Aaaaarrrrggghhhh, Matey!

My son's favorite character right now happens to be Captain Jack Sparrow. Anyone else start belting out a rendition of Michael Bolton's "Lonely Island"... "this is the tale of Captain Jack Sparrow..." So, no. Just me? Anyway, I digress.

Maybe not the best parenting decision ever to let him watch Pirates of the Caribbean. It is what is and he decided he wanted a pirate party for his 6th birthday. A few months prior I started my Pinterest board and I'm SO very happy with how it all turned out. I don't have specific links mainly because I'm too lazy to go back and look for every single thing, but you can find everything pretty easily with a search.

 My talented hubby carved the watermelon shark and we added some red food dye to make it extra realistic!

 These cupcake wrappers and flags were free printables I found! I used a mini Twix bars to represent a boat.

 I used a fish cookie cutter to make PB and J sandwiches. The labels were free somewhere, too.

 I actually came up with this one myself. I used breadstick dough, cocktail sausages, and almond slices to make fingers. I cut each breadstick in half and formed it over the sausage before baking.

 I used a sand pail filled with rocks to make the base of my pirate flag. I covered it in leftover drop cloth from another party and used PVC pipe spray painted black for the pole. The table is covered in the leftover drop cloth and I used the tablecloth section I cut off for the flag as a runner on the table.

 The flag is just a Target plastic table cloth. I bought mini bags of Pirate's Booty. I made egg salad seaweed wraps.

 Grilled Parrot - chicken wings

 Super Cute Pirate Princess

 Walking the plank over a kiddie pool filled with toy sharks. The birthday boy is in the front with his birthday shirt. Side note - I have a shirt made each year for the boys' birthdays. When they outgrow the shirt, I put them in their 'to save' bins and plan on having a T-shirt quilt made when they leave for college or get married.

   Pirates VS the British in a water balloon canon fight. There was laughing, crying, and much mud!

 

NOT PICTURED - I had plastic glasses filled with blue jello and gummy sharks. Each kid left with a cup filled with 'treasure' - beads and wrapped gold chocolates.   

 

I think he had a great time turning 6!

Oatmeal - Not Just for Granny!

First of all, I am an oatmeal fan.  My kids are oatmeal fans.  We leave at the crack of dawn (during daylight savings time, it's still dark) and I love being able to give the kids a decent breakfast without spending time in the morning on it; I refuse to wake up before 5.  It's just not normal.  This baked oatmeal recipe can be cooked anytime and reheated.  Score and score.

It does have some brown sugar and butter in it, but when you factor in the per serving amounts, it's acceptable for my relatively healthy standards.  (It definitely beats cereal and cereal bars).  I love that it's quick and easy to make and I love that it's versatile enough to use what you have on hand. I typically use fresh fruit, but frozen is fine as well.  If you're like me and have frozen bananas in the freezer, you can kind of mash them in the mixture instead of having them sliced on top. Thanks to this awesome post we always have a healthy, warm breaky!

PS - I double the recipe and bake in a greased 13x9. 

 

 

A Tale of Two Cornices (and procrastination)

We are approaching the three year mark of living in our house and I fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinallllly got around to fixin' up (that's Texas speak, y'all) my breakfast room.  Be patient with me because this redo starts eight (yes, 8) years ago...

Back in those days we were sans kids (sighing and remembering the good ole days) and thought we were SO busy.  Whatev.  If I only knew...I would have taken WAY more naps.  Anyway, on a Saturday morning the hubby and I decided to wake before the afternoon and hit some garage sales.  Who knows what possessed us.  We found a couple of antique-y looking real wood pieces of furniture.  We spent a whopping $35 and discussed all the cool ways we'd paint them...blah, blee, blah.  Of course, we got so busy (seriously, WHAT were we busy doing???  oh yeah, drinking, and brunching, and sleeping) and the furniture stayed up in a room we never went in. 

