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One thing we've neglected to do since we purchased our townhome is hang a wreath on the door.  That came to an end recently when my wife decided to DIY one of her own since Fall has arrived. (Ignore the color of the door and the horrendous 'B' ... thanks to HOA, we can't do much about those. Yet that doesn't stop us from really, really wanting to!)


Here's how she did it!  First, we went to Michael's (although I'm sure any local craft store will have a similar selection) to purchase a styrofoam ring and a roll of yarn.  Once back at the casa, she started wrapping the yarn around the ring until it was completely covered.  With a dab of hot glue from the ol' glue gun to hold down the first wrap around and another dab at the end to hold the last wrap around down, this guy looked much better wrapped in a yarn sweater.


She then decided to use some yarn in a thinner, contrasting color to wrap sporadically which eventually formed an 'X' pattern.  She stepped back and looked at it, then came to ask my opinion and I liked it so we both decided to leave it... it wasn't glued down so we could always remove it later.  The darker yarn was secured by tucking it under in the back.


We also stopped by a local fabric store to pick up some felt, but the selection wasn't great so we ended up purchasing felt and some fleece...  we paid $3 for it all and we got 6 colors total.  Allison wanted to make some flowers like the ones she saw here.  She started with the one that resembled a Mum.  To do so, she cut a long strip of the felt/fleece then folded it in half gluing the edges together.


Once the entire strip was glued, she started cutting little slits along the length careful not to cut all the way through the glued end.


Then she started to roll that bad boy stopping for a dot of hot glue every so often to make sure it stayed together.  The end result looked like this (sorry it changed colors, we ultimately went with a yellow mum instead of orange).


Next, she decided to make a few roses using the template and method found here.  Printing the template and then pinning it to the felt of choice made it easier to cut around.


Just like the last flower, roll this into itself stopping for a dot of glue every so often along the way and you'll end up with this...


We made a smaller one in a different color then wrapped a larger one around it to create the two-tone affect.  Just manipulate the template to create the size you desire!  After the flowers were made, they needed leaves - right?  A small leaf template and a few cuts later and BAM they all had leaves.


Then came time to attach the flowers and leaves to the actual wreath; we used straight pins and after playing around with placement stuck the pins through to the styrofoam to hold everything in place.


That 'B' looks terrible... we're going to have to do something about it!  There it is, a wreath to get us through Fall.  We tied a small loop of yarn at the top to hang it by and on the door it went.  Of course, there are all kinds of variations that can be done for different seasons/occasions/etc. - you're only limited by your imagination.

UNBE-WREATH-ABLE

September 27, 2012

I just realized after typing it that "the pink stool" sounds disgusting, but bottom line is we just painted a stool.  Pink. 


Since Madison has 7 teeth now, she's all about brushing them and since we certainly want to promote good hygiene, we're willing to do whatever we can to assist.  Starting with flavored toothpaste that she immediately became obsessed with.


She's tall enough now that standing on a stool allows her access to the sink (with supervision, of course) and we had a small stool tucked away in a closet that we weren't using -- so we put two and two together.  Bada bing bada boom!  However, the stool was unsightly and needed some love.  After a very brief discussion, it seemed like the no-brainer solution was to paint it.  Off to the store the wife, the kid and I went on a spray paint hunt specifically looking for a light purple shade or lavender, if you will.  We came up empty.  Barney Purple was the only option, so we went with pink instead.  This is what the stool looked like before...


I took the stool outside and placed it on my paint station (i.e. cardboard that I cut from a diaper box) and set up shop to turn this pitiful puppy into a pink pedestal fit for a tooth brushing princess.  I also purchased a can of spray primer to use first in hopes it would make everything come together faster and easier.  Allison suggested I use some gloves we had on hand so I wouldn't get spray paint fingers.


I sprayed a coat of primer on both the bottom and the top then waited an hour as the directions suggested.  Personally, I'm proud of myself for following directions.  I'm impatient and that hour felt like forever as I was ready to be D-O-N-E with this stool.  So fast forward an hour and I applied the first coat of the pink on both the bottom and top then I waited 5-10 minutes as advised between coats.  Ultimately, I gave her three coats total.


Pepto-Bismol wasn't the name of the color, but it should have been.  I wasn't sold on it and neither was the Mrs. yet we decided to put it in Madison's bathroom for the time being until we find something we like better.  It serves the basic function of helping her get in the habit of cleaning those cute little teeth of hers.


Once in her bathroom, it didn't look so heartburn-nausea-indigestion-upset stomach-diarrhea-pink.  There you have it... the pink stool.  We also put slip resistant tabs on the bottom of the feet so we don't have any panic attack inducing accidents. 

THE PINK STOOL

September 23, 2012

The change of season not only means a shift in North Carolina weather and home décor, but it also means the time has come to once again sort through Miss Madison's clothes to discover what she can and cannot wear.  Anyone with a child can vouch that they grow faster than... well, faster than weeds (for the lack of a better phrase).  Cliché, but true!  Upon sorting the little nugget's clothes, the wife and I found that she had outgrown the majority of her shoes.  Furthermore, we found that she had a ton of shoes to begin with.


