With Easter only a week away I have been making some final touches to Kendry's handsome little outfit.
To be honest, last year's outfit is going to be hard to beat - both in cuteness and in price:
{2010}
This time I yielded to my husband's pleadings and fought off the urge to purchase yet another precious sweater vest for Kendry.
I can't help it, I have a serious weakness for preppy sweater vests.
Instead I found a spring colored plaid, button-down shirt at Target - a pattern so cute on its own it shouldn't be covered up by a sweater vest anyway.
Khaki pants? Check. (Target)
Shoes? Check. (Ebay)
Belt? Check. (Walmart)
{Eek! I've already surpassed last year's budget!}
But wait, I'm not done! You see, the ensemble just wasn't complete.
It was missing something crucial.
{THE TIE}
Cue the creativity and frugality!
After doing a little blog-hopping, I found some great tutorials for making one myself:
I'm not sure my prototype is quite the right color for this Easter's outfit, nor for that matter am I certain about the bow tie style itself since Justin now admits that bow ties rank up there with sweater vests in his book. But the blue fabric was just too darn cute to pass up for my first attempt at a tie.
To show you Kendry's entire ensemble before Easter Sunday would be wrong, but here is your sneak peek:
it most assuredly will include a diaper and an adorable tie like this one.
I know we've been a bit quiet lately, but rest assured we are still here.
Those who have been through fertility treatments know what a blessing it is (if thats the right word for it) to simply rest in the lull that follows the regimented schedule of a treatment cycle - regardless of the outcome. Since receiving our disappointing news a month ago we have actually enjoyed getting back to the day to day routine.
No daily shot regimen.
No appointments and blood draws every few days.
No back to back trips to Seattle four days in a row.
Do we wish we were planning for the arrival of Baby #2 come November instead of pondering when we will be able to pursue another round of treatment?
Absolutely.
But for today, this is the path God has laid before us.
We may not always understand it, but we know that He still intends for us to enjoy life to the full, no matter what we are going through.
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
~John 10:10~
So for today we relish the joys of being a family of three rather than constantly wondering when we will be three plus.
We busy ourselves with activities like swim lessons every Saturday morning,
mowing our 'greener every day' lawn at least twice a week (Justin, not me),
and sneaking out to yard sales in the wee hours of our lazy Saturday mornings (me, not Justin).
We plan a family vacation (Christmas in Alaska anyone?) without scrutinizing whether we just might be pregnant by then, or if the vacation funds could be better allocated towards our next treatment.
We make plans for Kendry's big boy bed and his bedroom update without reserving space for a second bed.
Not because we don't believe God has another baby in store for us,
but because life goes on.
Vacations can be cancelled, if need be. (just be sure to buy trip insurance)
And furniture can easily be rearranged to make a big boy bedroom into a bedroom for two. (perhaps a little more work if Baby #2 is a girl)
When its all said and done I want to know that we made the most of every single minute.
As Joyce Meyer says: Patience is not the act of waiting, its how you behave while you wait.
You know I love to save a buck or two when it comes to my decor.
I found this little cutie at the $1 store.
I loved the decorative wings but wasn't a big fan of the textured body,
so I sanded her down a bit with some 100 grit sandpaper.
Her original silly putty color just wasn't doing it for me so I coated her with some light blue from my spray paint collection.
She looks a little Tiffany-esque in that shade of blue, don't you think?
Did you notice she is looking in a different direction in these after photos?
I'm just magical like that.
Actually, I finished the blue bird without taking a before photo and was so happy with how she turned out that I went back to the $1 store and picked out another one.
I am going to paint the second one a bright white.
HAPPY SPRING!
Are you adding some new touches to your spring decor this year?
I have admitted to you that I suffer from a mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
For instance, it drives me crazy when my bathroom towels aren't aligned on the towel rack.
Think creepy husband in Sleeping With the Enemy,
except I re-align the towels on my own instead of forcing Justin to march back into the bathroom to hang his towel correctly, with me watching over his shoulder in stern disapproval.
At its worst, I have actually gone to bed, lights out and everything, and then thought, "Did I hang those trousers correctly so they won't wrinkle? I don't think I did. Perhaps I should get up and make sure."
And I do just that.
I'm not kidding. These are just a few of the crazy urges I encounter with this disorder.