Then, I got knocked up, we moved overseas, and those little gems didn't make the container cut.  They hung out in storage here until almost three years ago when we moved back.  After all the settling in and crap, I decided I was ready to paint.  There was a perfect spot in the house and so I started sanding.  This step was pre-pinterest and pre-Krissy discovery of little mouse sander.  Yes, this fool was hand sanding.  Idiot, I know.  If only...

The process was moving along smoothly, until, surprise!  Preggers again.  Between the morning sickness and kid #1, no dice. 

I know they say women nag, but the amount of 'comments' from husband about the unfinished piece in the garage would put many a nagger to shame.  Late last summer I finished sanding and commenced the quest for the perfect paint color.  I could picture what I wanted, but after two failed attempts (and this was hand painting), I was frustrated.  My Pinterest exposure had steadily increased and I had read numerous blog entries and how to's about spray painting furniture.  I figured I didn't have anything to lose at this point, but was still stymied about color.  I wanted a blueish green, but never found the right shade.  But, I did find aqua spray paint.  I LOVED it!  It was bright and exactly how I envisioned it. 

But, it did not look good where I had originally planned for it to go.  After a little disappointment and a lot of alcohol, I pulled myself out of the bottle and moved the little sideboard to a corner in the breakfast room.  Perfect.  And, it wasn't just the tequila talking. 

If you're still reading, you rock (and are probably a little crazy).  I'm getting to the point, but I wanted you how to see the 'big picture'. 

As another 'project' (my husband is thrilled when I have redecorating ideas), I had been searching for fabric ideas to make cornices in the breakfast room.  Once the aqua sideboard found its new home, I knew immediately that I wanted aqua/orange fabric for the cornices. 

Two weeks ago, after tireless online searching, I came across a pattern I loved at Hancock.  It's Top Drawer in case you're interested. 

See, good reader, you hung in there and now you get your treat.  Here's the play by play on how to make a super cheap, super cute cornice.  This is the pinspiration.  I liked the general idea of this, but added some modifications.  I didn't like the two pieces covered separately (the long piece and side piece) and I didn't think I needed to use wood.  On another pin I saw someone use insulation board for something (honestly can't remember what) and decided to try that.  Check out the steps below with the pics...please leave a comment and let me know what you think.  I really do want this to be interactive!

Supplies - spray adhesive, insulation board 8'x4', foam batting, hot glue gun, L brackets, screwdriver, fabric, exacto knife, spray paint primer**

Step 1 - measure how long you want the cornice to be and how far out you'd like it to come (I went with 4" out from the wall and just a couple inches past the window on each side).

Step 2 - mark your insulation board and use the exacto knife to cut (I scored it and then you can bend it and it pops apart).

Step 3 - spray paint prime the pieces (my fabric was light, so I thought the pink might show through).

Step 4 - Attach the side pieces to the main piece with hot glue and the L brackets.  I put a strip of hot glue on the bottom of each side piece, then hot glued the brackets on. 



Step 5 - It should now look like this...

Step 6 - Use the spray adhesive and spray the sides you are going to cover with the batting, then lay the cornice on the batting.  Spray some more on the back of the cornice and wrap the batting around the edges and smooth down.  Be careful with this step because if it's lumpy or uneven, it will show up after you cover with fabric.

Step 7 - I did two layers of batting.  You can choose how thick you want it.
Step 8 - Cover with fabric.  I laid the cornice front side down on to the fabric and arranged it so the pattern was how I wanted it.  Starting in the middle, I glued one section down.  Then I glued the section across down and worked toward the edges.

Step 9 - At the ends, I kind of gathered and pulled, then glued where the corners are.  You can see a little bit of wrinkle, but it's much better than two completely separate pieces. 

ARE YOU READY?  This is the whole enchilada.....

I took this picture just before my son's birthday party; we don't normally have four dozen cupcakes sitting around!  Here's a close-up of the longer cornice.

