Friday, August 29, 2014

Made it through Babygirl's first day back at school (but not through the school handbook yet)!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Top: Cable & Gauge; Scarf: Echo; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Shoes: Mariza Vellutini

Thursday, August 28, 2014: Wedding Dress

Not much going on today.  In anticipation of Babygirl starting school tomorrow I thought we would stay home, relax and get things ready for tomorrow.

On a completely different note, I also cleaned part of The Closet.

The Closet is behind the couch in the family room and is almost always a disaster.  It is the spot where we store things that need to be semi accessible and all sorts of other junk.  It is a rather large closet and poorly placed in the middle of the longest wall in the room.  We literally have to move the couch to get it open.  It is a pain in the butt and we hate looking for things in there.  Things are piled in boxes that are stacked on top of each other.  It is such a pain in the butt that it has attained proper noun status.

Among the things stored in The Closet is my wedding dress.  After we returned from our honeymoon I took it to the dry cleaner's and had it preserved.  They put it in a GIGANTIC box.  In a house with limited storage the only place the gigantic box fits is in The Closet.  The box does not fit under the bed, it doesn't fit in any of the other closets in the house.  I ran across said gigantic box in the closet today and remembered having run across pictures of little girls in wedding dresses on pintrest and thinking I should do that with Babygirl.

So I took the gigantic box down and told Babygirl what was in it.  She was really excited to see Mommy's "princess dress" as she calls it.  She insisted that I try it on.  I had to cut the tape sealing the box shut to get the dress out.

Surprisingly, after five years and giving birth to my beautiful Babygirl it still fits.  I was thrilled.  Then I took it off and put it "on" Babygirl.  She was as thrilled to try it on as I was that it still fit.  The look on her face was priceless.  (And the pictures are adorable!)

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Went to Babygirl's school this morning for backpack drop off.  Babygirl was SO excited to see her teacher and to be back at school!  She just cannot wait until she gets to go back on Friday.  We will see if she is ok with me leaving her, or if she is going to want Mommy to stay like she did last year!

I'm thrilled that she is so happy to be going back, but I am sad because it means less time with her.  I guess that is the life of a Mom though.  It is my choice to send her to school.  I am quite certain that if I decided to undertake the task of homeschooling Babygirl I could be quite successful at teaching her.  With all the resources online and an Aunt who a few years ago retired after 20+ years of teaching I would have tons of great support AND get to spend lots of time with my child.  Yet I choose not to do this.  I feel that my daughter will benefit more from being taught by someone else and from being around other kids her age.  I just cannot duplicate the socialization that she gets at school, and I feel that it is equally important to learn to work with others.

I'll still miss her.

Dress: Cynthia Rowley; Sweater: Armani Exchange; Necklace: J Crew; Ring (right hand): TJ Maxx; Shoes: Mariza Vellutini

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Babygirl was so excited yesterday when I told her she gets to go back to school this week.  We get to go do backpack drop off tomorrow and she goes back on Friday.  She can't wait.  I'm looking forward to it, and not looking forward to it at the same time.

Dress: Tart; Camisole/Bra: Cosabella; Cardigan: J Crew; Necklace: Ralph Lauren; Bracelets (top to bottom): J Crew, J Christys, my own, Pandora; Shoes: Natural Sole

Monday, August 25, 2014

Dress: Shana K; Bra/Camisole: Cosabella; Jacket: J Crew; Bracelets (top to bottom): Italy, J Crew, Banana Republic; Shoes: Mariza Vellutini

Friday, August 22, 2014

Happy birthday to my Dad!

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer; Jacket: J Crew; Bracelet: J Crew; Shoes: Mariza Vellutini

Thursday, August 21, 2014: Easy DIY Bobbin Covers

Once again thank you pintrest!  A while back I found a pin that lead to Schlossler Designs tutorial about making bobbin covers from plumbing tubing and I thought it was a great idea!  Since my bobbins are always unraveling and making a mess I got right on this one!

You need 5/8" by 1/2" plumbing tubing.  I found mine at menards in the plumbing department.  One coil was more than enough for me and a couple of friends and it was less than $10.  You can also find it online by searching "clear plumbing tubing."  The only other thing you need to make these is a cutting implement!  In the original tutorial she used an x-acto knife.  I figured I would end up at the hospital for certain if I used an x-acto knife, so I experimented with a few different cutting tools: serrated knife, kitchen scissors, the winner was my garden shears.  They safely, easily and quickly cut the tubing.

Basically all you need to do it measure the inside height of your bobbins, mark your tubing (optional, but would have saved me some waste) and cut away!  Once you have several tubing rings, slice them open.  In the original tutorial, she cut her rings straight, I chose to make diagonal cuts.  I used a couple of bowls to hold the rings and keep the various stages separate.  Once that is done you are ready to use them and have neat tangle free bobbins!

