Milestones.

Here's what my darling baby is doing at 4 months. (staying a tiny baby forever is NOT it, despite the requests of his mother)

* Rolling over back to front and front to back.
* Grabbing for toys, holding them, and inserting into mouth for a tasty treat.
* Jabbering and spitting lots and loudly, especially at church.
* Focusing intently on things he wants (like my cheesecake) and trying desperately to get it. Thankfully (for my cheesecake) he can't quite control where those hands and arms go yet.
* Giggles so cutely when he is tickled, especially on the ribs and underarms.

I just had to jot down some things before I forget when they happened. We sure love this little man!!!

Food Storage Give-away!

11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven is giving away nearly $40 worth of gourmet bread mix! It will seem like your spent HOURS in the kitchen making treats like this...


...but it only takes minutes! To enter, click HERE!

Making Stuff

OK, I'm so happy! I've been making stuff again. Here are a couple of the things I've done this past week. (nothing major, but still...it's crafty stuff! yay!!) :)

First, a crayon roll. I've loved the concept of these since I first saw them on the internet. But I didn't really see any need or good reason to make one. Until... a couple of weeks ago at church DH pulled out these crayons for the kids to use:


I instantly thought, "Those babies need a crayon roll to hold them! Yes!" I had a piece of felt that I knew would work wonderfully, and wouldn't need to be hemmed or anything like that. So when I got home I laid out the crayons on the felt, folded up the bottom and marked it, marked between each crayon, and voila! Sewed it up in about 5 minutes! I may go back and re-do the ribbon with something fabulous, but I sewed on what I had and it works just fine. I did sew the ribbon on wrong, cut it off, and re-sewed it on wrong in a different way. But this time it works so I just left it. It's just to have in the diaper bag for church for the kids anyway, right? They love it, so I love it.


Here's another one:
I had these candlesticks.


Nothing wrong with them at all, just wanting a new look. Here is their makeover:


I think they will look great with some little pumpkins or fall colored candles on top, don't you?

OK, last one for now. I found this picture at Goodwill a few weeks ago and fell in LOVE with the metal scroll work on top. The whole thing is metal and lovely:


Although I like the color of the metal, it felt a little dark for my house and didn't really fit in with the "light and airy" scheme I'm trying to create. So a little paint and glaze later...


The middle is chalkboard now. But I'm having second thoughts about that. I was going to put it near the kitchen and write the daily dinner menu on it, but I am thinking of putting it somewhere else and putting a picture in the middle. When I figure it out, I'll make sure to post the REAL "after" picture.

Here's something I've learned with these little projects. I have always bought the cheap 97 cent Walmart spray paint for my painting needs. Well, I heard great reviews about Rustoleum's Heirloom White (used on the candlesticks) so I got some to try. Was there any difference in the spray paint? HECK. YES. I don't think I'll ever use the Walmart kind again. Serious. The Rustoleum covers way better, sprays way better, has a more comfortable button, and can spray when held in any direction. Totally worth the extra cost because one can goes much farther anyway. And yes, the Heirloom White is a gorgeous creamy white color.

Fun, fun fun!!!

Movie review

Saw UP at the drive-in last night. (free for customer appreciation day! woohoo!) LOVED that movie!! It was so cute. Very "up"lifting... hahahahahahaha

Party in the Potty

Not much is cuter than a little boy in his "Tighty Whiteys". But, how do you keep him from calling them "panties"????

Dr. D's discourse on flowers

The other day in the car, Dr. D started talking about flowers. He asked me, "What can you do with flowers?" I said, "You can smell the pretty flowers", because of course what little hands really want to do is pick the flowers. He said, "Yes. Because we don't want them to be pickened."
I love when kids make up new words. :)

As of late...

I have been very, very busy. I have taken on a job as babysitter for some super cute kids. I now have two sets of twins for 7.5 hrs per day. :) My 3 month old, cute 5 1/2 month old, my 2 yr old, cute 2 yr old girl, and her 3 yr old big sister. So what has changed at my house? Well...I am never lacking for something to do, for sure! My arms are always full of either one or two babies (they are very patient and happy to be in arms, even if they are just bouncing on my knees. I should develop lovely calves in the near future from all this bouncing...), we are watching less tv because the kids play together and find taking toys from each other much more fun than Noggin, I am snacking less because I have less time for such things, I smile a lot all day because when you smile at babies they smile back. At least the two babies I get to smile at. They are sooo cute! And when I lay them next to each other they usually end up holding hands for just a little bit. Oh, it's so darling!!!
We have done mud, play doh, puzzles, coloring, sprinklers, made cookies, popsicles, movies, naps (yay for naps!), digging in dirt, bikes, scooters, cars, jumping off couches (Dr. D's favorite thing), and the like. When my big girls get home from school it is so nice to have some helpers around, and they love holding babies, let me tell you. So I get to clean up a tiny bit (emphasis on the tiny) and start dinner while the little kids get a new audience to entertain for a little while. It's a win-win situation.
I know their mommy misses them terribly (and I don't blame her, they are great kids), but we are having a good time and I am enjoying the challenge. The extra income is also giving me some peace of mind, so it works on many levels.
So, with all this going on, why oh why am I suddenly wanting to paint the inside of my house (again)? I'm thinking of going for a super light blue this time... Ahhhhh. I love paint.
And, since my topics are all over the place, has anyone reading this seen the movie "Coraline"? Here's my review--that was the weirdest movie I think I've ever seen. It freaked my kids out, too. They are having a "campout" in the family room tonite because it was so freaky. Oh, and don't let your kids watch 17 Again. Whoa!
Some movies I've seen recently that I really liked-Inkheart, Bedtime Stories, Hannah Montana (I know, I know), and Confessions of a Shopaholic.
So how's that for a change of subject? :)

Shelf Giveaway

This is a gal after my own heart. I've made shelves before, and here is a blog post showing Traci from Beneath my Heart blog making her own shelf to GIVE AWAY!! It's loverly and I'm hoping I win. But if I don't, I hope whoever gets it gives it a nice lovey dovey home like I would. :) Check her out!