I used skinny L brackets to attach the side pieces to the long piece and wider L brackets to attach to the wall.  I screwed in the brackets to the wall, then fit the cornice over the brackets and screwed the cornice into the bracket.  The screws hold it because the foam board is so light. 

I am just so very happy with how it all turned out.  I love browns and grays and finally am branching out to add some color.  The aqua sideboard started it all!  Let me know if you try a cornice and how it turns out!  It's ok if it takes a few years; I won't judge you!

Color Me...Sassy!

Despite my domestic goddess status, I do occasionally like to put on some shoes and step out of the kitchen...preferably into a nice restaurant.  I've been struggling with stepping up my fashion game since baby has now fiiiiinnnnnnaaaaallllyy gotten past vomiting his mild spitting up phase.  I can rock the jeans and cute top "outfit" and the occasional dress, but putting together an outfit, much more difficult. 

Well, hello, Pinterest.  Several months ago I started my "When I want to look sassy" board and daydreamed about a world with gorgeous BCBG wedges, fabulous jewelry, and color combinations that hadn't crossed my mind. 

Thanks to my awesome, seriously AWESOME, parents, I had a week to myself!  The hubby and I flashed back to 2006 when we were pre-kids.  Dinners in town, spontaneous naps, and to get to the point, outfit assembly.  I scoured my board and landed upon a cute little ensemble that paired a blazer, white tee, and leggings.  In all fairness, I made this choice because I happened to have the outfit basics already and due to the spontaneity mentioned above, I had limited time to get ready.

Here's the pinspiration....

Here's how I pulled it together.

I had to wear one of the hubby's shirts because I didn't have one that was long enough, so I belted it and decided to go with the brown/black theme.  The blazer I picked up at H&M along with the heels.  I think the leggings are from Target.  Completed it with a ton of brown and gold jewelry.  

A couple of notes...don't know why I've got the "nobody puts baby in a corner" thing going on.  And, seriously, don't look at my hair.  Houston humidity wreaks havoc on my hair (and I had a hair appt later that week).   

Let me know if you think I pulled it off!  How have you been fashionably pinspired??       



Just Say No to Crap Party Favors

First of all, if you are one of those that likes to throw a bunch of junk in a bag for my kid to take home from a party, don't be offended!  Keep in mind that I'm extremely anal organized about our game room.  It's hard for me to categorize 'tiny hand clapper'.  I mean, really, what container does that go in?  In order to make you feel even better about yourself because you don't have nearly the amount of crazy that I do, I'll list some of my container titles..."Star Wars Costumes", "Star Wars Toys" (just had a little argument with myself about that punctuation, and quite frankly, I'm beyond exhausted, so it's staying as is...plural possessive??), "Small Piece Puzzles", "Large Piece Puzzles"...and it goes on.  So, you can see my crazy dilemma.  So, what happens is I let little man play with all the crap toys for a week.  My level of discomfort is crazy high, by the way, during that whole week.  Then, I sneakily start removing them.  One by one.  Does he notice?  Usually.  There might be some white lies...I plead the 5th. 

Ok, I know...how the hell does this relate to Pinterest?  I'm getting there.  Don't worry. 

While on Pinterest I saw a canvas painted colorfully except for a name that was 'white'.  I pinned it away thinking I would use it at some point.  I went to the chic's blog, but couldn't find the exact post, but it's not rocket science.  Here's the picture I pinned.

Baby's first birthday was a few weeks ago and I was struggling with what I wanted to give/do since we'd have a wide age range of kiddos.  I was able to grab a 10 pack of canvases for $20 and bought a few tubes of paint along with some extra brushes.  When each kid arrived, I had the parent use painter's tape to mark off the kid's initial.  I taped down several plastic table cloths on my kitchen floor and let the kids have at it.  I only have pictures of the end product because I always forget to take pictures! 

Long story short - the kids had a great time painting and they took home something that could go in their room or could be reused (hello, repaint that canvas)!  Most importantly, no more of the 'goody bag' chaos! 

