Appreciation

I try to find time to be thankful for the little things in life. I think appreciation is what keeps people happy and knowing that this is a stressful time for myself and other teachers going back to work, I just don't think there could be a better time to do this!

MUSIC: I love music. I can't play an instrument, I can't sing, but I constantly have music on when I am home. My latest music craze has been The Black Keys. I know, they are not a new band in the least bit, I'm just a little slow on jumping on the band wagon.

BLOODY MARYS: This is considered a vegetable, right? George loves them and I've always been only so so about them. We recently purchased a basil infused vodka and now I am a Bloody Mary believer!

DATE DAYS: Even though you have been with someone for 6 years, doesn't mean you still shouldn't have date days. We love to go to antique stores to search for records. We also ended the night with making vegetable dumplings together. I love spending time with George and appreciate that he makes time for me in our busy, hectic lives. <3

FAMILY:  Nothing compares. :)

 

What are you appreciative for? :)

White Deer Head - Fake Out

I have been pining over these white animal heads for a while now. Am I a hunter? No. Do I enjoy taxidermy? No, not particularly. So why do I like these? I have no idea, but I am totally in love. The only issue was that I loved this one, but I didn't want to spend $99 on it. Call me cheap, but spending almost $100 on a fake deer head trend wasn't something I was interested in doing.

I saw this really good idea on a blog and for the life of me I can not remember where it was from! If you know, please comment below so I can give them credit.

I went onto Ebay and searched for deer heads until this one came up. When it came in the mail, needless to say it was an exciting day indeed. 

  

 Luckily, the head and the antlers separate, so it makes it so much easier to spray paint, especially if you paint it two toned like I did. 

I used a white spray paint (no primer needed, but lots of coats!) as well as an antique gold spray paint for the antlers. This ended up being a last minute addition because I happened to have the gold spray paint, but I love the effect. The gold isn't too glitzy or tacky looking, but makes it a little different than all the rest I've seen. All in all the project cost me less than half what it would have been already done.  This one is cool too, but I am not even going to pretend like I know how to DIY that!

Would this be something you would ever do?

Don't forget to link up with Monday Made-It so I can steal your ideas too and not give you credit for it, just kidding!!! ;)

Busy, busy, busy

My summer vacation is almost over!  I've been listening to a lot of Beach Boys in order to rebel against the inevitable and prolong the summer feeling for as long as possible.

Here's a glimpse into some stuff that I have been doing around the house before school starts... I'll post some DIY's later when things aren't so nutso.

 

My sister had a beautiful baby named Jackson on July 16th and he is absolutely perfect in every way. I took way too many pictures of him, it was ridiculous to go through my camera. He's just the sweetest thing and my sister and her husband are wonderful parents. It was so sad to leave!

 These pictures just make my heart gush. Thanks for letting me be a proud Auntie and post a bazillion pictures! :)

Just a Few Things

Greetings!
I've been hanging out in Washington D.C. here, waiting for my nephew to grace the world with his presence! My sister is a day past her due date and we are all participating in a waiting game.  Tick tock tick tock...

Car seat waiting...

I've loved being here and being able to spend this wonderful time with my sister and her husband. So lucky to be a teacher right now and to be able to have the summers off.  While I've been here staying at my sister's house, I'm loving all of the little personal touches she has put in to her home. I thought I would share some of my favorites. :)

1. Riley - pirate dachshund, my puppy soul mate

2. My Bed - My sister's husband upcycled this old bed frame from his grandmother's house. How cute is it? I'm totally in love with it. I wonder if it will fit in my suitcase...

3. Their Backyard - Being from Phoenix, I'm drooling over this backyard.  Who would've known how much you could miss green grass?

4.  Nursery Love - I adore little sunny nooks. Isn't this one precious? If I were my nephew, I would want to cuddle on up. Maybe once I post this picture, he will want to come play and join us.

5. A Few Special Details - There are a few other small randoms including a cute dachshund print, adorable light fixtures, and sunny light windows with green plants (jealous of her green thumb).

Speaking of my sister, we have decided to start a blog together! It's still super new, but we are having so much fun with it. Check it out and let us know what you think! It's called Two Flew the Nest and you will see that we are fresh from cyber world. I can't wait for you all to see it. <3

Hopefully the next time I see you, we will have some baby pictures to share. :) Have a great day!

Beer Float?

Sounds weird, I know, but hear me out. If you get a really yummy porter or stout and combine it with vanilla ice cream, it's actually not half bad.

Random Side Note: What is it about a pint of ice cream that has been sitting out for a while that looks so irresistible? Is it the frosty exterior, the anticipation of melty oozy goodness, or what? Anyway, back to the cocktail...

It's pretty simple and I am not really sure why I felt the need to do a picture step my step directions. In fact, I don't think I even need to type anything here. Let's see if it works!

Got it?? Last step, drink! It's yummy! It is definitely an acquired taste, but I think you are woman or man enough. Enjoy!

Currently Time

Wow - I thought I was on top of things doing this on July 2nd, but yowza ~ y'all are way more prompt than I am!  I think I am #3,572.8 on the list.

My sister is about to have a baby boy! It's our first baby in the family and I seriously could not be more thrilled. She and her husband are going to be amazing parents and I am so honored to be there for this and be able to help in any way that I can. Aren't babies a miracle? It's amazing to me and something so fantastic and complex it's hard for me to wrap my head around it. I am heading off to DC from Phoenix today to see them!

My Tips and Tricks:  I used to get so stressed about making sure I had something to write about or feeling guilty if I hadn't updated the blog a few times a week. Then I realized that no one is superwoman here and that everyone needs to take a break every now and then. It's okay - take a break. No one cares, we care about the blogger, not how many posts she can crank out.

See you all on the east coast! Vrooooooom (that was an airplane sound effect)

Monday Made It - Wedding Edition

Have you ever wanted to make a ridiculously huge paper flower??  OK, well maybe not everyone shares this aspiration, I have to tell you I absolutely love the result. This is probably my favorite craft I have ever done. I am going to put these on the archway during the ceremony at the wedding, but I also think they would be cute stapled up in a classroom or stacked to create a small accent wall in your home. Click {HERE} to get the tutorial. Here's how the ended up...

Basically, each petal is a 12x12 cardstock sheet. Cut out a shell or lightbulb like shape (the more random the better ~ get wiggly with your cutting!) and then accordian fold them. Hot glue the petals together strategically stacking and spreading as you go. We ended up using seven petals per flower because let's be honest, odd numbers are winners.

The middles are just made up of two different colored circles, one cut smaller than the other and then fringed. Fold up randomly and then hot glue them in the center of the flower.

They are huge and I happen to love abnormally sized objects! Note the giant pocket watch in the background.

I hope you all get to make this craft. The only issue is that where do I keep these bad boys until the wedding? We might need to use our dining room table eventually... Oh well, it works for now!

Don't forget to link up to Tara's Monday Made It!