Sunday, September 13

Finally!

...i got around to creating a new, up-to-date blog header! I've been slowly diligently working on one for a friend and finally finished it last night!

My goal this go round was to figure out how to use a different font for post headers/dates and then create a rotating blog header! One much easier and one much more complicated than I thought!

So here it is! If you refresh your screen (F5 for PCs and apple R for macs or just hit that refresh button at the top of your window!), you should be able to see the 3 headers, in completely random order. Sometimes they will repeat, and you'll get the same one several time in a row. That's just the luck of the draw! Refresh a few more times and you can see all 3!

I'm sure I'll change out some of the photos when I do 18 month pictures with her...but for now, these will do!

Enjoy!

Friday, September 11

The Swedish Chef

You might remember this crazy character from the Muppets:

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Well I think we've got our own {toned down} version of a Swedish Chef around these parts...and clearly much cuter!
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I happened to randomly mention to my friend Diane (known around here as DiDi) that I was looking for a little kitchen for Addie. Do you know how expensive some of those things are? Just take my word on it, especially the wooden ones! Fine. Go ahead, stop by P0ttery Barn Kids and check them out for yourself! Leave it to Didi to find the absolute best deal anywhere, and then refuse to let me pay her for it! Don't worry...I'll find a way!

It was pouring down rain yesterday afternoon when we got home. Miserably pouring. Addie had taken a long nap before we picked up Paul and was raring to go when we got home. Perfect time to pull out the new kitchen.

(I'm warning you...these pictures are really grainy/noisy. There wasn't much light, and I refuse to use the on camera flash. Think I might need to invest in another one...me too!)

I put the whole thing together and realized I needed to put batteries in it. So I craned my neck, reached inside the oven, and carefully unscrewed the battery compartment. Totally worth it!
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She had a blast!
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The little sink makes a running water noise:
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And the burners crackle with flames:
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Can you hear them?

I wish I could have gotten a better angle on this picture, but you take what you can get with an almost 18 month old! Every time she'd make the water run she'd look up at Paul with this super surprised look! Priceless!
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see the resemblance...at least in the expression...to this:
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I think I was younger than Addie is now in this picture...I guess that's why I didn't have my curls yet. Oh well. She may be a Daddy's girl, but I'm not letting her eyes and hair go!
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Oh...and I can assure you that our child wears clothes, just not when she eats her Daddy's BBQ pizza for dinner!

Thanks for the fun kitchen Didi!

I ♥ Faces

I'm certainly not one to turn down assistance when it comes to my photographs and post processing. You may remember this post where I participated in a Constructive Feedback Friday (or not if you don't know about my other blog). The picture had far from ideal composition...but have you seen how fast this baby moves?

Well check out who's featured on the I ♥ Faces Fix-It Friday this week!

Make sure to check out a few Fix-Its from the Mr. Linky and join in! Thanks to all the excellent fixers!

Which Fix-It is your favorite?!?!? Make sure to click on the contributers name to see more details and photos!

Saturday, September 5

Football Season and Flashback Friday Saturday

We go slightly against the grain around these parts when it comes to football. I mean, we should be pulling for Au6urn...or at least A1abama. Right? Samf0rd maybe?

Nah. Not if Addie's Daddy has anything to do with it!

I even tried to buy her a smocked Georgia Bulldogs outfit off eb@y a few days ago. They were asking entirely too much...so I passed it up! I did, however, avoid altogether the smocked dress with cheerleaders on it. Addie's already far to fascinated with them!

Here's a Flashback Friday...on Saturday! You might remember it from here. We no longer have a Baby Dawg though. She's definitely in the full fledged Toddler Dawg category now, but since the (2T) shirt below is now skin tight, these pictures of our sweet 10 month old walking with assistance from her Rie Rie will have to do!

Have a great football weekend! Go Dawgs!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Wednesday, September 2

Sliding

I figured I'd skip Wordless Wednesday this week. It's been an exhausting past 48 hours with a sick child (that ended up with the worst diaper rash she's ever had in her short life), a sick husband, and me trying to get well from being sick most of the weekend. I feel sorta like I'm sliding down a slippery slope and can't stop.

No flu. I'm thankful. Really bad colds though that make you feel like you've been hit by a mack truck, in my husband's words.

I'm cleaning out. I figure I may not be able to prevent sickness from creeping in my house; but I can prevent my house from being sick with clutter. I've been convicted: we have entirely too much junk stuff. I'm sick of it!

Too many clothes. Too many frames. Too many books. Too many things that should have been thrown out, given away, sold, whatever years ago! I'm ready to slide all of it down that slippery slope...instead of me!

I've always had a hard time throwing/giving things away. I come by it naturally. I'm not talking about old mail or old wrapping paper. It's old clothes that I haven't worn in 2 years but just might need next week. It's stuff we bought that we really didn't need...but might. It's the 103rd candle that I just can't give up...even though it's crooked and won't burn right anymore but might. It's all the stuff that I've given or thrown away over the past week that I can't even remember what it was now...but might.

I'm over it.

To date: I've cleaned out Paul's side of the closet (with his help), my side of the closet, most of the shelves in our closet, the hall closet, the coat/suitcase closet, the guest bedroom closet, the junk drawer in the kitchen, and my biggest project to date...

...our storage shed. After I dropped another 4 bags of give-away at Faith Rescue, I came home while the girls were at lunch bunch and spent the fastest hour and a half ever cleaning out. There is a ginormous pile of stuff on the street as I type. It's kinda strange to watch people slow down as they pass your house peering into your trash (it really is trash) wondering if there is anything there they might want. I can assure them; there is not. It's old power tools that the previous owners left that we never bothered to plug in to see if they worked. They don't. Two rabbit cages. No rabbit. Two old dog beds. Not being slept on except by the squirrels. A Christmas tree that paul cut up for firewood. Christmas trees don't make good fire wood. An old shelf, an old screen, too many baskets and plastic flower containers to count...and on and on.

It's liberating.

Sorta like sliding...but the good kind.

Do you remember sliding as a child? I remember how cool I thought the huge, spiral slides were. They looked so tall. I never understood why I didn't fall off. I slid down one with Addie a few weeks ago. Not so tall anymore. I guess it's all about perspective.

I always tended to slide the "correct" way. I mean. It was the rule. You go feet first. And you don't climb back up the slide. You just don't. I was too much of a rule follower.

Addie, on the other hand, not so much:

Get Ready...
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Get Set...
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Go!!!!
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Check out that foot!
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Pure joy (as I regain my composure!)
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I think it's more fun to slide down head first...as long as you can see where you're going! But that's a whole other post.

Happy Wednesday!