PS - used baby's footprints for his painting!

My Heart's a Crayon

My craftiness lately is beyond amazing!  There's been much Pinterest success and that makes for one happy mama!  Now, it's time to catch up on all the attempts so that you, too, can bask in the warm glow of Pinterest perfection!

I'm a little late on getting Valentine's Day cards together for the boys to take to school, but baby's first birthday was this weekend and that's what I had to focus on for the past month.  And, boy oh boy, I've got some gems from the party to blog about...

But, today I had to get the Valentine's crap cutesy cards ready.  When I first start pinning (how bout we just lay it out there and call it crack for crafters) I saw several versions of crayons melted into the shape of hearts.  Hello??  Perfect!  I don't know about you, but seriously, my older son goes psycho slightly bananas when all that candy is in the house.  So, a non-edible valentine?  Yes, please!  Hopefully, some of the other mamas will catch my wavelength! 

Now, before I get into the instructions, this is EASY.  The hardest part is peeling the paper off the crayon.  That's where you put those little monsters children to work!  Practice fine motor skills?  Check.  Unfortunately, baby has not yet mastered peeling.  He did a great job of eating the crayon though.

I was under the impression that I needed one of those silicone molds.  Nope.  I was shopping for the food for baby's party and walked past the Valentine's display.  Right in front of me was a heart shaped tin meant for baking donuts. 

I used all the no-name crayons we had in our stash.  Some were the larger versions and some were skinny.  Doesn't matter their thickness as long as you peel the paper. 

Spray your tin with cooking spray.  Break up all the crayons into pieces and let the kiddos toss them in.  Our first batch was just kind of a hodge podge.  But, then we started getting a little creative. 

I saw the printable on The Long Thread and she linked up to Make and Takes where I found specific directions.  Oven - 265.  Time - 7 minutes or until the crayons are all melted.  This is after the pieces were broken just before putting them into the oven.

In the oven - almost ready to take out.

I set mine on the counter for a few minutes until the wax starts to set up.  Then, pop them in the freezer until the edges start pulling away and they are solid.  I think it was maybe 10 or 15 minutes.  Flip the tin upside down and your hearts are ready!

Loved the gray/orange!  Now it's time to assemble the valentines.  I printed out the printable from The Long Thread, rounded the corners, and punched a hole to tie the heart to the valentine.

Annnnnnnnddddd, POW!  Watch out Martha! 



Salt and Paint Kids Craft

So Jack wanted to do a craft and I wanted something easy with minimal clean up. I just hate it when I spend more time setting up and cleaning up then Jack's actual interest in the craft. But the paint and salt activity is a real winner. Jack has already done it three times this week and still likes it!

So here is the link to the craft.http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-age/preschool-crafts/absorbing-artwork-940839/

I think it is definitely important to follow the instructions and use card stock paper. Jack likes dropping the water so much that by the end his paper is dripping wet and the card stock really holds up well.
So basically you grab a piece of card stock paper, make a random design with glue, then pour salt on the glue covering all the glue. It is important to shake off the excess salt... the first time I didn't do this and it didn't quite work right.

Here is what it looks like with the glue and salt.

The next step is color your water. I put one tablespoon of water in a bowl and added about 5 drops of food coloring. I gave Jack three colors to work with. Then with a dropper, Jack dropped the water onto the glue. If you do this slowly, you can see the colored water "travel" on the glue. That is really cool. I liked that part, unfortunately, just when I think jack should stop because his picture looks great, he starts really letting the colored water go... the entire tray is filled with water. This is also a time to point out that using a cookie sheet is key to keeping colored water from going all over the table and floor. Thanks Family Fun, for that suggestion.

Jack's colored water "traveling"

This is when I think Jack's picture looks awesome and he should stop, but he never does.

This is how Jack likes to leave his picture.

Overall, I would rate this as a great craft for kids!