5 months old?!

When you have a baby, everyone tells you that time flies. And you believe it, but you don't REALLY get it until it starts happening. I can't believe that next month, Natalie will be half a year old. It seems like just yesterday we were up in South Carolina waiting to bring her home!

{ 4 months }

{ 4 months ~ ready for the PCA game! }

{ at the PCA game with Paparoxy & Izzie }

{ first time to sit in a high chair in a restaurant @ 5 months }

{ my hair is getting so long! }

Anyway, I tend to neglect updating my blog on Natalie's milestones because it's so much easier to do it on Facebook. So, I decided to do a quick little update, just to summarize what she's learned in her short 5 months of life. Someday I will get a baby book & write these down. :) I'm sure I'm forgetting some important milestone, but I hopefully will remember it later!

First smile - 1 month

Slept through the night - 12 weeks

First laugh - 3 months { ~ish? See, this is why you should write things down.}

Started eating cereal - 4 months

First vegetable - green beans

Rolled from front to back - 4 months

Rolled from back to front - 5 months

And our newest trick...growling. Yes, growling. She just started this trick this week, and here's some footage of the little monster. I guess she is getting ready for Halloween a little early! :)

8:28

{ 8:28 / a marriage montage }

{8/28/04}

{August -September 2004 / honeymoon at Disney World, with Hurricane Frances}

{September 2004 / Hurricane Ivan busts right through our neighborhood}

{ August 2005 / 1-year anniversary in Destin...with Hurricane Katrina }



{ August 2006 / we dared vacation at the beach & luck was on our side this time! }



{ August 2007 / 3-year anniversary / decided not to chance the beach & went to Callaway Gardens }



{ February 2008 / tornado ransacks our house / Happy Valentine's Day! ;) }



{ August 2008 / 4-year anniversary / played it safe in Atlanta }



{ February 2009 / 1 month after finding out we're pregnant after trying for 2.5 years / 1 month before losing "Zippy" to miscarriage }

{ March 2010 / trip to South Carolina for the birth & adoption of our daughter / the most beautiful rainbow after all the storms!!!}

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. ~Romans 8:28

Happy 6th anniversary to the most wonderful husband I could have prayed for, the best friend I have ever had, and the most awesome daddy in the world. There is no one on earth I'd rather weather the storms with! {har har.}

I love you, Baron!

The Mom Juice.

I've never been a morning person.


I remember when I was in junior high, and the school I attended started at the ungodly hour of 7:15 a.m. How did I even survive those 3 years? To this day I have no idea. I would wake up & stumble to the shower, mumbling something incoherent in response to my dad's "Good morning! How are you today? [insert I've-been-awake-for-3-hours smile here]" At that point in my life, I simply needed a shower to wake me up, and I was good to go.

I don't even remember mornings in high school. They are simply a blur to me. I didn't drink coffee then - it wasn't cool back then for teenagers. It was just something grown-ups did. Starbucks hadn't become the temple that it is today, and my caffeine addiction was just showing on the horizon.

Then came college. Ah, college. Theoretically, the college student plans his/her own classes, so that no early mornings exist. However, I had to work while I was in college, and my schedule planning wasn't as flexible as one would hope. This is when I started my Dr. Pepper addiction. I remember quitting caffeine a couple of times while I was in college, only to come back to it. At that time, my metabolism was all gung-ho, so I didn't have to worry about the calories consumed from all those Dr. Peppers. Those were the glory days, when a Dr. Pepper & a couple of doughnut sticks was the breakfast of champions.

From the time I graduated from college, through my "dating Baron" years, and into married life, I've had off-and-on relationships with Diet Coke, coffee, tea...anything with caffeine to get me going. I haven't really needed the strong stuff; just something to kick-start my day.