Tuesday, August 19, 2013

Got to try out my new windshield wiper blades today!  (Yep, my life is that exciting!)

Top: J Crew; Cardigan: Gap; Necklace: my own; Bracelets (top to bottom): J Crew, my own; Rings (right hand): TJ Maxx; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Shoes: Stuart Weitzmann

Monday, August 18, 2014: Weekend Recap

Had a lovely weekend.

Friday was Hubby and I's fifth wedding anniversary, so he surprised me by taking the day off and we went up to Milwaukee for the night.  Babygirl had her first sleepover at Grandma and Poppop's; she has never slept away from both of us.  She said she had a good time, but she wanted Hubby and I...

Hubby surprised me with a massage for both of us at the Pfister Well Spa, which was very nice.  One of the best massages I have ever had!  After the massages we went to the Milwaukee Art Museum for a snack and to see the Kandinsky exhibition and then took a walk by the lake.  We checked into our hotel and did a little shopping downtown before changing for dinner at Lake Park Bistro.  Dinner was delicious!  Hubby had the chef's menu which featured tomatoes, and I had escargot, beef tartare, and a lovely trout dish with artichoke and mushrooms.  The chocolate mousse was a divine way to finish the meal.

Saturday morning we headed to the Milwaukee Public Market.  We had a great lunch at The Green Kitchen.  The strawberry mint lemonade was great!

We picked Babygirl and the Moose up and headed home for some playtime and naps.  In the evening we headed to the county fair for our fill of fried food, animals and rides!  Babygirl was very excited to see all the animals and so excited to be able to go on rides this year!  She loved the merry go round, spinning teacups, and the big slide!  We topped it all off with a family ride on the ferris wheel!  We arrived home tired and just in time for bed!

It was a great weekend!

Dress: Isaac Mizrahi; Scarf: gift; Rings (right hand, top to bottom): antique, TJ Maxx, TJ Maxx, antique; Shoes: Natural Soul

Friday, August 15, 2024: Happy Anniversary

Five years ago today I happily married my husband.  He says he is willing to put up with me for another fifty years or so, so I think I'll keep him around! :)  Hopefully we will have another 50 years!

Apparently I have plans today.  Hubby won't tell me what they are, but we need to leave the house by 11 am, and Babygirl and the Moose will be staying with Grandma.  (She has never slept further than the next room from me, so I'm a little worried about that one.)

We'll see what surprises the day brings!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Top: Cable & Gauge; Jacket: J Crew; Necklace: Amrita Singh; Bracelets (top to bottom): Target, J Crew, local boutique; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Shoes: BCBG

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Dress: Cynthia Rowley; Sweater: Adrienne Vittadini; Necklace: my own; Bracelets (top to bottom): J Crew, J Christy's, my own; Shoes: Mariza Vellutini

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Top: Ann Taylor; Sweater: Adrienne Vittadini; Necklace: antique; Rings (right hand): TJ Maxx; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Shoes: Reef

Tuesday, August 12, 2014: Depression

I was deeply saddened to hear of Robin William's suicide yesterday.  He was such a talented man, and will be missed by many.

Depression can be a deep hole, difficult to climb out of.  Many people suffer.  I have several friends and family members who suffer from depression.  I myself suffer occasional bouts.  Mine are mild, I have never considered something as drastic as suicide.  No matter how worthless I feel I know that it would not be worth it, that it would only hurt others.

If you suffer from depression please get help.  Talk with a friend, relative or doctor.  If you have thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day toll free at 1-800-273-TALK.  It is not worth it.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Looks like its going to be a busy week...

Shirt: Target; Scarf: Isa; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Shoes: Etienne Aigner

Friday, August 8, 2014: Sparkly Light for the Utility Room

This is what happens when Hubby is gone too much.  I get bored.  I spend WAY too much time on pintrest after Babygirl goes to bed.  I get ideas.  I start thinking "In my quest to make the utility room a more pleasant room that I don't mind spending time in, rather than a boring room I hate, wouldn't it be fun to put a sparkly chandelier in there?"

Never mind that I put this light fixture in there not *that* long ago...  Hubby probably wouldn't be too happy if I said I wanted a new one because I now have a slightly different vision for the room...

Kind of boring, right?  But it does give really good light for the room.

So I give up on the idea.  For a few hours anyway.  Then I remember that I still have a bunch of chandelier crystals from our wedding.

I've used a few for various craft projects, made a bracelet out of some, and used some in Babygirl's room, but I still have a whole bunch.  Maybe I could do something with them to make the light sparkly...  Plus I already have them so it wouldn't cost anything!

So, at 11:30 at night (hey, I need to do things when I remember!) I made a sparkly light.  I found some flexible wire in the tool bin, wrapped it around the bar that holds the lights and hung the crystals on it!  It only took about ten minutes, and it was free!  And I still have more crystals!  (Wonder what else I'm going to do with them...)

