Pillows {Downstairs Update}

During the day I spend a lot of time in the basement family room with the kids.  It's the room that houses all the entertainment (tv, computer, toys, etc) and every time I sat on the couch I was disgusted with the throw pillow situation.  So one day I decided enough was enough I searched my fabric stash and found 3 coordinating fabrics and turned them into pillow slipcovers to hide the ugly, beat up pillows that were adorning the couch.

It all began with these graphic yellow and white fabric napkins.

2 napkins

+

an old, ugly pillow

= a fun new couch accessory

These pillows had also seen better days. Notice the blue one is ripped on one side. But once I put on a new slipcover they look brand new.  Whenever I make a pillow slipcover I always use the tutorial from Sparkle Power.

It was a small update but I love the  new graphic punch on the couch.  The colors aren't my typical style, but they go with the kid friendly vibe of the room.  The thing with all the furnishings in this room are they must be kid friendly and these are because I can simply take off the cover and throw them in the wash if they get dirty. Plus I didn't invest any money into the project so I won't be crushed if they get ruined. And the best part, I no longer have to look at the ugly pillows sneering at me on the couch.

Game 10

For the 10th and final game of the season Malone took on the Ohio Dominican Panthers.  It began badly and it didn't get any better. The Pioneers fell 7-55 to the Panthers.

The game was in Columbus, OH so the kids and I made a road trip. The kids did great on the 2 hour ride. Our 1st stop was the store, Simply Vague, where I sell some of my homemade wares.  It was the first time I have been to the store and it proved to be very unique with a variety of fun items. I delivered a slew of Ohio State paraphernalia so I set up a display.

I had the kids in tow making it difficult to get my work done but I rewarded their good behavior with time to play at the playground. Then we ate lunch and made our way to the game.

Kyle was on the field for the 1st time all season

Nora climbing all over the stroller during the game

it was a super nice sunny day for a football game

Sawyer cheering on daddy

Sawyer relaxing on the field...he is obviously very comfortable with the team as he is always under their feet

last family picture of the season

I watched the painful game while the kids ran wild. The drive home was very uneventful as thankfully both kids fell asleep. And we pulled into town just as the 1st basketball game of the season started.  So we took in the 1st half of an exciting game.

Then we all came home and crashed into bed.

15 months

I can't believe my baby is 15 months old! When Sawyer was 15 months we were getting ready to have another baby...but not this time Nora is still my sweet, snugly one. Though she is starting to assert her will with her brother.

Some newish developments:

She has started talking more. Her most often used words are mama, daddy, nana (banana), hi, bye, more, mine, uh-oh, please, thank you and football. I find it funny that her 3rd word was football. She also repeats pretty much any word you ask her too though it's not always intelligble.

Her 2nd molar just popped through.

Her hair is growing fast and she is now rocking a full blown mullet.

She wears 12 month clothes and size 4 shoes

At her 15 month well child visit she was 19.5 lbs. (10%) and 29 1/4 inches (20%).

Wears size 3 diapers.

Still won't drink milk.

She eats a LOT. She eats more than Sawyer and it is not unusual for her to eat 3 helpings at meal time.

Her sleeping habits are hit and miss. Some nights she will sleep all night then others she is up 3 times and wakes up for good at 5 am. We never know and it can be super frustrating but it's all because of those blasted molars...2 more to go.

Is obsessed with her belly button.

Loves to make animal noises. Her favorite is mooing like a cow but she can also growl, oink, and make monkey noises.

Her favorite form of defense is biting. Not a great habit, we're working on it.

Not so coordinated...if she takes off running she will fall at some point.

Is super ticklish. She can even tickle herself.

Dirty Little Secret

One room of the house I've never displayed on the world wide web... Our laundry/storage room. It is not the most beautiful room in the house but it serves a very important function. The downside is it became a dumping ground. Here it is in all its messy glory.

the chaos before the clean-up

I found myself constantly trying to organize this room and I could never seem to find a system that worked until now. We received some new shelves from a friend that was moving so decided it was time to tackle this room. I spent an afternoon sorting, purging and organizing. Now everything has a place, it is easy to access and we have room to move around.

It's actually refreshing to walk in there. And it is so nice now that everything is easily accessible. There are still a few changes I want to make like getting rid of the antique curtains that have been there since the house was built. But that will have to wait until football season is over.

Game #9

This weekend Malone traveled to Findlay University. It was kind of a crazy game and the Pioneers held strong but in the end they fell 38-14.

Since I was gone most of the week on work assignments the kids and I decided to stay home. We ran errands, picked out some birthday gifts (more on that in a minute), had a teleconference for work, worked on etsy, listened to the football game and played with the kiddos. Sawyer is really growing up ...when we went shopping for a birthday gift for cousin Gracie he was very specific about what he wanted to get her and he told everyone we saw that he was getting Gracie a butterfly. It took us a while but on our 3rd store we found what he was looking for and he was so excited to give it to her. In fact he was so excited he kept telling her what was in the package...guess we'll have to keep working on the concept of a secret. It was super sweet to see him so excited about giving to others.z

When Kyle got home on Saturday night we went grocery shopping...it was a wild and crazy Saturday night :)

Sunday started with church then we went to cousin Gracie's happy party (this is what Sawyer calls a birthday party, which he asks to go to everyday). The kids had a blast playing dress-up, decorating cupcakes and getting their face painted.

It was a busy and dun weekend! Sorry there are no pictures I didn't have time to download them. The next post will have pics I promise.

Trick or Treat {007 Style}

 

 Since Sawyer had a tux from his ring bearer duties this summer we decided to utilize what we had and turn him into James Bond. Nora was going to be the Bond girl from Goldfinger in a gold catsuit but her seamstress (aka: mommy) totally botched the costume so we had to move to plan b. I found a sophisticated black and white dress at Goodwill. So the kids wore double duty outfits you could say they were James Bond and a Bond girl or a bride and groom.

James Bond and his girl

We taught Sawyer to say his name was Bond, James Bond. It was adorable especially because he always said "I'm Bomb, James Bomb."

the 1st halloween party

Friday before Halloween I took the kids to a Halloween Party hosted by a local mom's club. The kids enjoyed the bounce house, crafts and getting candy.

The city-wide trick-or-treating was scheduled for Sunday but Sandy put a little damper (pun intended) on the festivities. So we moved to plan B. After nap we put the kids costumes on and visited Uncle Cliff and Aunt Jess' house for their first ever trick-or-treating experience. Then instead of walking around in the cold rain we went to a friends house for pizza and a little indoor trick-or-treating. The kids had a blast!

attempting to hold his gun like James Bond

love both my boys faces in this one

going to the door for candy

saying trick-or-treat

holding the littles at our indoor party

Nora caught onto the idea of trick-or-treating very quickly

enjoying a piece of his candy

Pumpkin Carving

One rainy evening in October we decided to do a little pumpkin carving.  Daddy and Sawyer tackled one pumpkin and the girls did another pumpkin. This was Sawyer's first pumpkin carving experience. You can see what he thought below.

Daddy getting out the guts, Sawyer took 1 look at
that job and left it to Daddy

Mommy and Nora preparing the pumpkin

drawing on the design

carving away

the final product, he loved it, we have to go look at it outside multiple times a day

Mommy and Nora's finished product