Easter Goodies and a Bunny

This Easter we are really cutting down on the amount of stuff we put in the girl's baskets. Instead of filling a plastic basket with junk that will be broken or lost within a day or two we are going to give them stuff that will inspire and enhance.

I ordered some cute unpainted wooden toys from Goose Grease Undone on Etsy, a set of butterflies and a set of dragonflies. Lately we have been painting unfinished wooden eggs a lot and the girls really enjoy watching me paint fairy doors and Spoolie dolls. By getting them their own paintables they can work beside me without taking my store supplies, lol!

Some other ideas I have are bird masks- (the girls LOVE birds!),  recycled crayons in fun shapes like these dinosaurs, creative building blocks, and of course, fun soap!

We will give the kids a little bit of chocolate, some bubbles, and a book, but that will be about it! I did, however, make something that I should have saved for Easter, but couldn't resist showing Gabby and AJ my creation- Plush Little Pocket Bunnies!!!

These are bunnies that are embroidered and personalized with a special pocket in the back, which is perfect for storing small trinkets and such. They are super easy to make and the girls love hugging them close! I really should have saved them for their baskets but I couldn't resist!!

**I am going to try to post a tutorial tomorrow... they are super quick and easy to make.  I have a pretty nasty cold right now though so we will see.**

All of 4 Months!

Already 4 months have gone by...

Days filled with smiles, giggles, and chubby cheeks!

At 4 months old Moira is developing her own little personality

and finding her place in this family.

Already she knows her name,

just discovered her toes,

and sings herself a song to go to sleep.

She loves to have her photos taken,

prefers to sleep with mommy more than anyone,

and splashes in the bathtub tons!

Moira is worn everywhere so she sees everything.

In the car she stares at her mirror in facination

and started grabbing her toes to take off her socks.

Her personality is sweet and calm,

more watchful than active,

 and just now she is beginning to use her voice,

(mostly to protest nap times!!)

This baby of ours is growing so fast,

cherished by everyone around her.

Happy 4 months little one!

Tons of Creative Bubbles Today!

So today is one of those days where my mind is going a mile a minute. I am thinking about all the career stuff in my life- dance, dance photography, homeschooling, caring for other children, etc. Along with that I am really thinking about the June craft show... need to get in gear for that and decide which products I want to sell. Then my mind drifts to my blog and how I really want to up the amp on this space that I call mine. I want it to look professional but still be "me"- colorful, quirky, and slide into my Etsy store.

The problem is though that I have no clue where to begin. I want to get rid of the ".blogspot.com" and have my own web address, have a design that is fitting and all my own, and be able to edit it as needed. So..... if you see some funky things going on here, don't panic... I am just trying to find a groove that is all me!!

(Oh. and take a peek at this AWESOME idea for a mobile.... I love how versatile it is to change the look with the seasons and the possibilities! More photos and details over at Crooked House!)

New Baby Bed

Well, this was a good weekend all in all. Poor Klint got the big "snip, snip" and was on the couch playing video games most weekend, the girls and I went to the zoo with some awesome friends, and Miss Moira got a bedroom makeover.

It seems that Moira does not care to sleep in a crib... at all. Yet the little toot will sleep through the night on our bed next to me and even naps like a champ on our platform bed by herself. So the logical thing for us to do is take down her crib and set up a floor bed, Montessorri-esque style. And lucky for us she loves it!!!

Her room is pretty warm and to combat the hardwood floor in her room, we set a rug and her sheepskin rug next to the mattress just in case Moira decided to roll off. Seriously, she is about an inch and a half off the ground so I am not too concerned. The only thing left to do is to lower her birdie mobile so that it isn't so far up. Instead of putting a mirror along the wall for her to look at, for now I took some decals from AJ and Gabby's room and made a little woodland nook for Moira to look at. The tree is tall enough that she looks up and then she can see her mobile. When we set her down she laughed and looked very happy... then proceeded to go to sleep!! Love it!

Easy Bird's Nest Wreath

Even though it is still wintery here in Cleveland, I am pushing for Spring-ish type weather sooner than later! Here is a how-to for a super easy and really cute bird's nest wreath for your door.

