sadie: 8 years old

Today is Sadie's 8th birthday!  I decided to have a little fun and put her through the monthly photo session I do for the kids every month.  I don't think Sadie thought it was fun, though!  Some stats:  Sadie weighs 16 pounds, eats non-gluten chicken and turkey food, and sleeps through the night (and most of the day).

Here is Sadie, just two months old.  The hubs and I had just gotten married that August, and little did we know that Sadie Barkington had been born just one week before our wedding.  As the hubs and I got settled into married life, we decided to be all cliche and buy a house in Moundsville, WV.  Then, of course, we needed the dog.  The hubs wanted a rat terrier and I wanted a golden retriever, so we compromised on a Boston terrier.  I spent my days not writing orders for the judge, but instead trolling websites to find a puppy, and we found her in Canal Fulton, OH.  

The breeders, who were also veterinarians, wouldn't promise they would have a puppy available by the time we got there.  When we showed up, another couple had already snagged one sister.  Sadie and her brother were the only ones left.  We played with both, but knew Sadie was our keeper.  

The night we picked her up was rainy and stormy, and she stayed on my lap for the entire ride.  Since it was October and chilly, we immediately stopped by a pet store and bought her some tiny sweaters.  The first three years of Sadie's life were perfect - she slept with us, she went on tons of walks, and she was generally spoiled as much as any dog can be.  Then came the babies...

I make jokes that Sadie is my first-born, but that's not too far off.  And she didn't take too kindly to being bumped out of our top priority spot by a screaming lump of baby.  Sadie showed her disdain - she regularly pooped in front of Britton's door, she snuck into Britton's room to pee, and she, still to this day, will wedge herself between me and the kids when I'm sitting on the floor playing with them. I don't hold it against her - she was used to being the enter of our universe and honestly had the rug pulled out from under her when that was no longer the case.  

Truthfully, I can't imagine not having Sadie in my life.  We need her, we all do.  And I'm lucky that she puts up with Barrett's "petting," and when Britton wants Sadie to sleep in her bed all night, and moving from the horrendous heat of Texas to getting lost in snowdrifts in Pennsylvania.  Sadie has endured two surgeries on her knees, and we endured paying for the ridiculously expensive procedures, which inconveniently enough required that she not jump at all for six whole weeks.  That was a long six weeks (both times)!  Back in Texas she went through a plasma transfusion after getting pancreatitis (from eating grill charred bits) and was in the vet hospital for three days.  And she also had two teeth pulled, that never came through the gum.  She has a degenerating disc in her back that acts up sometimes, and has itchy spots where something in Pennsylvania grass has irritated her, but she doesn't fog out a room like she used to as a puppy.  She still snores sometimes, which I find adorable!

Likes:  tummy rubs, sleeping with us (which irritates the hubs to no end, and allows her to pee at random, so it's not often at all), playing with her hedgehog stuffed toy, going on walks unrushed, cream cheese, laying in the sun

Dislikes:  extreme weather (either too hot or too cold), being left out (like if we go on a family walk and don't take her), thunderstorms

halloween in august

If we can have Christmas in July, why not Halloween in August?  I blame JoAnns for this one - for bringing out all that beautiful fall decor, and then marking it down 30% right off the bat.  It got me thinking about Halloween decorations, and while I don't decorate for every holiday, my Halloween decorations have been lacking.  Plus, Halloween is what gets me going for Christmas decorating!  One of the cashiers at JoAnns told me that a good crafter is always six months ahead, so I guess I better get cracking.  Yes, sage advice and free coupons!

I had copied this photo from the internet of a patchwork pumpkin pillow (say it fast three times), and just knew I had to completely and shamelessly copy it make one too.  I pulled out my black, grey, and orange scraps and got down to business.

I love gingham.  Love it.  And this gingham came from Memaw's stash, so it's that thick and sturdy gingham that you can't buy anymore.

I had bought a yard of this Halloween bunting fabric last January, when I was ordering all the deeply discounted Christmas fabric I could find.  I had no plans for it at the time, and it ended up being perfect for a couple of squares on the front and the backing.  I made an envelope enclosure in case I ever need to take the cover off and wash it.

The pillow ended up being 14 inches square, and is waiting to come out for Halloween!

And then I got a hankering for a Halloween wreath.  Burlap, specifically.  And I bought all the supplies to make it, and then got them all home and decided, after many many YouTube tutorials, that this project was beyond my abilities.  I returned all my supplies, defeated.  So I got back on Etsy and ordered the wreath I wanted to copy.  