Before I became a mom, people kept telling me, "Oh, you'll be a morning person when you have to, once you're a mommy!" Incorrect. I really never got used to those middle-of-the-night feedings. {SO thankful those are in the past!} And during the summer, Baron got up with Natalie to feed her while I slept in. {Could I ask for a better husband?!}

Well, then school started, and it was my job to get up every morning with the cutie pie. Initially, I would just sleep until she woke up, which is what makes the most sense. When she was about 4.5 months, we started giving her cereal in the mornings. Well...that's a horse of a different color. Mommy doesn't have the patience to feed cereal to an easily distracted 4.5-month-old...and it took me a few mornings to grasp the fact that this just was. not. happening. I was too impatient, and it was just not fun.

So, I hesitantly made the decision that probably sounds crazy to you moms. I decided I desperately needed to get up earlier than my baby, to have some time to enjoy The Mom Juice. That's right, I now wake up to the sound of my alarm going off about 20 minutes before my baby wakes {if I'm lucky}. It was a decision that was essential to the sanity of our whole family. Some mornings I sit & sip my coffee as I listen to her babble in her crib, awaiting the moment when the babbles turn to whines, which would eventually turn to screams if no action is taken, at which point I set The Juice aside, only to finish an hour later once The Babe has finished her breakfast. Today was a particularly pleasant morning - I actually FINISHED my cup o' joe BEFORE she woke up!

That, my friends, is how you know it will be a good day.

{maybe someday I will look like this when I wake up}

{the cause for my growing addiction. totally worth it. ;) }

glass menagerie

Recently, my friend Ashley over at pure + lovely wrote about the loveliness of glass pieces used as decor. Her post reminded me of how much I LOVE these old glass bottles I have around my house, so I decided to share them with you. These are who-knows-how-old bottles that my grandmother collected, and pulled out of storage when she moved here from Georgia. She didn't want them anymore...so naturally, I rummaged the collection and took as many as I could!

Our house has fantastically high ceilings in the entry/living rooms, and we have these great small windows up near the ceiling. These things can be fun, or they can be a pain. The best solution in the living room for energy effeciency/glareless TV viewing would be to install dramatic floor-to-ceiling drapes, but since I neglected to consider that option when we first moved in, the windows remained naked. That is, until I confiscated these lovely bottles that now sit nicely in the windowsills. Cuteness! I also have them in the window above our front door, and there are also miniature versions of some of the larger bottles. I just love these little treasures! And the best part is, they didn't cost me a dime!

{that blue bottle on the far left is shaped like a fish!}

{the purple bottle looks like it has a turkey foot holding a ball. And the blue one is a horseshoe shape!
How fun is that?}

{I'm pretty sure the bottle with the cross once held holy water. At least that's the story I prefer.}

{This interesting bottle has a "nubbin" with a metal screw or something in it.}


Thanks for reading!

take 2.

Almost there with the entry table. Not quite, but better. I feel like the color scheme isn't right...we'll see. I always have to set things up & then walk away for awhile & think about it more. This area is hard for me because it opens up to two different rooms with two different color schemes going on, so I'm trying to marry the two rooms with this area. And without spending any money. ;)

Thanks for all of the input! Still open to suggestions!


P.S. I take horrible pics of my house. I'm not even sure why the edge of the table is cut off. Also, in real life, the candlesticks & flowers are NOT the same color as the wall. And why does this pic look so yellow? Whatev.

I need help!

Sometimes I get the hankerin' to change up a nook in the house, but I don't have any money to buy new stuff. Generally that means two things: 1) moving stuff around that I already have, and 2) spray paint. This happened yesterday with our entry table. I decided it was just too blah, or maybe I was just bored with it, so I started tinkering. This table previously housed most of our family pics. Instead of scattering them all over the living room/dining room/entry/hallway, I put them all together on this one table, underneath the obligatory Olan Mills church directory photo of me & Baron, taken right after our honeymoon so we're all tan & junk. {I refused to take this pic down for the past almost-6-years because I look so tan & skinny. Livin' the glory days much?}

{helloooo, awkwardly placed light switch, outlet, & A/C closet...}

Well, I decided I wanted to brighten it up, and also get rid of some of the pics of just me & Baron. After all, we pretty much look the same in all the pics, with the exception of my ever-changing hairstyles, and my gradual decrease in golden tan as I quit going to the tanning bed. Anyway, I replaced some of the pics with prints, and I spray painted some of the frames white to brighten things up.

