Toe-Toes

Remember about 12 years ago when I promised to share a video post with y’all?  Well, maybe it wasn’t that long ago, but still, it was pretty long.  Anyway, I’m redeeming myself today by sharing my very first video post!

Sound the trumpets! Cue the confetti!  (I’m kinda excited about this if you can’t tell.)

I am blessed to be the monkey of two wonderful little monkeys:

First there’s Ty.  100% boy.  Rough, tough, loud, stinky, and dirty.  He likes shooting, fishing, playing in mud, and tormenting my chickens.  But still the sweetest mama’s boy you could ever imagine.

Then there’s Lucy.  Prissy, petite, cute, and sweet.  Lover of shoes, hair bows, jewelry, baby dolls, fingernail polish, and all things chocolate.  And one other thing…

Pedicures.

Yes.  At the ripe old age of 20 months, she knows just what to do with a file, nail clippers, nail polish, and pumice stones.   She found my PedEgg the other night and insisted that someone use it on her feet.  Now, when I say, “insisted,” I mean insisted.  She sat up on the coffee table and hollered, “Toes! Toes! Toes!” until we were more than happy to accommodate.  At one point she got so into the whole pedicure thing that she reclined back on her elbows while Daddy was working on her feet. 

 

Hope y’all enjoy the movie!

More from Texas

I told y’all we spent a few days in Texas last week with the Tool Man. While he was working, the monkeys and I passed the time doing school work and a little bit of shopping. (That’s one of the advantages of homeschooling. Having the freedom to take it with you.)

So what did we buy on our shopping spree? Well, on our first trip a couple of weeks ago, I picked up some summer clothes for Miss Lucy. This time, Ty and I got some clothes.

And you might think this sounds crazy, but Ty and I have already started planning his next birthday party. He’s going to be 7 in May, and he has decided to have a “Angry Birds” themed party. (If you’re not familiar with Angry Birds, it’s one of the most popular apps for the iPad. The Tool Man, Ty, and I are all hooked on this game.) We hit the Dollar Tree and a party store in search of some things we could use for the party. I found a couple of birdhouses on the $1 aisle at Target, and we also found a few things at Michael’s we could use to craft some bird party hats. I’ll share more on this subject as the party approaches.

On our way out of town, the Monkeys and I stopped by the job to pick up Daddy and check out the work he’d been doing.

Surprise, surprise! He’s on the phone. You know how when you were a kid, and you crossed your eyes, and your parents told you they might stick like that. Well, I think the Tool Man’s elbow might be permanently stuck in the “phone” position.

So here’s what the Tool Man was working on all week. That’s a lot of lumber! He can shimmy across those trusses like he’s walking on solid ground. At 10 or 12 feet off the ground, I get nervous watching him.

Who says tractors are for boys? Lucy decided to try her hand out at driving a lift. And look at me showing her how to drive that thing. Like I know!

She had a blast on this thing. When it was time to go, I had to pry her off, kicking and screaming.

When Ty saw Lucy up there, he got some kind of jealous. But she was determined not to let him sit in that seat with her. Oh, the joys of having two kids! Let the fighting begin.

Hello Out There

Not much to talk about today. Just wanted to drop a line to let you know that I haven’t quit blogging. We’ve just been out of town the past few days. The Tool Man’s got a job in Texas, and the monkeys and I rode with him this week to check it out. And you all know that they don’t have internet or computers or cameras over in Texas, so there was NO WAY I could have blogged while we were gone!

Anyway, when I get my camera back from the Tool Man (he kidnapped it) I’ll post some pictures for y’all to see.

And speaking of the Tool Man, his birthday was Tuesday. So what did I get him?

A clay target thrower.

Remember the Duck Commander commercial we shot at Fox’s? The Tool Man ended up with a shot gun for the whole deal. He and Ty have been practicing their shooting lately, so I thought he might enjoy a target thrower. He really liked it, but since we’ve been out of town, he hasn’t gotten a chance to use it yet.

Let’s see…he’s got T-ball practice tonight, we work at Fox’s Friday nights, baseball opening ceremonies are Saturday, church Sunday, Fox’s again Monday, T-ball practice Tuesday, church Wednesday, T-ball Thursday, Fox’s Friday…

Whew! Maybe next Saturday the Tool Man can try out his new machine.

