Toddle Along Tuesday - Hopes and Dreams

Adalyn,

At nearly 10 months old I can't really picture you at any other age than this though just a few short months ago I couldn't imagine you as anything other than a squishy, small ball of baby goodness.  So when I think about my hopes and dreams for you I feel like it's a lifetime away.

I hope you never lose your ability to laugh at us being goofy and making funny noises to get a reaction.  I know one day you'll be 15, around your friends, maybe even a boyfriend, and your dad or I will walk into the room and say something to embarrass you.    I'm sure at 15 it'll probably go a little like this

Me:  Hey kids, don't you just love that new Lady Gaga song?
You:  Who is Lady Gaga?
Me:  Who is Lady Gaga?!  What?!  Are you kidding me?  Only one of the best performers of all time. (here I'll make sure to dance like Gaga to demonstrate)
You:  Mom, you're embarrassing me!

I dream you'll be very intelligent.  You're the only baby I know who takes so much in.  We can see you thinking as your brow furious when investigating a new toy or book.  I imagine you'll take this inquisitive nature and turn it into a career like medicine, law school, etc where you do a lot of deep thinking.  I can see you excelling in school.

I hope you keep your high standards, especially when it comes to future boyfriends and one day your husband.  When people approach us and attempt to get a smile out of you we tell them it won't happy.  Not because you aren't happy, you are.  You're just hard to impress.  People really have to work to get more than a blank stare from you.  I imagine you'll make the boys work to impress you as well.  Keep them working and it'll keep them on their toes.

I hope you are musical and book smart, easily liked, genuine, kind, and caring to others.  Most of all I hope and dream you grow up to be a beautiful, intelligent woman who is confident in yourself.  That you marry a man who treats you like a queen, that you have beautiful children who look at you the same way you look at me.  Like I'm the only person in the world you can calm you when you're scared.  I hope you never suffer heartbreak and enjoy every minute of your life.  After all time passes so quickly.

Link up your TAT post here.

Happy Halloween!

Welcome New Followers!

Last week I linked up my fall centered posts to the October Fall Fest which happened over at The Wiegand's blog.  Because of that blog hop, I've received a number of new followers to the blog so I want to say welcome to you all!  I enjoy new readers and especially enjoy the input you give on my posts.  When reading this blog you'll notice posts mostly about my beautiful baby girl, Adalyn Grace who was born January 21, 2011.  You will also notice posts about Pinterest, being an addict and all, loads of DIY projects and crafts.  As well as food and party planning posts.  I appreciate your feedback and comments and welcome any questions you may have.

Thanks again for following us!  Be sure to read religiously as I'll be hosting several giveaways as we approach the end of the year!

Also, make sure to vote for us daily over at Top Baby Blogs to make us #1!

Want to follow me on Pinterest or Twitter?  Click here and here.

Pinterest Project - Yes Another One!

I was serious when I said I was an addict.  It's bad.  Like rehab bad.  I get sweaty, shaky, and my heart races if I've been away from my beloved Pinterest for too long.  So it should come as no surprise you're reading another Pinterest project post.  From my last post I had a lot to accomplish still for my October 31st goal.

But I went and got all crafty and actually finished several projects.  Four to be exact!.  As a reminder here are the projects I wanted to accomplish by the end of the month.



I had already completed the coasters and the button monogram which left several others to complete.  And here are the finished projects with some details.

The Fall Mantle

I had been seriously lacking in the decorating of our living room.  Due to laziness as well as a new baby.  So when I saw the mantle idea for fall I knew I could easily replicate it with our current space.  I didn't take a before picture so I apologize.  Our mantle used to be a light oak colored mantle but we replaced all of the brown wood trim in our house last year to white so the mantle needed a paint job.  Four coats of white later I had a pretty clean looking mantle to work with.  I purchased all of the pumpkins at craft stores like Michaels & Joann Fabrics and simply painted them with acrylic paint.  After drying overnight I was left with this.

Sorry for the poor quality pictures.  The fancy camera was in the office and I was rushing.  When I start seeing pumpkins going on clearance at the craft stores I'll purchase a few more to update.  I feel like I need a couple larger flat pumpkins.

The Dry Erase Board

Okay, this was the easiest project ever.  Anyone can do this.  You'll need a picture frame of your choice, a sheet of scrapbook paper, dry erase marker & eraser.  I used an 8x10 and cut the scrapbook paper to size.  Place it behind the glass and voila, project complete!  I placed ours by the front  door so we can remind each other of our schedules or place dinner plans up.

The coolest thing about this project is that it's versatile.  You can keep it up year round and just change out the paper when you need a change.  I'm looking for a fancier frame to make it stand out a bit more.  This was a cheap frame I had laying around the house.