I also used some scrapbook paper & Mod Podge to brighten up this shadow box that houses some roses that Baron gave me while we were dating:
Anyway, here is the entry table now, but I'm not happy with it. Sometimes I get stuck when I'm changing things up, especially with arranging tables (and the mantle too, for that matter). It just looks awkward. So...suggestions? Anyone? Be honest!

{BTW, there is a print in that frame on the wall...it's just really light.
My camera does not take good pics indoors. :( }

feed your soul: fresh {free} art prints

I just found out about Feed Your Soul via Oh My! Handmade via Nesting Place. Feed Your Soul is an art project that features free downloadable prints from lots of artists. This is such a great idea, and I am lovin' some of these prints! Some of these would look fabulous in a nursery or kid's room! Go browse. NOW.

Here are a few of my faves:

{ I realized after I picked my faves that most of them feature birds. Yes, apparently I'm on THAT bandwagon right now. ;) }

flower bows

A couple of weeks ago, I got a hankerin' to make some bows for my daughter's headbands. Of course, I wanted her to wear one to church Sunday morning, and this was Saturday when I got the hankerin'. So I was looking for something in my house that I could use to make a bow. So, I found this green ribbon & went to town. Here's the how-to:

1. Cut up your ribbon into different sized pieces. I used wired ribbon, because it's easier to shape (you'll see later). I cut the edges all curvy-like in an effort to make it cuter.

2. Stack the pieces with the largest on bottom, and turn them every whichaway. (Is that how you spell "whichaway"?)


3. Sew a button in the middle to hold the pieces together, and to serve as the center of the flower.

4. Trim the edges to round out the flower.

5. Shape the flower to make it...flowery. Or whatever.

5. Spray the flower to keep the edges from unraveling. I used FolkArt Hi-Shine Glaze, because that's how I roll. I guess any kind of clear sealant will work. I put about 3 coats on & then let it dry before the next step.

6. Glue a ribbon to the back of the barrette you'll be using. (The back being the part that touches the head, not the part we're gluing to the flower later.) This step is optional. I did it because I have a baby & I'm overly protective of her scalp. No metal on my baby's head, please. :) Also...your choice as to what kind of barrette you want to use. This is the snappy-bendy kind, only because I was impatient at Hobby Lobby & they were out of the good kind so I just got these. Oh, and that glue...awesome. It's called Craft Goop & I love it.

7. Glue the barrette to the back of the flower. Again with the Craft Goop. Good stuff. Let dry.

8. Attach to your favorite headband or hat...or use alone as a barrette! Voila!

And here's my little model! I'm pretty sure she's in love with her flower. After all, green IS my - uh, I mean, her - favorite color.

revamp: generic florist vases

Over the years, my lovely husband has sent me many a flower arrangement. I LOVE getting flowers, and I hinted/flat out told him to send me flowers for special occasions. Anyway, I've collected lots of the clear generic florist vases, and I have a small tidbit of a hoarding tendency in me, so I've kept them all. Well, awhile back I saw this centerpiece project idea on HGTV's Trash to Treasure, so I decided to try it out - and I love the outcome! It's been awhile since I did this project, but I wanted to do a post about it just for fun.

I started off with the plain glass vases, and simply spray painted them - some in the robin's egg color & some in white. On the bigger vases, I was able to spray paint the inside, keeping the "glassy" look on the vase. On the smaller vases, I painted the outside and then used a high-gloss topcoat to maintain the look of glass. Simple, cheap, easy!