Spring Things

This afternoon my mother, my monkeys, and I went to the Munchkin Market. I told y’all about this last fall. It’s sort of a “classy consignment” sale held twice a year in our area. Anyway, if you’re lucky can run across some really cute children’s clothes for a really good deal.

This time I came away with a couple of dresses for Lucy and a two little play outfits for her. I also snagged a pair of never-been-worn, white Mary Jane’s, and a sassy, zebra print hair bow. And don’t worry, I didn’t forget about Ty. I found a really nice pair of linen, “Sunday-go-to-meeting” slacks. (That’s a phrase you won’t hear outside of the south!) Unfortunately, though, the boys’ sizes at Munchkin Market only go up to 6, so this was probably the last time I’ll be able to find something there for Ty.

After taking care of my monkey business, I set out to buy the Tool Man a birthday present. His birthday is Wednesday.

Just kidding, Tool Man!!!!!!!! It’s Tuesday. March 22.

(I got the date confused one year, and he’ll never let me live it down. Give me a break. We weren’t even married then.)

What on earth did I buy the man who either owns or buys everything he wants? Well, I’m certainly not going to tell you here. He reads this stuff too, you know. I will tell you that I’m pretty sure he’s not expecting what I got, and I’m pretty sure he’s gonna luuuuuuuv it! I’ll let y’all know how it all turns out.

Today was also Ty’s first T-ball practice of the year. Guess who our head coach is…

Yeah, you got it. The Tool Man.

And our team sponsor?

Why, Fox’s Pizza Den of course!

I took my camera along to practice, but I think I ended up taking more pictures of Lucy than of Ty and the team. I can’t help it. She was so darn cute!

There’s a little brother on our team that’s exactly one week younger than Lucy. They got to know each other a little bit this afternoon. He’s wanting to see her bracelet here, but she has other ideas.

I totally missed Ty practicing his batting, but here he is out in the field. I can definitely tell a difference in him between last year and this year. He’s more mature, and it’s obvious he knows more about what’s going on.

Lucy had a great time at practice. She played around by herself and stayed within eyesight. Here she is making off with 1st base. She looks sort of like a pilgrim, don’t ya think?

Maybe I spoke too soon about Ty being more ready to play this year. Get up, boy!

I don’t call them “monkeys” for nothing. Both of them climbed the fence at some point tonight. Ty went straight to the top and perched up there like a bird.

Opening ceremonies for baseball is March 26. Our first game is April 5. Can’t wait!

Sightseeing

Saturday was such a beautiful day. 70 degrees and sunny. What more could you ask for? The Tool Man and I decided to take the monkeys out to a local historical sight…

Poverty Point

Near the park the Tool Man and Ty stopped to look for a hidden geocache. They searched all around, but unfortunately, they were unable to find it.

First, we watched a video about the site. (I recognized a couple of you LaBatt’s in the video.) After that, we decided to forgo the tram ride and set out on the walking trail. Lucy got a first class seat on Daddy’s back. She loves to ride in that backpack.

The first stop along the trail was a little gravesite from a plantation that used to be on the property.

The major attraction of the park is the HUGE, 75 ft. tall, bird-shaped mound built by the Native Americans some 3,000 years ago. It really is incredible if you think about the tools, or lack there of, that were available for the people to use at this time.

The last time I was at the park nearly 15 years ago, this mound was covered in trees. Recently the mound has been cleared of trees because they were beginning to jeopardize the mound. It looked very different from what I remembered, but all the clearing really made the shape of the mound easier to see.

There’s the mound behind the crew. The “tail” of the bird extends toward the right of the picture, and one “wing” stretches out to the left in this shot.

Here we are on the tippy top. Boy, was the wind howling up there!

“I’m king of the world!”

Out in front of the mound are a series of 6 crescent shaped terraces. They are somewhat difficult to make out now due to years of plowing in the past, but the Tool Man is trying to show Ty where they are. Meanwhile, I don’t know what Lucy is up to in this picture.

It was a fun day, but that turned out to be quite a hike! We ended up cutting a few corners and taking a couple of short cuts in the end. The Tool Man and I are seriously out of shape. Never-the-less, we felt that after a good hike we all “deserved” an ice cream treat from Sonic. Boy, was that goooood!