The Fabric Wreath

I've been wanting to do a fabric wreath for a while.  When I saw this one on Pinterest I seriously swooned!  Gray is my new favorite color in everything, clothes, shoes, handbags, fabric, etc.  And I'm a sucker for cool blue shades so I knew I was going to mimic this wreath exactly as I saw it.  You'll need a Styrofoam wreath (the white ones not the green floral type as the white Styrofoam are cheaper), yarn, several (I used 6) sheets of felt, and a glue gun.  Start wrapping the yarn around the wreath making sure to not overlap (unless that's the look your going for).  Make sure to pull the yarn tight.  I stopped every few rounds to make sure the yarn was lining up and rotated the yarn clockwise to pull it tight.  After you finish you'll need to hide the yarn on the back and glue it down.

The felt flowers are a little tedious.  You'll need to cut a circle but wave the edge as you cut.  The larger the circle the larger the flower.  The larger flowers on my wreath took up about half of the felt piece.  Then cut into the wavy circle making a spiral.  From the inner spiral piece starting rolling the flower up tightly and roll loose as you approach the end.  Glue down the outside piece to prevent unraveling.  After you're finished with each felt flower, plot out where you'll want each flower.  Then glue each flower to your wreath and voila, you're wreath is complete.

This project was a time consuming one.  I worked on this for about 4 hours spread over several days.  Patience is key, especially if you want a smooth, clean looking wreath.

The Pumpkin

You saw in my post yesterday my pumpkin.  When I saw this one on Pinterest I about died.  Seriously, how cute!  When making this one you'll want a large pumpkin.  Make sure to cut the lid off wide and clean the inside very well.  Make the leg holes large enough to fit chunky thighs through.

When taking this photo make sure to have someone by in the event the pumpkin tips over and starts rolling like ours did.  A was not happy!

So that leaves four unfinished fall projects.  The pouf cushion wasn't ever going to happen.  Until I get a sewing machine and learn how to sew that one is merely a dream.  The name framed up is possible, I just need to find similar style letters.  All the ones I find at the craft stores are uppercase and are too large.  The sign with the saying on it melts my heart so I have to figure out how to do this one.  I will make this someday soon.  The butterfly feet is the first pin I ever pinned and is really simple.  I just need to do it.  I promise to have that one done by the end of the month!

So those are my finished Pinterest projects.  Do you have any fun projects you think I should tackle?  Please let me know as I'm always up for a challenge!  Want to follow me on Pinterest?  Click here.

Looking for more fall inspired ideas?  Head over to TheWeigland's.

Tasty Thursday - Sweet & Spicy Taco Salad

The other day I asked R what he wanted for dinner.  His response, "That taco salad we always have at family parties".  I've never made the taco salad for any other reason except for a party so it was a nice change to our usual pasta, taco, chicken rotation we typically have.

I love taco salads.  Any way you make one I'm sure to love it so I was excited for the change.  This isn't your typical taco salad though.  It's a got a little kick for the spicy side and a little sweetness to smooth it down.

Here's the breakdown:

1 pound ground turkey, chicken or beef (we use turkey in our house)
2 heads of iceberg lettuce - diced
1 bag Mexican cheese
2 tomatoes - diced
Doritos - we substituted this out for Habanero tortillas - crumbled
1 bottle of Catalina French dressing

You could also add in black olives and/or serve with sour cream.  We keep ours pretty simple with the above ingredients.

Pumpkin Patch Pickin!

This past weekend was such a gorgeous weekend.  Imagine Autumn afternoons and this is the weather we experienced.  So Sunday morning after mass we decided to head over to our favorite, Lynd's Fruit Farm where we do our apple picking and farmers market shopping. 

It was a great season for pumpkins so we had a lot to choose from. 

 Addie wasn't quite sure about them.

 She is such an inquisitive lass.

 We even found a patch full of pumpkins Addie sized!

 Well what do you do when you have pumpkins?  Carve them of course! 

Love!  She wasn't sure of this and I guess she had reason to be unsure.  The pumpkin tipped over and started rolling with her still in it.  She wasn't having it!

Looking for more fun fall activities?  Check out the blog hop happening now at The Wiegland's.

Wordless Wednesday: How You Doin?!

Addie as we waited at the doctors office on Friday.  She found a baby in the mirror and decided she wanted to give her kisses.

Adalyn Month Nine

On Friday your turned nine months old.  I took the day off since  your nine month well check was scheduled for the day.  More about those stats later.  After your appointment we did some mother/daughter shopping and you even managed to pass out while in the shopping cart!  Later that night we went up to your grandma and grandpa's house for a bonfire party.  You love watching the fire.

Stats:  At the doctors office you weighed in at 19 pounds 10 ounces which puts you in the 75th percentile for weight.  Your head has finally slowed its growth to 75-90 versus 95 last time around.  You stand a proud 24 inches tall which puts you at 50%.  You can pull off some 6 month clothes still but you fit better in the 9 month clothing.  I just cannot get enough of you in your baby jeggings and skinnies!