Maybe someday I will put something in them... :)

I'm linking this up to pure + lovely's site...go join her linky party! Fun stuff!

help families adopt!

The Vintage Pearl is doing an amazing thing over on her page. The profits from the sales of this Hope for Orphans necklace will go to help families who are waiting to adopt! Obviously this cause is special to me. The financial burden of adoption can be overwhelming, and can sometimes even prevent families from pursuing adoption. So thank you, Erin @ The Vintage Pearl, for helping!!

flea market finds: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Yesterday I managed to get the hubs to watch the baby for the afternoon so that I could do some errand-running {ok, SHOPPING :)} sans baby. I hadn't been to my fave local flea market in awhile, so I made that one of my stops. Since I had the luxury of taking my time, I decided to snag some pics of some of the, well, interesting things you might find in a flea market. And of course I also had to take some pics of some of my fave things.

{These pics were taken with my phone, so obviously they’re not that great. And I’m sure the other customers in the store were wondering what in the world I was doing, taking pics of all the merchandise…they were probably all, "This ain't no museum! Make a purchase, lady!"}

So here's your virtual flea market shopping trip...

This made me sad. This gorgeous antique vanity had been poory refinished.

Bad '80s furniture makeovers run rampant. Hey, at least it matches the rug.

I have no idea what's going on with this stand, but it made me smile. And I'm pretty sure you have to say it like "Breakfast with FAHTHA."

No, this isn't for sale. It's one of the 4 sinks in the disgustingly-creepy-unisex-no ventilation-always smells like poo-bathroom at the flea market. I didn't dare take a pic of anything else in there, lest you all vomit on your computers. The bad part is, I had to pee TWICE while I was there. Seriously Dot, makeover the bathroom already! The whole thing is original to the circa 1952 department store that the flea market was originally. I'll admit it right here - I didn't wash my hands. I'm pretty sure they would have been germier if I had. Thank you, hand sanitizer.

I love this old radio!

This pencil sharpener is similar to one we had when I was growing up.

Vintage jewelry? Yes please! {ooohhh, shiny....}

I'm really diggin' this old globe. I may have to go back & purchase it.

There were several old metal fans. This wasn't my fave, but I love the look of these. If only they had all been turned on...it was hot as blazes in there!

Uhhh...creeptastic. I know it's all, vintage-y & junk, but yikes. Apparently this one is super old though cause her price tag was a whopping $115. {But she is looking RIGHT AT ME. Nightmares much?}

This old desk is fabulous. I wonder what its history is.

The pattern on this Corning coffee pot is adorable! I almost bought this, and then I thought, "but what would I do with it?" I need a bigger house so I can buy all this stuff. :)

If you want to buy these coasters, don't. They are $15 for a set of 4. I make similar coasters, only cuter, and they're $10 for a set of 4 or $15 for a set of 6. Hopefully the vendor of this booth isn't reading my blog. :)

I seriously almost bought this clock. Baron laughed at me when I told him that. It's so cute! The only reason I didn't is because it doesn't light up or glow in the dark so it would be impractical for my bedroom. Good story.

...and then I saw this clock. How fun & retro is this? Very Brady Bunch-ish.

Lots of old cameras. And there were LOTS more in this booth.

This is a German calendar. I took a pic because my husband was born in Germany, so he's practically German. Even though he's not. Anyway I then noticed the skull at the top of the calendar. Those creepy Germans.

Ummmm...?

Ok, seriously. Old baby bottles = kinda cool. Black/cracked/smooshed bottle nipples = NOT COOL. This freaks me out every time I see it. I almost want to buy them & then throw them away just so I don't have to see them in this booth every time I'm there.

Old books are always awesome.

The tag on this one said "vintage bird print made with seashells." Ok folks, you can't just slap "vintage" on something & it's automatically cool. These birds had FEATHERS. and the branches are made of SHELLS. No.

"Hey, how should we makeover this wicker bench? I know - let's tile the top of it!" FAIL.