Materials:
2 large grapevine wreaths, one slightly smaller than the other
some decorative moss
fake flowers , smaller ones work better or ones that drape
large wooden eggs
paint
hot glue
floral wire

How To:
1. Paint the eggs, make sure you varnish and dry completely. I made mine sort of realistic, but you can either use pastels or even chalkboard paint so you can write on them!! 
2. Lay the wreaths with the smaller one inside the larger one.
3. Using floral wire, secure the wreaths together, forming a nest.
4. Hot glue the flowers where you want them, I placed mine to go on either side of where my eggs were going to go.
5. Hot glue as much moss as you want around your wreath, put a large piece were the eggs are going to be set.
6. Using a generous amount of hot glue, glue the eggs into position once they are dry.
7. Hang and enjoy!

Voila! You now have yourself a super cute Springtime wreath!!!

:this moment:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

(from SouleMama)

(Ok, so I thought it was Friday and posted this on Thursday... mommy-brain struck again!)

Today I am....

:loving: this sweet tutorial on how to make an easy summer dress for my girls, plus a matching headband!

:thinking: about creating a floor bed for Miss Moira this weekend... girlfriend HATES her crib and got stuck one too many times for this Mama to care for! 

:craving: some warm sunshine, like what we felt last week in Atlanta.

:making: a recycled t-shirt rug with Gabby, using a hula hoop for the loom!

:wanting: this photo,  this journal, this purse, and  these hair pins from Etsy

:singing: this song from Glee, it just makes me smile! 

:needing: to feel some more sunshine on my face... I was spoiled in Atlanta by all the sun, warmth, and blooms!

:drawing: in this book that we bought for the family. It really makes you think... I mean what do you draw for "girlish laughter"?

:sewing: more of these pretty yet useful necklaces for the craft show in June. They are really teething necklaces that hide unfinished wooden beads, perfect for sore little gums!

What are you up to today?

To the Top of the World

Ok, well not really, but for us it was close enough! On Tuesday we went to a wonderful place called Stone Mountain. It is the largest chunk of granite on Earth and even as huge as it is to see, only 1% is visible! We took a Swiss cable car up to the top and then hiked down and around back to the car. I am not going to lie.... it was very hot and sweaty since I was wearing Moira, and Klint and I even got a hint of a sunburn... but it was so nice to be hot! Gabby and AJ loved the hike and I believe that the grownups did more complaining than the kids, lol. Here are some photos:

It was a wonderful day, full of sunshine, friends, and adventure!

Definitely a place I will be going back to!!

Under the Sea

Monday we headed out to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world!! I knew that I was in for a supurb time, but had no idea that I was going to be in awe the entire visit! Words can't describe this place.... hopefully our photos do it some justice. =) These are just a handful of the photos we took, I can't wait to print some of these out!

Where to Begin?

Well, now that I have had some time to breathe I can finally begin to tell you all about our wonderful vacation in Atlanta GA. We went to visit some much loved friends who are truly more like family and left with very reluctant hearts. (Seriously, sunburn in March? Unheard of here in Ohio!) I don't think I could have asked more of my children, who slept going down and back like champs, never asked "Are we there yet?", and behaved in a manner that made this mama proud. We were there from Sunday morning until late Wednesday night and fit in just enough that everyone was content and peaceful.

We ate at wonderful restaurants, toured the Atlanta Federal Reserve, ran amuck at local playgrounds, climbed a mountain, awed over the Georgia Aquarium, and spent precious moments with our friends. We saw cool artwork, cool shops, and tried new things like peanut butter & pickle sandwiches. (yum!) In the next few days I will share photos with you, I hope you enjoy them!

Here are some awesome photos of Atlanta and my friend's neighborhood as well as some park photos...

Our first look at Atlanta at about 7:30am Sunday morning

There was a lot of very cool graffiti there!

Who knew that it was so blue and springy in March?!

The Coka-Cola Museum

By far the best writing on a bench yet!

So that is it so far.... tomorrow I will share the photos from our visit at the aquarium... they are AMAZING!