Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween!!!  This year was a lot more fun for the girls.  They were definitely more aware of what was going on.  The girls were fairies this year-- Flora, Fauna and Merryweather to be exact!  (From Sleepy Beauty) I decided to make the girls costumes when I couldn't find any toddler Sleepy Beauty fairies anywhere in stores and online.  And they were a lot of work!  So, don't be too disappointed when they are the same thing next year!  Maybe next year Kyle will be Sleepy Beauty, hahaha!!  The girls really got into the "Trick or Treat" and getting their buckets filled with candy.  We took them to the Ward Trunk or Treat on Friday night and then around the block last night.

Carly- Merryweather

Mckenna- Flora

Madison- Fauna

 And then I couldn't help but make a little witch hat for myself.  I told Kyle I was a "chic" witch.

Then like good parents that we are, we dumped the candy out on the table and let the girls go wild!  I didn't know that they could ingest that much candy in such a short time!  Since they hardly ever have candy I figured we could make an exception on Halloween.  That's probably why they went so hog wild, they are worried they'll never get it again!

Mckenna has such a sweet tooth.  They others looked like they were more in a sugar coma but Mckenna just kept going and was having way too good of a time!

After their candy binge, we got them ready for bed and they actually just zonked out.  We didn't hear a word as soon as we closed the door.

So, until next year, the hats are retired!

Heads Will Roll!!

So I am in a book club with some friends and I hosted October's get together.  I chose Legend of Sleepy Hollow as our book to read (I know 50 pages, very ambitious book there Sunny) and since it was such a quick read, I decided to spookify up the house with some Sleepy Hollow atmosphere!  I took some pics to show.  I wish that the pictures were better to show how great it looked.  I even forgot to take a picture when the table was decked out with food and all the 20 candles a lit up!  I really need camera lessons, I'm a waste of my camera's abilities.  I created most of my decor from thrift store finds and some craft creations.  It was a lot of fun and maybe we will have to make it a tradition each year!

The Spooky Hosts

Fall set up....

to Sleepy Hollow set up with silver platters and headless horseman galore!

Lots of spooky black branches throughout the house...

And I took two old pictures (the befores were scary naked babies) and painted some spooky trees!

I know, Poe and Sleepy Hollow are separate books, but at least I stayed in the literary land

And, of course, I had to have Ichabod's head!

Happy Halloween to all!  This week I am finishing up the girls costumes for the big night!

Some projects...

Remember when I said awhile ago that I also painted some signs and a desk after I got back from Wyoming?  Well, here they are!  They are nothing exciting to everyone else, but they were work for me and so I am going to show them off!  First a couple garden signs to make my yard look a little more fun...

 And then my parents gave me one of their desks that had water damage all over it and I painted it this light pale green color, distressed and glazed.  It's my sewing craft desk now which no matter how much I organize, never seems to look organized.

 Also, changed the knobs to these cute ones that I loooooved.

Just some projects to give me something to look forward to, I have a few Halloween ones in the works right now that I will post when I get them done.  Oh, and what are the girls going to be for Halloween this year?  I'm still stumped.... any ideas?  If anyone even reads this...

End of Summer

Kyle and my mom both told me today that I need to update the blog.  Alright alright!! Stop telling me already!  So just thought I would add some pictures of the girls.  They are growing up so fast!  It's amazes me everyday all the new things they learn.  And I used to think they really didn't know what I was saying but I find Carly repeating one or more words from my sentences when I talk (to her or not to her) and so I think they are starting to get the communication!  Just wish they could communicate better instead of scream or whine for something.  But we are getting there.  They are doing so many things but every time I sit down to write a post I can't seem to remember any of them.  They love to play dress up right now, love Elmo, Dora, buses (and all transportation, especially Carly) and accessories (I can't blame them there, who doesn't?).  I love these girls!  Here are some pictures from this summer with bubble fun and pool fun.  And they love to sit on all my throw pillows I made for my bed this spring.  They think it's their little slumber party area.

 Carly

 Mckenna

 Madison

 Carly and Madison

 Loving the pool outside, and those cups!

 Look at Mckenna reaching for the bubbles!

Painting away...