Ridiculous, I know.  If there's one thing we learned during this particular sort and purge experience, it's that a one year old does not need this many shoes.  However, we justified it by the fact she's our first (and only) child and we assumed she would necessitate the same shoe needs as an adult.  A pair for dressier outfits, a pair for more casual outfits, flips flops which apparently she needed two pairs (they were only $2 a piece from Old Navy, so that has to count for something), the rain boots and tennis shoes were both gifts which means they don't count since we didn't purchase them.  Nonetheless, lesson learned.  We spoiled her within the first year and she wasn't even really walking yet... this time around we decided to limit her shoe selection to only what she needed.  Since she's bound to hit a growth spurt sooner rather than later, we're looking at 3-4 months max with her current shoe size of four.  Consequently, those months are the remainder of September (all one week of it) through December.  Since she has a pretty strong grasp of walking running when the mood strikes, it's crucial that she have a pair of tennis shoes... so we headed to the shoe store most convenient by proximity.  Shoe Carnival.  It's in the shopping center near work which made for an easy, breezy choice.


Once there we made our way over to the kiddie section, which luckily Shoe Carnival has a pretty decent selection.  The wife and I kept in mind that we didn't want to spend too much on this purchase considering the time frame they would be worn and the fact we wanted to purchase a pair of boots for the tot a little later once the weather really eased into Fall.  We capped the search at $30 crossing our fingers for something much less.


We ultimately decided on the black converses.  This is why...
  1. Black goes with everything.
  2. At $27, they were under budget (barely).
  3. They had laces, as opposed to the slide on options, which allowed us to tighten/loosen as needed.
  4. I have a pair of gray converses that I love because of how comfortable they are, plus Madison likes to point them out every time I wear them so we thought she would like a pair of her own.
  5. Last, but not least... they're just downright cute.
Decision made and we were on our way home to try them on those itty, bitty, fat feet of hers.  We made the purchase right after work so we didn't have her with us to try them on in-store; worst case scenario, if they didn't fit we would return them.  That's why they have return policies, right?  I ain't skurred.  Not only did she love them, but she immediately realized they were miniature versions of my own (she ran over to my feet and pointed at my shoes, but I had on Sperry's and not converses... what a disappointment).  They looked even better on her feet than they did on the shelf.


Mission accomplished!  She couldn't stop staring at them... with her tongue out and everything.

STEPPING OUT

September 21, 2012

I was asked once during a job interview to name three things that motivate me.  A few seconds went by and I responded with “money” – I was young and clearly didn’t have my priorities straight and once I spit out “money” I wasn’t able to come up with anything else.  I sat there staring at this gentleman a little older than my father and the lady beside him staring at me, without a doubt, judging me by the weight of the silence filling the room.  I completely blanked.  It was a fair question and should have been fairly easy to answer, yet I had never really thought about it before.  Needless to say, I didn’t get the job.  However, I left that interview more in touch with reality than ever before.

Ask me today (several years later) to name three things that motivate me and I could answer you immediately (and money does not make the list).   For starters, my wife is probably the biggest motivator in my life.  We’ve been together since we were fourteen / fifteen so she’s had the luxury of being with me on the journey from youth to adult and every bump along the way.  Knowing that I have her in my corner definitely makes sleeping at night easier and waking up in the morning worthwhile.  I have no idea what I did right to find her so early in life!  There’s no question, we belong together.
I also have no idea what I did right to deserve my daughter.  Not only does she motivate me, but she inspires me.  I felt so full and complete the first time I saw her face as if I found a piece of me that had been missing all along.  Ever since I held her in my arms, I knew life had taken on a completely different meaning.  She gave me purpose, she represented a fresh start and without even trying, she awakened the desire to chase any dream I was brave enough to dream because she (as any baby does) proves that miracles do happen.  There is so much beauty in life and I’m reminded every time  she reaches for me or smiles in my direction and more than ever when she calls me “Da Da” or “Da Dee” while I hear the pit pat of her tiny feet coming my way. 
The last thing I find motivating turns out to be me, myself, and I (no, not the Beyoncé song).  I discovered along the way how important it is to believe in yourself because if you don’t see the possibilities and potential within, you can’t expect anyone else to pick up on them either.  Unless it’s your wife, of course, or at least my wife has the uncanny ability to mentally catalog every talent and fault I possess plus the advantages of each. I’m telling you, she’s amazing and I couldn’t be more blessed! Regardless, it’s important that one push themselves to be authentic, to be brave, and to take chances.  Lesson learned... it's not all about the benjamins, it's actually about everything else.

NAME THREE

September 18, 2012

I can tell Fall is coming... I'm sick.  It never fails, I usually get one (maybe two) colds a year and it always happens in Fall.  Don't get me wrong, Fall is hands down my favorite season regardless!  However, I'm blaming this one on the wife.  She had it first and we share everything so why not a cold, right?


Even though my nose is running and my throat feels like sandpaper, I still went to work today.  We've got to pay the bills.  I just wish I could have taken my head off and set it on my desk for a little while.  Nonetheless, I found happiness in a cup after work.  Starbucks apparently didn't get the memo that Fall starts September 22nd and have already released the Pumpkin Spice Latte... and I picked up a grande immediately after 5pm.  It was heaven to my throat.  'Tis the season!



Image Source:  Pumpkin Spice Latte

FALLEN

September 17, 2012

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