Hooray for sparkles!

Thursday, August 7, 2014: School Supply Shopping

Today was the first ever time shopping for school supplies for Babygirl!  I know it is only preschool, but I am still really excited!

Last year we didn't have hardly any supplies she needed because she was only there for the last couple of months of the year.  I think I had to get a binder and some page protectors, both of which I still had hanging around the house from my college days!  (Proof that if you hang on to anything long enough you will use it--I've been out of college for almost 10 years now!)

This year, since Babygirl is starting at the beginning of the year, we got a school supply list.  A lot of the supplies are for general classroom use, so the teacher had some pretty specific requests.  It took a lot longer than I thought it would...  Oh well, Babygirl and I were really happy to be doing it!

Babygirl is really excited to be going back to school.  She keeps asking me "Is it fall yet Mommy?  Are the leaves falling off the trees yet?"  I'm really happy that she is looking forward to going back.

Top: Sigrid Olsen; Bracelets (top to bottom): J Christy's, my own, J Christy's; Skirt: Gap; Shoes: Kate Spade 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014: Junk Drawers

Happy birthday to my wonderful Hubby!  I just wish he was here to celebrate instead of travelling on business.  Oh well, we will celebrate on the weekend instead.

Babygirl and I are homebodies today.  That is probably a good thing since I couldn't sleep at all last night.  I think I finally fell asleep around 5 am.  Not fun.  I am definitely going to need a nap this afternoon.  

In light of the lack of function that comes after a night of insomnia, I needed a simple task to keep me busy after Babygirl and I ate lunch.  First we took a walk, then I decided to tackle the junk drawers.

Yes, drawers.  For reasons I still cannot fathom, we have devoted the three drawers on our peninsula to random chaos.  I think part of the reason is that we do not have a home office (our laptop sits on the peninsula most of the time and goes in the laundry room when we have guests) and all that computer stuff needs to go somewhere, preferably near the computer.

Just for the sake of humiliation, here is what they looked like this morning:

Not as awful as they could be, I suppose, but like I said I needed an easy task, and they DID need some straightening! 

So, when we returned from our walk I started with the first drawer.  It mostly holds writing implements and tools.  It is also frequently where I dump our phones to get them off the counter.  I took everything out.  Did I really need four tubes of hand lotion in there?  (No.)  Do I really need four things of fish food?  (Maybe.  Our fish was originally a very picky eater.  I kept three of them, but two are now at the very back of the drawer.)  There was some miscellaneous stuff that didn't belong in the drawer at all, so that was easy to return to its proper places.  Babygirl had several broken bracelets in this drawer; I removed them from the cording and dumped the beads in her button box.  When I was done, and had added some additional dividers the drawer looked much better, and had taken considerably less time than I thought it would consume.

Hooray!  So I moved on to the other two drawers:

Still not perfect, but much better!  Now I just need to find a better solution for the cords…

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

I think this is the first time I've worn this great antique necklace I found when we were up north last month.  It really is a fabulous piece and I am thrilled to own it.  I bought it at a gem and mineral show that was going on at the local high school.  

The man selling it didn't know much about it.  He dealt mostly in Tibetan silver and this necklace had been in a lot of things he bought.  It is obviously Asian influence, and probably early 1900s.  It is a green stone with seed pearls and green enamel chain.  

Top: Cable & Gauge; Necklace: antique; Bracelet: my own; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Shoes: Mariza Vellutini

A better look at the necklace

Monday, August 4, 2014

Even if it is raining.

Friday, August 1, 2014: Garden Pictures

I asked Babygirl this morning if she wanted to stay home or go out today.  She said she wanted to stay home, so we did.  We spent some time outside looking at flowers, and then came in and played, dusted and colored.  A good day.  I thought I would share some garden pictures today.

Passion flower grown on a pot topiary

These little flowers were grown by Babygirl from a wildflower seed packet she received at the library

More of Babygirl's library flowers

Snail flower vines growing on the supports of our patio gazebo

Babygirl's fairy garden.  She helped paint the house, the driftwood and shell "yard art" and some of the rocks were collected while we were up north.  

My hydrangeas have been doing very well this year; I think it is because it is cooler and rainier than normal.  I bought these hydrangeas five years ago just before Hubby and I were married and used some of the flowers for our reception.  

Lavender put in when we put the patio in eight years ago.  It is past its flowering prime this year, but otherwise flourishing!

Our little vegetable garden contains tomatoes (six feet tall, but no ripe ones yet), peppers, onions, beets, kale, cucumbers, thyme, and basil.  The marigolds in the front were a Mother's day gift Babygirl "made" at school.  The blank spot was supposed to be for Babygirl's broccoli, but the seeds failed to germinate (they were left over from last year.)