Sleep Schedule:  It's still a nightmare.  I thought for sure by 9 months you'd be sleeping a solid 8 hours a night without interruption.  You're not.  You still sleep about 5-6 hours, wake to eat, sleep another hour or two and then you want to get up.  I don't think you're our daughter.  Your mommy has always needed 8-9 hours and your daddy could sleep for days.  Your bedtime is 8:30 if not earlier.  The doctor says we should start putting you down tired but awake and teaching you to put yourself to sleep.  I'm hoping you pick it up quickly because hearing you cry breaks my heart!

Foods:  You're still nursing and eat about 30 ounces of milk.  You've progressed to what they call stage 3 foods, which is much chunkier food.  You're now eating everything mommy and daddy eat as long as it isn't to spicy.  The doctor said the only foods you shouldn't eat yet are shellfish and nuts so we have free reign to try all sorts of new foods.  You've yet to find a food you don't like.  You still haven't mastered the sippy cup which is why you'll be starting a prescription of vitamins with flourides.

Firsts:  You've hit a few firsts this month.  Your first tailgate on campus.  You did really well with new people you had never seen before.  You've had your first trip to the zoo where we learned you love to watch fish swim around.  We made your first roadtrip down to Newport, KY to the Newport Aquarium which you loved.  Your first trip to Chuck-E-Cheese's which your daddy thinks is awesome!  You also experienced your first visit to the pumpkin patch!  Your first kids meal actually took place on our trip to KY where you got spatzel and mashed potatoes. You ate maybe 5 bites of each and we only got it because it was free with our meals!  You also had your first big accident when you fell off of the hotel bed in KY.  You scared mommy to death and we both spent some time crying!

Favorite Toys:  Anything that isn't a toy.  Now that you've become so mobile, you love to pick up everything you see including fuzz, hair, and the power cords.  We really have to watch you closely.  You've become much more interested in books which is huge for your momma!

You've become a very fast crawler and no longer want to be held unless you're very tired.  You prefer to be down exploring on your own.  You've learned to pull yourself up on anything and everything.  I predict you'll be walking by Christmas if not sooner.  You still love hair!  You're learning how to wave and have recently learned to growl.  You know Chloe's name.  When we're laying in bed in the morning, I ask you where Chloe is and you sit up and try to look on the floor for her.

Next month I imagine you'll have 2 more teeth, though they're not for biting so keep them only for chewing your solids!  I think you'll be standing unassisted by next months check in.  You'll have experienced your first Halloween and will be preparing for mommy's favorite holiday, Thanksgiving!

Milestone: Addie's Crawling

We hit a milestone.  Well, we actually hit it a few months back.  You'll remember when I was hosting the Giggables giveaway for Bright Starts I mentioned she started crawling.  The timing could not have been more perfect.  I was capturing pictures and video to post on the blog about her enjoying her new toys and she decided to choose that moment to make some magic.  Luckily I was shooting video at the time.  She's now cruising along furniture, walls, the dog, anything she can get her hands on and I suspect by Christmas at the absolute latest she'll be walking.  But to take us back, here's a huge milestone of Adalyn's that I caught on film.

What milestone's have you experienced?  Were you lucky enough to catch them on film?

Come tell us about it over at Toddle Along Tuesday.

My Weekend Snapshot Project

Remember from Thursday's post my list of photoworthy opportunities I wanted to catch of this weekends activities?  Well I didn't do too bad.  To remind you, here is a list of the photos I wanted to catch:

Colorful leaves
Pumpkins, straw, gourds, oh my!
The old Delaware county home which is really close to my parents house
My PSL I'll be drinking on the way to the family reunion
Adders bundled up
Bonfire
Roasting marshmallows

I managed to get through all but one.  That last one is one I really wanted.  Mmm I can taste the missed marshmallow opportunity now.  Maybe this weekend.  Anywho, here are the photos that I did capture.

Weekend Recap

I got a lot done this weekend!  I'm so proud of myself and it feels great to have so much accomplished.

I had Friday off from work since it was Addie's 9 month well check which is why you didn't hear from my Friday.  I will post a 9 month update tomorrow when I'm finished writing.  I didn't say I got a lot accomplished on the blog, you know.

You'll remember from Thursdays post I wanted to take a lot of unique fall like photos.  I was able to do some of those and will have pictures from them later this week once I get organized.

On Sunday we took a trip to the pumpkin patch.  We snapped several shots of Addie with the pumpkins.  She's an inquisitive lass so we didn't capture any smiles from her.  It takes a lot for her to be impressed enough to smile.  Here's a shot to keep you warm until I get this weeks posts together.

Fall: It Really Is Here!

