Vacay

The kids and I are away with family this week...poor Michael is still home, working.  See you next week!

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Family Room (Slow) Progress

We moved into our house in 2003.  Since then, my tastes in home decor/design have changed pretty dramatically.  My needs in terms of space (and the use of it) have changed pretty dramatically too, due to the three-kids-under-the-age-of-5 thing.

I knew that I was ready for a change, particularly in my family room.

Here was how it looked last winter:

Ugh.  I can't tell you how much I dislike it.  So boring!  Here are some things I knew I wanted to change about the space:

I want to keep the cute little kid sitting on the love seat (did you spot him there??) and, let's face it, I don't think The Wiggles on the TV are going anywhere anytime soon.  Nathan is somewhat obsessed, and I'm still wondering why Jeff is always so sleepy?  That's a question for another day, I suppose.

One thing I really noticed as I stepped back and looked at this photo is the absence of color.  Everything is just so neutral and nondescript.  COLOR is something that was sorely missing in this room.

I'm sorry to tell you that not TOO much has changed with this room, yet.  Part of the reason is because of my indecisiveness, and part of it is due to lack of time.  But the process has begun.  You'll be happy to know that I'm getting ready to turn a coffee table into an upholstered ottoman.  Look at the fabric I chose:

COLORFUL, right?   We also got a new sofa that I am LOVING.  It's gray (I know, neutral!) but I wanted a neutral couch so I could dress it up with some great pillows.  I received this Chicago Textile Accent pillow from TheFurnitureDomain.com, and I knew it would go perfectly with the couch, especially because I'm using lots of blues in the room.

It's a microsuede, and the color is Glacier.  Isn't it pretty?  I love it!  It's extremely well-made, and I know it's going to hold up to the demands of the little ones as well as our pets.  Wanna see the best part?

It's machine washable, baby!  Woo-hoo!  I also think it will look great with the new ottoman:

It's a great start to the room, and I'm going to add more patterned pillows around it.  If you're interested in new pillows, or any living room furniture for that matter, check out the huge selection on their site!

For now, I'm busy adding color to the room wherever I can:

This post is sponsored by TheFurnitureDomain.com.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Noodle Necklaces

I've discovered something about my children.  And it's not a good something.  When offered any unstructured time, their activities of choice are, shall we say, undesirable.  Hitting.  Wrestling.  Kicking.  Poking. Teasing. Yelling.  (Please tell me this is because of their age.  PLEASE?)

So I try and make sure there is very little unstructured time.

Yesterday, I relied on an oldie-but-goodie to fill their time.  Noodle Necklaces!

You'll need:

food coloring
white vinegar
ziploc bags
any type of noodles that can be strung
yarn/ribbon
twist-ties (optional)

First, put 12 drops of food coloring into a ziploc bag.  Add 2 tsp. of vinegar.  Then add about 1/2 cup of pasta.  Squish the pasta around in the bag to make sure that it's coated with the food coloring.

Then lay the pasta out on paper towels to dry.  After about 15 minutes, flip the pasta over so it dries evenly.

When it's all dry, start stringing!  Cut a length of ribbon or yarn, get going!  For an easy threader, twist a twist-tie around the end of the yarn.

Just look at my kitchen table.  You can see I was trying to keep them busy!  In addition to the noodle necklaces, they were also working with magnetic letters AND having a snack.

Here was an unexpected bonus of this activity:  I snuck some math practice in.  We worked on patterning with the noodle colors.

red, red, yellow, yellow

blue, blue, green, green, red

checking his pattern

They loved this activity, and wore their new jewelry all day!

this one loves to pose

this one needs a haircut!

**This activity came straight from the pages of Family Fun magazine!  Awesome magazine and website!**

Marshall's Score

About a year ago, I bought this print for Charlotte's room.

It's from Katie Daisy, and I absolutely adore her artwork and illustrations.  

Yesterday, I went to Marshalls with the kids.  (We were there to find a Slip -n- Slide, but I couldn't get out of there without also buying a Batmobile and Princess Supplies.)  As we were standing in line, I looked over at the notecard display, and found a whole box of Katie Daisy notecards!

What luck!  I scooped them up as fast as I could, and can't wait to frame them and put them on Charlotte's wall.  The illustrations are beautiful, but I love the messages, too.  Artwork for $5.99?  Can't beat that!