Here are some of the pieces that my mom and I refinished in June in her house. We counted that we painted over 20 pieces of furniture and accessories. And if you think I was sick of painting after all that (it took a good 3 1/2 weeks to finish it all) I came back to Boise and painted a desk of mine and some garden signs (more pictures of that in another post). I'm officially addicted. We used this great paint called Annie Sloan Chalk paint. So nice and requires no sanding or priming. It's really lovely stuff to work with and doesn't take as much work to get the pieces looking aged and antiqued. I could only find one before picture of some of the furniture (this is the before dining table and picture on the wall) so you will just have to imagine a lot of dark wood getting painted.

Before:

Corner hutch (she had two and the other one looks just like this in another room) we painted a pretty blue:

Family room tables painted gray to bring out the gray fireplace.
Light cream tables in the front living room.
Here's the family room. We also made new pillows and curtains in this room.
My sil also had an old antique dressing she needed painted to we also painted this for her. It is going in her little girl's room with cute pink knobs.
This is the fabric for the curtains in the front living room we made. Isn't it gorgeous? I could sit and stare at this print all day. Sorry, pictures don't always do it justice ya know...
Front room, new curtains and pillows as well.
The blue corner hutch again, the picture frame was also painted in a little green and the dining room table as well as reupholstered all the eight chairs. The chairs were by far the biggest bear to get done (eight of them-two not shown). Lots of nooks and crannies and too many sides on those things. We also painted my mom's barstools and reupholstered them as well but I don't have a picture of them.
And if furniture wasn't enough, we also painted this pitcher.

Plate and pot base.
Even the owl who the call Octavius.
There were a few other knick knacks we painted (I even painted candles-who knew?) but I didn't bother to take pictures. All and all it was A LOT of work but so rewarding in the end because my parents both LOVE the new look.

Hello middle of Summer...

Just like every summer, time flies. The girls and I have been in Wyoming for the past month and a half getting a chance to play with Grandma's and Grandpa. It was all new experiences and my parents have a huge yard they can just run forever in so they loved every moment. I helped my mom with some home projects (lots and lots of furniture painting). I will show pictures of our work eventually but I haven't gotten them uploaded yet. So the girls got a chance to go on four wheeler rides....

Mckenna loved the four wheeler the most and was trying to drive it with me most the time. She's little miss take charge!
The girls with dad here, just loved the looks of misery, mainly because the didn't want to share dad and the four wheeler with each other...

Madison has learned how to crawl out of bed (since the week before Memorial Day) and boy is it exhausting. They have all crawled out of their cribs once each in the last 4-5 months but I just considered it all flukes. This time it's consistently every nap and nighttime. Madison gets her sisters all amped up about it too and they cheer her on in her freedom! So they have really been delaying falling asleep lately but I figure if they are tired enough, they will sleep I guess. Just in the last week or so Carly has also learned how to climb out but Carly is much easier to discipline and get back in her bed and she won't try it as often as Maddy. I have to say I am more impressed with Carly hefting herself out of the crib. It's pretty impressive in general how much kids can climb like little monkeys but Carly is 30 lbs of straight lead so it can't be easy to lift herself out whereas Maddy is as light as a feather.

So most of the time, they are pretty quiet and I don't always know when Maddy is out of bed. I will check in before bed and put her back in her bed if she is on the floor but sometimes she decides to curl up in the oddest positions or locations. This is one of the pieces we painted while I was in Wyoming and she loves this cabinet. Always sticking her stuffed animals in it. Well, one day she decided to fall asleep in there. Sleeping like that would have broken my back so it's a good thing kids seem to be made of rubber.
Kenz loved playing with the balls outside on the grass, she couldn't get enough of them, here she is offering her beach ball to me...
Maddy loved Grandma's little metal bunny she has on her front porch and she would sit and pet it and give it kisses. So sweet...
And these are the best pictures I can get of Carly. Every time I pull out the camera she is running in the opposite direction. Carly LOVES outside, and gets very upset when it's time to go back inside. She never stops moving the entire time we are outside. They really aren't the easiest to capture in photos right now with all of the movement.
So we had a great time in Wyoming, I painted a lot (like over 20 pieces of furniture) and I was tired after it all but I really love to paint so that helped me stay focused, plus I love accomplishing big projects. I have started painting a desk here that my parents gave me that they don't need anymore so I will have to get pictures up of that. We'll be heading back over in a few weeks to Wyoming for a family reunion and I am excited for the girls to see all the Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and extended Aunt, Uncle, cousins!