonight for the whole family. Have a great week y'all! 

Go Titans! ;)

Florida on My Mind

I love Florida. It's an escape from humid, stuffy, allergy filled Tennessee. I love Tennessee don't get me wrong, but sometimes a girl needs some sand and ocean. It was our first family vacation and I was thrilled that it turned out so well. Koby hasn't been out of middle Tennessee in 2 years so he was overjoyed to get time away. We went to Daytona Beach Shores and thanks to some family friends got to stay in a condo right on the beach. Koby's mom and granny also made the trip because they were in need of some good ole family vacation.

I was so safe not to get burn on vacation, but it never fails that I burn the last day and have to deal with a red scorching hot burn the whole way home.

This trip definitely seemed like a turning point for Raleigh. She has always been a good talker but in Florida she seemed to pick up every word. I mean what 21 month old knows the word chocolate or pelican. That by far was her favorite word while we were there. She would get excited seeing one go by and say "pelkin". However, she HATED the sand. I tried to set her down in it and her legs came up. Man that kid has some crazy strength in her legs to hold them up like she did…like a baby spiderman.

We soaked up the sun, ate lots of seafood, splashed in the water (while avoiding stingrays), and awed at the sunsets. It was a perfect vacation with some people that I love.

Of course she liked seafood too.

I love that her hair can go into a pony now. It's so cute. The wind had its fun with it though.

Playtime Pictures

This is gonna be just a fun picture post. I love taking pictures of Raleigh playing or making messes. She is all over the place and loves to run around outside. I know sometimes I just like to look at adorable pictures from the blogs I read so here are some cute ones of my little munchkin.

Raleigh is adventurous. She has always been very independent. Heck she has been able to hold up her own head since the day she was born…scared the crap out of me. She will go right for the big slide and not need your hand. I can't believe my little baby has gotten so big. It's bittersweet to see her learning words (she repeats everything we say…and it's difficult to watch what we say). I am amazed at how she picks up stuff so fast. I know she gets that from me ;) ;) I wish I could slow down time and enjoy these moments more. I guess that's what pictures are for. Check them out. I hope they make you smile like they do me.

"MOM! Why isn't this thing moving?!"

 NO! NOT YET! Please it's too fast :(

Easter 2014

This week was CRAZY! I think that my Nikes have a hole in the bottom from all the running around I was doing. I am glad it's over and I'm looking forward to a few lazy days with my little girl.

We hosted my family and Koby's family for Easter so our little home was packed with people and lots of delicious food. Raleigh was all over the place but I know her favorite place was in the kitchen with the food. She did great with so many people around but heck if you have food then you're her new best friend. I suspect a few people kept food on their plates constantly just so they could here her say "Peas".

Watching her go after the eggs was just too funny. She was so good at it too, especially being her first time doing an egg hunt. Koby & I pointed the the ones that were hers and she ran over to get them. We had to give each kid a specific color of egg or my niece probably would've gotten them all.

I also got this beauty done on Saturday night. It was my first big chalkboard. I found it much easier than the little one on my fridge. We got our Easter family picture in front of it, but I am still waiting on that picture since it wasn't on my camera. What do yal think?

PB Inspired Growth Chart

Goodbye winter weather & HELLO SPRING FLOWERS!

I hope everyone is enjoying this nice spring weather. It's raining here in Tennessee today but I'm not fretting because I know I won't freeze my toes off when I walk outside. I  am excited to work on more projects now because I won't have to bundle up in 3 layers to go outside. I did manage to get in a few projects this week while it was raining, the porch has now been taken over ;) hehehe.

I have already gotten several compliments from friends that have seen my new growth chart. I got the inspiration from Pottery Barn's growth chart that's here. I was not so fond of the colors or price. I knew that I wanted it to be a beautiful wood tone, so I went with this one. I also had two other projects lined up with wood so I got the quart size.

Supplies:
Stain
Foam brush
Sock/Rag
Sander
Measuring Tape
Decal
1x6x6

First, I sanded down the board so it was perfectly smooth, then started on the stain. Now doing stain you should have a rag or old sock that you don't mind throwing away after using it. Apply the stain with a foam brush, I used one of those cheapy ones. After about 10 minutes, wipe the excess off with the sock. I did 2 coats on each side so it was a perfect walnut color on both sides.

I don't have a machine to make decals, but I know I would probably use it a lot if I had one. Hmmm…maybe I need to do some shopping. So I purchased mine off Jane.com from Shelby's Boutiques on Etsy, I got mine when it was on a great sale, but they are still on a good sale on her page…here. Most of the decals like this that I found on Etsy were almost $20, hers is only $14! She also sent great, detailed instructions on how to apply the decal too. If I ever do one of these again for friends or family then I will go through Shelby again.

I applied the decal & peeled it off. All done! It was quick and painless. I don't have a definite place for it yet, especially since I am bringing 2 other creations in this week, but I will find a permanent home on my wall for it soon. And no I don't keep it outside; I couldn't get a good picture inside because it was such a dreary, gloomy day. This was the best I could get at the time.

Maybe here?

Another thing I love to do is chalkboards. I am making a big chalkboard now, but until then I use my vinyl fridge chalkboard. Here is a fridge chalkboard that I got done a few weeks ago. I learned a few new tricks & love the way it turned out. Check out my Instagram for more chalkboards I've done & some cute baby pics.

 I have to say 18 months is probably my favorite age right now. Raleigh loves brushing her teeth.

Thanks for stopping by & checking us out. Let me know what yal think below in the comments. :)

Enjoy this beautiful Spring weather!

Nice Weather, Finally!

The other day I was finally able to get me and Miss Raleigh out of the house. I opened the windows and got to work on spring cleaning the porches, while she ran around terrorizing our tiny dog "Taco". They ran around "playing" while I swept, picked up trash, and tried to make my house not look like a tiny tornado tore through it. Finally, I got to go out and enjoy the beautiful day with her.

We even got to go to the park down the road. We live in a small town, but as soon as there is a warm day people swarm the park like southerns swarm grocery stores when there is 2 inches of snow coming. You know what I'm talking about if you live in the south ;) I was asked 3 times if we were stocked up on supplies just in case…it was suppose to snow 3 inches. Guess how much we got…none. That's Tennessee for you, "If you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes."

Well we made it to the park after the crazy mom crowd disappeared & ran off some energy.

A beautiful sunset to end a beautiful weekend.