The Simple Things

Yesterday was Michael's birthday, so we decided to have a birthday picnic.  The weather was beautiful.  We ate homemade potato salad, chicken salad, and angel food cake.  The kids were happy and well-behaved.  Charlotte wore her tutu.  What could be better?

We pretended we were Harry Potter and played with wands.  This is Charlotte practicing her "swish and flick."

We played a little Frisbee, because that's what you do on a picnic.

A good time was had by one and all.  See how happy the kids are to be with the birthday boy?

See how bored the kids are to be with me?

Never fails.  Hope you had a great weekend!  Linking up here:

"You'll stay with me?" "Until the very end..." **

We're all friends here, right?

Good.

Now I can let you in on the extent of my inner nerdiness.  Only it's not so inner.

I LOVE Harry Potter.  I've devoured all seven books.  I've seen every movie.  I threw my class a Harry Potter Premiere Party when the first part of the seventh movie was released last year.  I've even been known to try a spell or two.  I want to go see the last movie, soon, but in a way I'm also a little sad.  I've really, really loved the magic of the stories and the adventures I've had with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

So anyway, to honor the final movie about my favorite Magical School, here's a roundup of some of my Harry Potter Etsy favorites.  I *might* have already bought myself the Patronus T-shirt.

 L to R:  laptop sleeve, Mischief Managed bracelets, Grim Teacup Mug, Platform 9 3/4 print

           L to R:  Potter Glasses necklace, Deathly Hallows t-shirt, Potter Cupcake Toppers, Potter Pillow          

                       L to R:  Butter Beer body scrub, Keep Calm poster, Patronus shirt, Mentor Cards

                      L to R:  Gryffindor scarf, Quibbler notepad, Prefect pin, Malfoy card

                          L to R:  invitation, pencils, snitch necklace

P.S.  The title of this post comes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  I dare you not to get teary-eyed.

"You'll stay with me?"
"Until the very end", said James.
"They won't be able to see you?" asked Harry.
"We are part of you", said Sirius. "Invisible to everyone else".
Harry looked at his mother.
"Stay close to me", he said quietly.
--------------------------------------------------
(excerpt from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by JK Rowling; page 700)

These are the last words that Harry's father says to him, after summoning him from the Resurrection Stone, before he meets his fate in the woods.

Guest Posting at the DIY Showoff

Hi there everyone, and happy Thursday!

I am guest posting over at The DIY Showoff today.

Please head over there to see a roundup of some of my favorite projects, as well as a SNEAK PEEK of two projects that I'm currently working on!  Thanks for reading!  :)

Creepy Decor?

I recently received a comment on my post about Gavin's room reveal regarding the Ouija board that is displayed on his shelf.

The commenter also sent me an email.  She was very kind, and truly had my best interest at heart.  Her belief is that having the Ouija board in the room is a terrible thing, and that it's inviting bad vibes into my home, and that I should get rid of it immediately.

I've never even thought about it before, mostly because I don't believe inanimate objects can hold any supernatural powers or meaning, but also because I don't believe that "Parker Brothers" has cornered the market on communicating with the afterlife.  I put this in the room because I think the look is iconic, and because it reminds me of summer nights with friends.  All happy memories.  This particular Ouija board is mine from all those years ago.

What are your thoughts?  Do you agree with the commenter?  Is this decor in poor taste?

Cute as a Button Baby Shower

My sister, Laura, is expecting her third baby (the EIGHTH grandchild for my parents, and counting!).  My mom, my sisters, and I hosted a small baby "sprinkle" in her honor today at an adorable local tea shop.  We don't yet know the gender of the baby, but the nursery is decorated in yellows and grays, so we stuck with that color scheme today.

I had such fun creating and styling her "Cute As a Button" baby shower.  Enjoy the photos!

My sister didn't know any details about the shower.  The color of polish she chose for today?  Essie's Cute As A Button!  Funny how things like that happen, right?

The little girl or guy is due in a few short weeks.  We can't wait!

Sources:

Invitations:  Simplicity Papers

Fondant Buttons on Cake:  So Sweet Favors

Soap Button Favors:  Soaps and Favors

Photography:  Katie Przasnyski (my sister)

Flowers:  my mom's garden

Button Nursery Art and Cake Bunting:  handmade by me!