Wanna know more about Poverty Point? You can follow the link here.

Oodles of Noodles

I got this crazy wild hair last night and decided that I would try my hand at something new. Can you guess what it was???

PASTA!

I’m not just talking about boiling some macaroni. I’m talking about homemade pasta! I’ve been wanting to try this for a while now, and last night I finally gave it a go.

Why would anyone want to do this? Well, I have a few reasons…

1. From what I’ve seen on TV, it looks like fun. You get to mix the ingredients with your hand right on the counter top! No bowl!

B. I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten fresh pasta, and I wanted to see what it was like.

3. I was curious to see if I could, indeed, make it.

I apologize for not having more pictures of the process. My chief camera technician was outside doing “manly” things, and I found it difficult impossible to take pictures of myself.

After mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough for a good 6 minutes (By the way, my biceps are sore today. I’m such a wimp!) I let the dough rest for about 45 minutes. Then it was time to roll and cut. I don’t have a pasta machine or any kind of fancy cutter, so I had to do all of this with my own two “Go-Go-Gadget” arms. (That’s what the Tool Man calls them because of their exceptional length and extraordinary ability to reach anything in sight.)

The easiest shape I could think of to make was fettuccine, and although they aren’t totally uniform, I think I got them pretty darn close.

Let me just say that this next picture may be a little bit disturbing. It’s me in a pair of overalls. Yikes! But just look at those knife skills.

And here they are ready for a dip in the hot tub. I served these up with some creamy alfredo sauce and some sautéed veggies. Sorry, but I don’t have any pictures of that either. I know, I know. Bad Blogger. Bad, bad, Blogger.

So, how’d it taste?

Wonderful! The pasta came out absolutely perfect. So fresh and tender. I’ll definitely make it again. The whole process was so much fun. I’m thinking of making my own ravioli next time - with a hearty meat filling. Mmmm….my mouth is watering!

Y’all might not know this, but I do have a sense of humor. Really, I do. And I think a lot of it stems from the Tool Man’s influence on me….good or bad. He’s always saying, “If people only knew how you really act. They’d like you.”

Thanks a lot, Tool Man. Thanks a lot!

Ty’s Old Room

I just ran across these pictures I took of Ty’s room before he made the move upstairs. I had intended on sharing these with you a couple months ago, but I totally forgot about them. So here they are now.

You’ve probably already read about most of Ty’s things in this post, so I won’t bore you by repeating all of those details again. I just wanted to give you a quick tour of his old space.

It was a little tight in this room, especially compared to the huge amount of space he has in his new room. I had to be very strategic about how to store his toys and things. Quite often we sorted through his toys and tossed or donated the ones that were broken or that he no longer played with. I am always surprised at how well Ty does with that. He rather enjoys donating his old toys to the Care and Share Ministry, and he readily admits when he doesn’t play with a particular toy any more. This is something he definitely didn’t inherit from me. I’m a saver. “Well, I might could use that someday…”

Here’s his bed, obviously. I really didn’t like the fact that it was shoved so close to the wall, but we did that out of necessity to keep Ty from falling off the bed. I made these curtains for Ty’s nursery in our old house. I’m planning on hanging them in his new room, but I’ve got to figure out how I’m gonna do that. They’ll have to be altered somewhat because of the way the windows are positioned in the dormers.

Every good cowboy needs a place to hang his hat. A four-poster bed is the perfect place. Did you notice the chenille cowboy spread on his bed? I ran across that at a flea market in Mangham one day. I think I gave $30 for it. It was perfect for his room!

See the sack tied to the bed post. That’s a laundry bag I made for Ty. Although I have to remind, he does O.K. at putting his dirty clothes in (or near) the bag.

The Tool Man and I, (well, mostly the Tool Man) built these shadow boxes for Ty’s nursery. And the red baskets under the bed are a functional, yet “visually appealing” way to conceal some of the clutter.

I picked this dresser up on Antique Alley for $40 one day. It was white with brassy handles. UGLY! We stripped it down to bare wood, then painted it and beat it up and sanded it some more. Then we replaced the hardware with some plain wooden knobs. The drawers can be a little tricky to slide in and out sometimes, but for $40 “you can’t beat it with a stick.” (Another “Nickie-ism” by the way.)

