Halloween Wreath

Anna and I just made a new Halloween wreath completely out of googly eyes. I got the idea via Pinterest from this site. I liked it because it is creepy without being gory or anything like that.

I started out with a floral foam wreath (mainly because I didn't want to go to the craft store and this is what they had a Walmart) and surrounded it in black duck tape. Then it was time for gluing. We used three sizes of eyes: big, medium and smaller. I didn't get any of the really little ones because the site I got it from said they would be too small.

Anna working on gluing. Sometimes I would hold the eye and sometimes she would.

I kept meaning to do it at night when the kids were in bed but somehow it never happened so Anna got to be a part of it. I was wary but she did really well. She even took a turn with the glue gun. Naturally it was her first time with a glue gun and we had strings all over the place and a few burns but all in all there were no problems.

Placing the eye where is goes. She did a good job of keeping them close to each other.

We started with the biggest ones and evenly spaced them around the form. There were 12 in the package and we used them all. Then we took the medium size ones and just surrounded the big ones with the medium ones. Once they were all surrounded like creepy flowers I added a few more along the sides. These ones came in packages of 150 and I used one full package and a handful of the second package.

Showing off after the first pass. Someday she will look at the camera when her picture is being taken.Sigh.

Then it was onto the little ones. I used these and just filled in all the rest of the space. I used the whole package of 300.

Finished wreath waiting for the ribbon.

Once it was all done, it was ribbon time. I learned this trick from my sister Kristen when we lived with her to hang and wreath by a ribbon stapled to the top of the door. I think it's brilliant because then the door closes easily (I hate it when you use a wreath hanger and the door sticks), you never see the holes and it's pretty. I chose a black wired ribbon with silver speckles and added a bow. Side note: wired ribbons are great for making pretty bows. Especially if your bows always look wonky (like mine do).

On the door. It even fits between the door and the screen. 

So here is our new wreath. I love it. It's fun on the door and I get to see it lots since our door is literally always open. Interestingly enough, the sun glints off of the eyes and adds an unexpected bling.

Miss Anna's Beauty Spa

Anna loves the Fancy Nancy books. She likes to look through them and wants her room to look just like Nancy's (or her friend Bree's). In the book Bonjour Butterfly there is a page where the family is staying in a motel and Nancy likes the little bottles of shampoo and such. She says, "Ooh la la! It's like being in a beauty spa!" Well, Anna has taken that page to heart and made a beauty spa in our bathroom.

She set the book out and wanted it to look exactly the same. I wouldn't let her use all the towels though.

Her self-done manicure.

My moisturizer globbed on to look like a face mask.

Even her doll got her nails done.

I love,,,

little boys in plaid shorts.

Brian loves sitting up. These were taken in July and he doesn't need his hands to hold him steady anymore. Leaving them free to play.

Whatcha got there Mom?

This is his face that the Aunties at church go nuts over.

They are just so fun and cute!

Happiness is...

 having your own swing.

All the different ways she likes to play. Siting on it...

  We finally figured out a way to put up the swing that we got for Anna for her birthday. She loves it!

swinging on her tummy...

 She loves to sit on it when I'm hanging up laundry. For the most part, it doesn't get in the way of the clothes but I try to put short things on the line between the chains so she's not running into them. 

standing up...

It's turned into her place to go to be alone if she's having a hard time. Sometimes she asks us to push her and is working on learning to pump.

and of course twisting up the chain...

Definitely a hit of a birthday present.

and letting go! 

Organizing!

I love organizing things. Lately I've been working on different areas and when I get it done, it makes me so happy. Here's what I've done lately.

I got this idea from a pinterest post about a well stocked craft cupboard. It's just an over door shoe organizer on a closet. The things I don't want Anna to be able to get on her own (like the scissors and glue) are at the top. Although she has figured out she can just pull up a chair to get them. Oh well, it was a good thought. She is good about putting things back with like things sharing a pocket and different things in separate pockets. The anal retentiveness in me is resisting the urge to label each pocket so there is only one 'right' place for each thing. This way Anna can change where things goes based on her mood. The things that don't fit (like pads of paper and such) are still in the cupboard where they were before. They are kind of just thrown in there so that is on my list of things to do.

Next is my canisters. I have two sets and love putting things in canisters. When Jason kept asking me where things were or what was in which one, I knew it was time for labels. Since some of them can change (like with the rices and other grains) I wanted chalk board ones. I was going to paint it on but then I found these dots at Target. They are made to go on the walls so I have some that are way too huge but there smaller ones that are just right. I especially like the dual circles.

I've done other small organizing projects around but those are the big ones. 

Old Man Shorts

Whenever Brian wears these shorts, which are a bit big on him, they turn into old man shorts. Cracks me up every time.

Playing Easter

I'm beginning to think Easter is Anna's favorite holiday. A bit ago, when we were organizing our crafts (more on that later) she got out all the paper Easter grass, sprinkled it all over the floor in the kitchen then added white pompoms for eggs and had an Easter Egg hunt. Hours of entertainment.

The "eggs" waiting to be found in the "grass".

Prancing around the "grass" with her basket.

Putting the eggs in her basket.