  

Isn't it gorgeous?  It's twice as much as I would usually consider spending on a wreath, but man oh man, I just had to have it!  Word to the wise - if you're trick-or-treating at my house this year and mention how much you like my wreath and pillow, I'll be so happy I'll hook you up with a whole handful of candy!

barrett: 15 months old

The difference from 12 months old to 15 months old has been truly remarkable with this boy.  I think he's determined to learn something new every day!  Barrett now has his walking down pat, and walking is his preferred mode of transportation these days.  We got him a pair of bright green Crocs last weekend, and he is absolutely in love with those shoes!  Maybe it has a little to do with his penchant for taking them off and chewing on them....but I digress.  He showed off a new skill recently - he backed up into Memaw's legs and leaned back on her, so that she could bend down and put his shoes on him!

Just a year ago, Barrett was a baby - now he's officially a toddler...

This kid loves the water like it's going out of style.  Every night after dinner, we go out on the deck and Barrett goes straight to the water table.  Not two seconds later, he's dumping cups of water over his head and sitting in the baby pool.  He's also discovered that he can sit at Britton's little table by himself, so you can usually find him there, chalk in hand.  

Barrett has come to accept and even sometimes enjoy his stroller on walks.  Every weekend, weather-permitting, we go on a couple of big family walks.  Frankly, I usually just need the break from trying to entertain children all day, and on the walk gives them something new to do.  And now Barrett enjoys going too, so long as he has a graham cracker in his hand!

Barrett just got moved to a new class at daycare, and is down to one nap per day.  At school he'll nap maybe an hour to an hour and a half, but at home on the weekends he'll sometimes nap for three hours.  He's usually sleeping through the night, though sometimes he'll randomly get up right before the hubs and I go to bed and drink an entire bottle.  This usually occurs when he's hitting a growth spurt, and we get a heads up because he gets ravenous at dinnertime.

Speaking of food - here's Barrett with his spaghetti and meatballs.  He loves meat, garlic breadsticks, cheese, corn, blueberries, and graham crackers.  He is really open about trying anything, and he gets the same meals everyone else is getting.  One of his favorite meals is breakfast, and on weekends I treat him to pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage links.  His new favorite game is throwing food down to Sadie, which she loves and I do not!

 

Barrett is currently in size 24 month clothing, and I haven't bought any winter clothes yet because I have no idea how big he'll be by the time the weather turns cold.  He's in size 6 shoes and size 5 diapers.  He is as tall as the kitchen table, so about 30 inches, and weighs around 29-30 pounds, I think.  

 Likes:  books with sounds, musical instruments, throwing balls, water, dancing

Dislikes:  not being able to keep up with Britton, being tired, getting dressed

chalk that paint

I've had a crush on this Hemnes linen cabinet from IKEA for ages.  AGES.  Every time I venture to IKEA, I seek out this cabinet and pet it like a puppy.  And of course, it happens to be the one thing I want from IKEA that costs $300.  On principle I just can't spend that much money on furniture I have to assemble.  So when I went to Jessica's house before Cammy's retirement party, she had an old bookcase of mine that she was looking to rid herself of.  Folks, I bought this bookcase my sophomore year of college, from the Martha Stewart line at K-Mart.  Seriously.  And it's held up that long!  Ok, not THAT long ago, if you don't do the math.  

Anywho, I hauled it home and the hubs eyed me suspiciously when I asked him to help unpack the car.  Because this bookcase was stuffed in the back.  I finally got around this weekend to painting it and covering the inside with contact paper.  I used the Americana Decor chalk paint from Michaels, in "Romance," because I've finally jumped on the Pinterest chalk paint bandwagon, and I have no idea why I waited so long.  This stuff is amazing!  No priming, no sanding, and the coverage is ridiculous.

I used some old glass knobs, and did my faux mercury glass treatment to them (mirror spray paint and some dark grey sponging).  

This contact paper was left over from my kitchen cabinet lining project, and I liked how the aqua and red went together. 

And once the chalk paint got its claws into me, well, there wasn't any stopping it.  I have legitimate fears that every piece of furniture in my house might end up looking like a French antique flea market find, and that's a slippery slope!  I promised the hubs I had one, just one, more project in mind - Britton's little table and chairs.

The honey-colored wood was fine, but once Memaw and I got to talking about how good it would look painted with a chalkboard top, well, it had to be done!  This color is "Vintage," and while you can't tell it from these photos, it is a beautiful grey blue, very close to my bathroom paint color of "Rainwashed" by Sherwin-Williams.

