Sunday, July 31, 2011

Target Toy Clearance 2011

i found some great deals this week at the semi annual target summer toy clearance
all of these items were marked down 75% from the sticker price
i spent about $100 for christmas  and birthday for molly, her cousins, and friends
yippee!

santa's workshop
fun playdoh sets were $3.24 each
fold out baby doll beds...aroudn $2
all of the dolls were about $6 each
these play dough sets have been the most fun
they were the one thing i didn't pack up
they were only $1.98 each 
all of them tell a story (red riding hood, 3 pigs, hansel and gretel)
molly loves them!
the games were so cheap...around $3 each
love these nesting monkeys... $2


toy story dino...$5 ish
angelina ballerina

strawberry shortcake
more baby dolls

all in all, nothing was more than $6 
so it looks like i'm set on toys and gifts for a while

i really try to have most of christmas shopping done in the summer time
because once school starts it seems like christmas is here in no time
and the entire fall season is so rushed!

ok, now i'm off to find some storage:)

Friday, July 29, 2011

dentist visit

molly had her second dental appointment this week
and she was not a fan

as you can see here
and here...drawing her line in the sand and refusing to open her mouth!
glances of cartoons overhead did not help
and here, she was adamant to push away the hygienist
finally i helped to hold her arms while the hygienist did a quick brush and clean and she was almost done
i was whispering in her ear how much she was scaring the boys around her for screaming
and how it was no different than we had practiced at home
but she wasn't sure
while we waited for the dentist we practiced opening wide!
and she was pretty good for him 
and we left with a new toothbrush
and an appointment in 6 more months...
i hope we do better the 3rd visit!

{she got a clean report, btw}
and if you want to look back to her first dental appointment you can click here
or check out this picture from October 2010...

Thursday, July 28, 2011

realization

i've often wondered when molly may realize her fingers and toes are different from others
when would she ask her first questions?
when might she feel different?

i have loved every minute of her at two years old
at this age children are perfectly oblivious to differences
she doesn't even recognize that she doesn't look like me
or that her fingers and toes are different
she only knows me as mommy
and as far as she's concerned i may have well birthed her
because to a 2 year old, it's all the same

well, today she very matter of factly said,
"i don't have all of my toes"

and my questions was answered
at nearly 3 years old, she has noticed

i was walking around the house barefoot (as i usually do)
and she looked at my feet and looked at her feet and just said that one statement

it caught me off guard for a minute
but, then i just knelt down to her and said
"no, you don't have all of your toes.  your toes are different, but they are perfect.
you are able to do everything anyone else can do, right?"
and, she just said,
"yeah, mine are different!"
and ran off to play again

i'm not sure if one of the kids at daycare may have pointed her difference out to her today and so it was on her mind or if she just came to the statement on her own
either way, she wasn't upset about it
and i know it is the first of many conversations we may have about her difference...
her difference that i never see anymore

but her hands and feet are the ones i prayed for 
for so long
i'm just thankful to God for them everyday!





(mom said the flower was too big...could there be such a thing as a hair accessory that is too big??)




and just as a side note b/c i know i'll forget these moments
she has started to say the funniest thing in lieu of "please"
whenever she needs something she will say,
"can i have some milk please and thank you they are the magic words?"
or
"can i watch a movie please and thank you they are the magic words?
it's a phrase on a barney video that she has seen for a while, but now she just says it matter of factly!

also if she tells me something and i'm not looking at her she says,
"mommy, listen to me!"

the last cute thing i want to remember is that she will run up to me and say
"na, na, na, na you can't catch me"
and will proceed to run away, usually to my bed and wait for me to tickle her all over
and then we end up running all through the house with the "tickle monster" out to get her
sometimes i wonder how long these cute phases will last
i wish it would last forever...

summer painting...breakfast nook

one of the most endearing parts of my house in my opinion is this little breakfast nook
i love this part of the floor plan and have waited to spruce it up until now
in this 'before' picture you can see i used a card table for a long time
i bought the two x backed chairs on craigslist
my aunt bought the chandelier from a yard sale for $5!

for the after, i found a round table at goodwill that was originally a light wood color
this summer i painted both the table and chairs in an oil based Sherwin Williams creamy
i was hesitant to work with oil based, but it was fine
i also had cushions made for the window seat and chairs to match
the curtains came from walmart...bh&g section



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

summer painting...dining room

this summer project has been in the works in my head for 2 years 
i bought this dining room set at the nashville flea market a few months before i moved into my home
i love the french provicial curves and lines of the set
and i'm a sucker for cane backed chairs
while it wasn't the color i needed in my home, i knew with a little tlc i could make it work

i also knew that it would require a lot of sweat and elbow grease to make it work
and so i put it off, unpacked, and then i became a mom, went to china, and was a little busy

but this summer, it was the first thing on my list so here is a little before and after for you and then i'll walk you through the steps in case you are interested...



before i started, i read and read and searched the internet for directions and tips on how to do this the right way
some great sources were from diy bloggers like miss mustard seed, the lettered cottage, young house love, just a girl, clover lane, and there were probably a few more because i really wanted to be informed so i didn't mess this up!
also, altard furniture has a great how to guide ebook that i purchased and read through.

the first step was stripping off all of the paint
i took miss mustard seed's advice and used this product from home depot
it was easy to use and worked really well

after i stripped the whole table i sanded and prepped the legs and base of the table because i wanted them white
i left the top for last b/c i was unsure what to stain it

my assistant helped through the whole process!
i used behr premium plus ultra line in snow white
it has the primer combined with the paint to reduce the steps


 the next step was to sand the table top down to the bare wood so i could stain it
this was a messy process and i should have moved the table to the garage
but i was home alone and wanted to keep the process moving so i got sand dust everywhere:(





i used minwax stain in provincial and then wiped on about 3 topcoats of minwax wipe on poly in gloss to protect it and give it a shine
 next up was to do the chairs 
i followed the same steps...strip, sand, paint
but with the carved detail, they were much harder than the table


i knew it would be hard to get through all the grooves of the cane
so i started by using a spray primer to fully coat through the layers of green and yellow

i had a few side chairs to add to the mix as well
i've had the painting done for a couple weeks, but have been waiting for all of the cushions to be covered
here is the final product
i'm so pleased with the final product and do not want to paint anything for a long time...
maybe next summer:)



 i just love this feminine floral fabric i've had for two years
they really completed the space

 this table turned out so pretty
since it had two coats of paint on top, i was unsure how it would turn out
but, as i sanded and began to see this beautiful wood pattern appear i was so excited!


the carved detail really shows up pretty

next up:  summer painting...breakfast nook


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