{Fortunately, God has shown me over the last 6 months that I do not have to be controlled by these urges. When I let them take control I am losing my peace. I get grumpy, I take it out on my family, and I end up frustrated with myself. No more. Now when I find myself feeling a little OCD crazy I just pray for peace and suddenly I am letting go of the urge, whatever it may be. God is slowly teaching me to relax and its great!}
And then there is the other side of the coin: ADD.
In my (anti-OCD) relaxation mode I start thinking of all the fun projects I can work on.
FYI: projects = fun therapy for me.
Just me and my craft(s), it is positively heavenly!
But deciding on just one to work on and/or complete?
Now that is a challenge.
I spray paint one piece and while its drying I think, "I should do something to kill time while it dries." So I pick up another piece and start working on that.
Before I know it I have projects everywhere, halfway painted, partially completed.
See?
Yes, this is my craft/guest room I am supposed to be finishing up.
I have been trying to clean up this mess for a few weeks now, but it seems that each time I head back there I remember or find a craft I would rather spend my time on.
{Misdirection}
Its the story of my life these days.
Have you seen the movie "Up"?
That is totally me.
I think I may have stipulated in my original Blogolution post that I would be tackling my house room by room. (Obviously this plan catered to my OCD tendencies.) And somehow I thought this would help me be more efficient. But come on, the same room until its done?
Booorrrinnng!
Plus, as I've pointed out, I am easily distracted.
So, I'm letting go of the OCD and giving in to the ADD.
I took a step back from the project at-hand to regroup on my ideas,
and in doing so I found another area of my house that I was desperate to tackle...
...this nook in my kitchen:
I have no idea what the original builders were doing with this space, but I don't like it. And since my dream kitchen remodel is still years away, we are making the best of it.
Initially we had our wine rack in this spot. It looked pretty and was convenient – that is, until we had a toddler running around the house. So we moved the wine rack out of the path of destruction and replaced it with this rinky-dink console table I got at an estate sale for $5.
It works, but it has always been just a temporary solution.
What do I really want?
A space for Kendry to sit at a kiddo-size table to eat his snacks, color, or play with play-dough.
All along I have known this would be the perfect nook to put said kiddo table.
I also want some fresh paint on that wall, and maybe even a little chalkboard for Kendry.
Am I going to shell out $100 for a good quality, wooden kid-size table and chairs?
No way, Jose!
Its all about using what you have around these parts.
And what I have is a rinky-dink console table, wood, paint and power tools.
I can't wait to show you what I've come up with!
Here's hoping another squirrel doesn't come along before I can finish this project.
Come April 24th my kiddo will be ready for his first official Easter egg hunt.
(Last year doesn't count since he couldn't walk yet.)
{TWO}
You know I love to brag about my hubby and his green thumb.
Seriously, look at that beautiful lawn!
These are not last years photos, folks - I snapped these just two days ago.
I'm tellin' ya, my man knows how to grow a beautiful lawn.
I can already see the colorful Easter eggs nestled here and there, just waiting to be discovered in this luscious green grass.
{THREE}
Just another day in the life of an idle toddler training potty.
Kendry using the pan of his potty as a tote for his action figures would only be gross if he was actually using the potty for its intended purpose.
He isn't.
{FOUR}
Can you sense how ready I am to get this kiddo out of diapers?
(sigh)
I suppose it could be worse -
what if one diaper cost as much as a gallon of gas?
{FIVE}
My chalk markers arrived this weekend. These babies are incredible!
I got mine on Ebay but you can also find them at Michaels Crafts.
The Honey-Do chalkboard just wasn't complete until I could
write pretty on it with my new markers.
{SIX}
Don't you just love my adorable, cardigan-wearing bunny next to the chalkboard?
I love Easter!
{SEVEN}
Did I ever tell you that Santa brought me a rotary tool for Christmas?
I tried it out for the first time the other night, cutting extra length off some hardware.
Is it just me or is there something addictive about power tools?
I'm already looking for something more to cut.
{EIGHT}
I nixed the Disney Movie Trivia feature awhile back,
but I'll give 50 points to whoever can name this Disney flick: "SQUIRREL!" Hint: its a recent one.
(Stay tuned for why this is movie quote is relevant this week.)
{NINE}
I got my very first jury questionnaire in the mail today,
for the U.S. District Court in Spokane no less.
{TEN}
This Week's Blessing:
Enjoying a picnic dinner at the levy with my boys on Friday evening.
We had a taste of warmer weather and took full advantage of it.