Yes, readers it's mid October and I finally feel like fall has arrived.  We've had some interesting weather in Ohio so the temperature has finally started to drop and it's feeling more fall like every day.  We're in the midst of football season and I've had about 10 pumpkin spiced lattes (PSL) from Starbucks since they've come out just over a month ago.  You'll remember from my last post about fall that this is my favorite time of year.  This weekend we're going to a bonfire Friday night at my parents house as well as a family reunion for the hubs' side of the family.  Both events take place out in the country so we'll have the opportunity to see loads of fall scenes.  My list of fall related things to capture via photo is:

Colorful leaves
Pumpkins, straw, gourds, oh my!
The old Delaware county home which is really close to my parents house
My PSL I'll be drinking on the way to the family reunion
Adders bundled up
Bonfire
Roasting marshmallows

The scene we'll see while driving

Buckeyes

Fall Party Spread

Creepy House - The picture I'm trying to capture will be creepier than this.

Red Red Wine

Do I even need to explain this? 

Wordless Wednesday: Birdie Wants a Worm

Toddle Along Tuesday: Mommy Fail

Today's TAT post is about Mommy Fail, mommy brain or something stupid you've done since becoming a mommy.  I'm linking up with Mama G over at Growing Up Geeky so please connect and share your story too!

This is a post I never thought I'd write.

I never thought I would fall into this category of parent.

I've officially been inducted into the 'Parents of a Child Who Has Fallen Off of the Bed' Hall of Shame.

You see, it all started on our recent trip to Newport.  It was Monday morning and we were packing our bags and checking out of the hotel to head over to the aquarium.  We had just eaten breakfast and had nearly everything packed.  The only thing left to pack up was the Pack n Play we brought with us along with Addie's diaper bag.  I sat Addie on the bed while I packed the diaper bag and Rick broke down the Pack n Play.  I turned around for 5 seconds, literally 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi, 4 Mississippi, 5 Mississippi, and just as I had turned back I saw her falling.  She hit the ground hard, I snatched her up and started to cuddle her.  No use, the girl screamed her little lungs out for 5 minutes.  I don't think I have to count Mississippi's here, but it was a long time.  Full on tears.  After she finally settled down I noticed her face was starting to turn red and I feared bruising.  Thankfully she only fell about a foot and a half.  I cried and cried and cried.  I felt awful all day and after closely monitoring her throughout the day, she was fine.

Notice the red mark?

What I can say about this experience is this.  It happens to us all.  At one point or another in our children's lives, they will fall from the bed or changing table.  Or take a tumble when we should be watching but turn our backs for a moment.  What we can do is think twice every time we think they'll be okay for 5 seconds.  I've learned 5 seconds is much longer than it seems.  It's long enough for her to boogie over to the side of the bed and take a daring leap to the floor.  What we can also do is not place blame on the spouse, it was an accident.  Truly you didn't think I meant for the child whom I carried for nearly 10 months inside of me and have developed such a deep bond with, I've intended to harm.  She's still a happy little camper who smiles at me daily.

What is your mommy fail?  Have you had your child take a tumble from the bed?

Weekend Recap & Project Status

This will be short and sweet because we didn't do much of anything this weekend.  The hubs came down with a cold so Adders and I spent all day Sunday playing around the house.  I was able to clean the house, get nearly all of the laundry completed, and painted our wood mantle white.  I'll post pictures tomorrow of the new mantle along with part of my Pinterest project you'll see listed below.

Ricks cold did have some bad timing as yesterday was a gorgeous fall day and would have been a great day to spend at the pumpkin patch catching some great shots of Adalyn with the pumpkins.  My new goal is to make it to the pumpkin patch this weekend to find an Addie sized pumpkin and to re-create the picture below from my fall Pinterest board.



How are your Fall Projects going?

Tiny Prints Holiday Cards

The holidays are quickly approaching.  Can you believe Thanksgiving is a mere 5 weeks away?!  Which means it’s soon time to start shopping, hearing Christmas music on the radio, and of course, Christmas cards.  So when the hubs and I started talking about what we’ll be doing for Christmas cards we checked out Tiny Prints.  With this being Adalyn’s first Christmas we want to make sure we have the cutest cards to share with our family and friends.  Tiny Prints has a wide selection of holiday cards to choose from.  Among their selection are a few I’m really digging right now.

Via



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There are so many options it's really hard to choose which we like best.  You can check out Tiny Prints website to choose your holiday cards.  They make it really easy to find cards by using the filters on the left side of the site.  You can also order their adorable holiday address labels as well as fabulous holiday party invitations.  We throw a big holiday party every year with our friends so we’ll be checking out the party invitations as well.  Go check out their selection of cards, address labels, and party invitations.

We love getting cards from friends and family and we usually tape them to our pantry door.  This year though, I may get super crafty and display our cards like this

Via

How do you like to display your holiday cards?