Instead of using wax to finish the pieces, I used the soft-touch varnish.  Wax has to be reapplied every six months to a year, and I didn't want the maintenance.  The soft-touch varnish keeps the furniture matte and protected.

I covered the top of the table with chalkboard (not chalk!) paint.  It took three coats, and still has 24 hours to go until it's completely cured.  So, no one gets to use the table just yet.

Since Martha Stewart is my girl and all, I not only buy her defunct K-Mart furniture line, but also her chalkboard labels!  These come from Staples and are removable, in case I want to switch them up.  I need to find a chalk marker to better write Britton and Barrett's names, so this chicken scratch will have to suffice until I get to JoAnns, which is about two times a week!  Even when I'm between quilting projects I guess I still find a reason to go there.

Did I mention that the paint is only $9 a jar (and I used a 50% off coupon), and that each project took less than one jar?   Those statistics have me pining for more chalk painting projects!  But since I've run out of furniture, maybe it's time to move on to photo frames....Here we go!

britton: 5 years old

My baby turned five years old today!  I thought I wouldn't be ready or I'd be sad, but that's not the case.  I think my reticence about her getting older was tempered by her absolute excitement about having a birthday.  This was the first birthday that Britton was really stoked about, and knew that a party was just days away.  Days away!  How can she be expected to wait?  Her excitement pumped me up too, and coasted us straight into Saturday, ready to celebrate.

Some five-year-old details:  no official stats, since her doctor appointment isn't until Thursday, but Britton is in size 8-10 clothes (just ordered size 12 for our upcoming 6-month winter), she wears size 13.5 shoes, her favorite color is rainbow or pink depending on what she's wearing, she loves playing pretend games with her friends at school, she can sound out words and recognizes short words like "me" and "now."  Britton can count to 100, she she is one heck of a baseball player!  

We started out Britton's birthday with a birthday breakfast!  Britton wanted pancakes, eggs, and sausage, all with sprinkles.  Works for me!  We started out our "Frozen" theme with paper plates.

Then Britton got decked out in her Elsa dress and new Elsa jewelry...

And discovered her birthday balloons!

Then it was party time!  We booked a party at Fun Fore All, the local kid fun place.  It's like a combo of Chuck E. Cheese, child-casino, ball pit, carnival, and miniature golf.  Britton got hot in the 5-story ball pit and had to change out of her Elsa dress.  We went with the package that included an hour of unlimited outdoor rides, and hit up the roller coaster first.

Then the "Happy Swing."

Barrett didn't get to go on any of the rides, but he did wear himself out walking around the entire outdoor area!

Tired of all things "Frozen" yet?  Hope not because there's definitely more to come!  Here's the cake, and that "North Mountain" is a good inch thick of icing.  But man, was it delicious!

I made the candle, covering it in glitter glue, crystals, and scrapbooking snowflakes.

Blowing out her candles!  

After our fill of pizza, cake, and games, we headed home to open presents.  Not only had we held off on opening our gifts, but she then had all the presents from her party.  So by the time we got home, Britton was raring to go!

Yes, yes, she got a lot of dolls!  We got her the Anna and Kristoff dolls from the Disney Animator's collection, and also the Anna and Elsa Barbie-sized dolls with color-changing dresses.  Then she received another Anna toddler doll, a mermaid Barbie for the bathtub, a Lalaloopsy, and a Mooshka doll.  I think she's set for life!  Britton also received some puzzles, books, and art supplies.

I found an artist that paints portraits of toys, and sells prints of those portraits.  Someone else had loved her Winnie and had a portrait made, so I bought the print for Britton.  I don't think Britton remembers when Winnie looked this new!

Aunt Jessica sent Britton a Frozen watch, Frozen Tervis cup, and a Frozen invisible ink booklet!  Britton convinced me to let her open the watch a couple of days ago, and she's worn it ever since.  Cammy got Britton the Mooshka doll and a raincoat ensemble for her American Girl doll.

Britton loved her quilt!  She wasn't too surprised by the design since I know she's spied it on my design wall.  And she had already sneaked a peek at the mermaid fabric.  

Memaw and PawPaw got Britton the Kristoff doll and a new bike!  Her new bike is beautiful, and bigger and more sturdy than her old one.  This bike should last her years, since it is a 20" bike.  She kept putting her new dolls in the basket and riding up and down the street.

Happy birthday to my little bee, my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey.  Not every moment has been perfect, but that's what makes life good.  And real.  I love you, to the moon and back, I love you.