One day...

I saw this picture today over at Under the Sycamore.  It just makes my heart happy.  I hope to have a picture of my girls doing this one day!

Source:  http://ashleyannphotography.com

Under the Sycamore is a great blog of all things crafty and family--  complete with photography tips and DIY tutorials.  Check it out :)

XOXO-
Lindsay

Don't Blink- You'll Miss It!

I know it's totally cliche to say this, but where is the time going?  I mean- really!

Not only is Aubrey transforming from a baby to a little girl right before my eyes (more about this below), but I'm already 17 weeks along with little sister.  Little sister is now the size of a sweet potato-- we've got a long way to go before she's the size of a watermelon, but it seems like we found out we were having another baby just yesterday!  I'm one of those people who will nest throughout the ENTIRE pregnancy.  I did it last time, and I've found myself doing it again.   It is just an overwhelming urge to get everything perfectly in order.  My nesting is not limited to the nursery either- it's the entire house.

Here are a few projects that are stewing in my brain. Weston will die when he sees this! :)

Sewing slip covers for the dining room chairs, maybe without the pleat.

Source- anna-white.com 

Painting the dining room. How beautiful is this color with the white moulding?  The color is Homberg Gray by Sherwin Williams.

Source here

I'd like to finish up some decorating in the kitchen- complete with a dinner bell.  I love this ship bell.

Source here

I've got a million other ideas, and quite frankly I don't expect many of them to get done as my true focus needs to be on figuring out how to accommodate two little people in Aubrey's bedroom.  I plan for the girls to share the room once little sis is sleeping through the night-- so if any of you has a twin bed  you'd like to throw my way, bring it on!

I plan on sewing a rag quilt for Aubrey's big girl bed.  I haven't started looking for fabric quite yet, but my plan is to follow the tutorial below:

Source for tutorial here

Speaking of Aubrey... it seems she is doing something new every single day. I found a cool source of activities for toddlers on Pinterest that I can't wait to try with her.  She is a little sponge and is so ready to learn that I feel obligated to provide her with some fun sensory and educational activities.  Check out this blog for cool toddler activity ideas.  My favorite ideas are: the pom pom activity and the pasta activity.


And here's a long list of what Aubrey's up to these days:

• Saying 'tee tee.'  She walks past the bathroom, points at the potty and says, 'tee tee.'  So last night we let her sit on the potty for a minute.  Nothing happened, but it was a great photo opp!  We'll have to get her a little potty so she can practice sitting.  

She looks totally freaked out. 

• She can look Weston or I straight in the eye and call us "Mama" or "Dada."  She knows I'm mom and he's dad.  She calls our names when she wants something (which is also new). 
• She can play "Ring Around the Rosies" and "London Bridge".  She can sing, "Ashes Ashes, Fall Down" and then fall to the floor. 
• The days of non stop talking have begun.  We were taking a little Sunday drive and she made noise the entire time we were in the car.  She was singing, talking, blowing raspberries, etc..  
• She is identifying all sorts of new things and able to call them by name.  She knows her hairbows are called "Bow."  She can say Diaper "Pi-Pi." 
• She bows her head to pray when we bless our food.  She thinks it's real silly.
• She's asking "What's that?" about everything.  
• She can say "Cool!"
• She can count to ten, although not on her own.  She knows how to make the noises for the numbers that come next.  
• Her song repertoire is growing and now includes- Bye Baby Bunting, Ring Around the Rosies, Ba Ba Black Sheep, Jesus Loves Me, The song to 'Cat in the Hat', and ABC's.
• She can blow kisses and put her finger to her mouth to make the "shhhhh" sound.  She doesn't actually make the sound yet, she just blows on her finger.
• She loves Chloe more than Chloe loves her.  Aubrey tries to ride her, sit on her, hug her and tickle her.  Chloe tries to stay as far away as possible.

I guess that about sums it up.  Have a great weekend!


Lindsay 

Baby Sunsuit

I finished another sewing project last night!  It involved my favorite sewing trick, shirring, of course. This sweet little baby sunsuit is for little Bess Mary, my coworker's 8 month old little girl.  I can't wait to see a picture of sweet Bess in her little sunsuit!

Source- Me

I saw come cute knit Zutano sunsuits just like this at a boutique for around $20-$30. This one on the Zutano website is $29. **kudos to Zutano because I think they have the CUTEST fabric prints ever!

Source- Zutano.com

I used cotton fabric that I found as a remnant piece.  It was less than $4 at JoAnn and I got a little over a yard.  I had no idea what I would use it for when I bought it, but I think it sure did make a cute little bubble suit!  I used a cotton ivory lace to make the shoulder ties.  Cost was about $1.50 for 2 yards of lace.  This was my first time sewing anything with leg holes or a button crotch (the technical term I'm sure). Not too bad for my first try!  I've got enough fabric and lace left over to make a top for Aubrey and also make some PJ pants for her.

I followed this awesome tutorial and pattern from Made by Rae for my sunsuit.  I found it on Pinterest of course.  Thanks for the great tutorial!

Link to source and tutorial-  Made by Rae 

I hope someone else will give this project a try and let me know how it goes!

Lindsay

We're back!

After an awesome 6 days off from work and a nice little vacation it's back to the daily grind.  But-- we had such a great time on our little trip!

As a born and raised West Texas girl, I had never stepped foot in Louisiana until I was 26 or so. This trip to New Orleans was my first visit to the Big Easy and I had no idea what to expect.  It was far nicer than I anticipated, the food was just as good as I had heard, and I was completely enamored by the fact that 80% of this city was under water just 6 or 7 years ago.  Then we ventured over to Mandeville, LA (just on the other side of the HUGE Lake Pontchartrain) on July 4th and stayed one final night there before heading home. Highlights from the trip at the bottom of this post- for those interested.

We left Aubrey behind with Weston's parents while we made our little trip.  We thought WE were on vacation, but the daily photos from Weston's mom (all below) clearly indicated that Aubrey was really the one on vacation.  She looked like she was having a blast.  I was scared she wouldn't want to come back home.

Snacking on raisins and crackers after swimming

More swimming

Eating corn on the cob in her swimmy suit

Happy 4th of July!
I made this shirt for her!! :)

Her very own Icee-- in the car.

Morning stroll

Helping Cookie make cup cakes

Riding in the Barbie Jeep with Eli

Whoa- too fast!

Luckily she was happy to see us when we got home and decided it would be okay to come back home with mom and dad!

----A few highlights of my favorite things from the trip----

NEW ORLEANS

Hotel: Loews New Orleans - Great location near the French Quarter, Riverwalk, and Warehouse District.  And apparently it's one of the few NOLA hotels with a spa.

Spa: Balance Spa at Loews- We got an 80 minute couples massage-- I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Restaurants:  Restaurant August-  AMAZING.  One of the best dining experiences I've ever had.  We both ordered the chef's prix-fixe menu and enjoyed 5 amazing courses of gourmet food.  Drooling again. 

Restaurants:  Brigtsen's- Located in a charming Victorian cottage in Uptown New Orleans, this family owned restaurant specializes in Creole/Acadian cuisine with all locally sourced produce and meat.  If you're under the age of 50 you might be the youngest people there-- but I didn't mind it a bit.  Stepping into Brigtsen's made me feel like I was in on a little New Orleans secret-- a place truly only frequented by locals.  The food was fantastic. 

Attractions:  Magazine Street- A 6 mile stretch of retail and restaurants stretching through Uptown and the Garden District.  A far cry from anything you'll find in the French Quarter, which I thought was super gross and crowded, Magazine Street has charming antique shops, modern design stores, coffee, pubs... you name it. 

We also did some of the touristy things like visit Cafe du Monde, the Aquarium, and the WWII Museum-- all of which were nice.  

MANDEVILLE and MADISONVILLE

Hotel: Marvilla Guest House- Marvilla is a fully restored 1870's guest house in Mandeville, 1 block from Lake Pontchartrain.  Second time we've stayed here- it's quaint and charming. 

Restaurants: Morton's Seafood Restaurant- Set on the bank of the Tchefuncte River- a great place to grab a cup of seafood gumbo and fresh blue crabs and watch the yachts float by.

Shopping: Coquille Cottage- Great place to find refinished and repurposed furniture and accessories.  The prices were awesome-- we loaded the car up!