The little red rocking chair in the corner belonged to my Dad. It’s hard to imagine “Big Chaz” sitting in that, isn’t it?. (Can you believe the Tool Man used to call my Dad “Big Chaz?” You’re a brave soul, Tool Man. A brave soul.)

Y’all remember Aunt Myrt sitting on the end of the shelf there, don’t you?

The bear wreath hung on my hospital room door when Ty was born. I just recently removed the big bow and replaced the bear’s bowtie with a red checked one. Now the wreath is hanging on the door to Ty’s new room.

Those overalls hanging there belonged to…

Can you guess???

My Dad!

The overalls just didn’t look right hanging on a modern coat hanger, so I made my own with a stick and a piece of wire. (Genius, I know.)

We bought this toy bench new (totally unlike me, I know). It was unfinished, so we painted it and beat it up a little bit to give it some character. It was really difficult for me to bite the bullet and paint this furniture red. I loved how it all turned out, but I was a little nervous about using such a bold color.

Hot Pockets

I mentioned earlier that I had been working on a few projects, so I decided to share one of them with you today.

It’s a double-potholder. Not an original idea of mine, but a fun project none the less. It also happens to be a great way to use up some of those scraps of fabric I have laying around, and believe you me, I have plenty of them. Maybe I should make a quilt. Hmm…..

Anyway, here’s the potholder.

Pretty cute, huh?

I don’t know if you are interested in all the details, but I took a few pictures throughout the process to share with you.

Here’s what I started with. For the base of the potholder, I used a hand towel. Nothing special. Just one I found on clearance at Wal-Mart. And see my rotary cutter and mat? I got them for Christmas, and I just love them. They make cutting fabrics a breeze. But watch out! That thing is sharp! I’m fairly sure I could amputate my finger with little or no effort. So far so good, though.

You can’t see them both in this picture, but I used two different patterns, a floral and a stripe, just to spice things up a bit.

I layered a square of batting and fabric on each end of the towel, then quilted them all together. I took the easy way out and just quilted in straight lines.

Here’s what it looked like with both sides done.

Next, I prepared my pockets to sew on the back side. I added interfacing to the backs of the pockets for a little extra stability. Then I added some trim to the ends of the pockets.

After attaching the pockets to the towel, I trimmed the whole thing with black bias tape.

Ta Da! I can’t wait to cook! Lucky for me I had the foresight (and the patience) to wash and dry all my fabrics before getting started. Now I can pop this baby into the washer without it shrinking up and getting all wonky. (Yes, wonky.)

I wish I knew someone who was getting married. Wouldn’t this be a cute gift to make for the bride? Had I not been trying to complete this project during my little monkey’s nap, I would have taken the time to embroider an initial or something on it. Maybe next time. I still have half a towel and a lot more fabric scraps left.

Minnie Cake

It seems it’s been a whole week since my last post. Lately, I’ve been spending my free time working on a few projects, the main one being my latest cake creation…

Minnie Mouse!

This cake is a very popular design. There are different versions of it all over the internet – polka dots or stripes, red or pink– but all basically the same design with some big ol’ mouse ears on top.

And although it is rather impressive looking, this cake was relatively easy to make. Fondant is my B.F.F.! Just roll it out and cut out your shapes. I’m telling y’all, it’s like play dough. I even enlisted a little monkey to assist me. Ty really helped me by punching out the white polka dots. He also rolled a few of the white beads, but he quickly got bored with that task.

Inspiration Bed

Have you ever seen or made a decorating inspiration board? You know, a collection of photos of spaces that inspire you, or fabrics and drawings of pieces that you would like to see in your room.

Well, I’ve gone far beyond the usual bulletin board or three-ringed binder. I’ve collected a bed full of inspiration! (No, I don’t leave this stuff out on the bed all the time. Could you imagine what two little monkeys would do it?)

For the past three years, since the moment I found out that Lucy was a girl, I’ve been thinking and dreaming of how I wanted to decorate her room.

My plan? White and shabby! Start with a neutral background and add personality and color with the accessories.

So on the bed are a few of the items I’ve collected for Lucy’s room. You know me. If it’s old I like it. Some wear and tear, a stain, a scratch, or a dent. To me, these are just signs that an object has been used and loved. I’ve been lucky enough to accumulate quite a collection of vintage items for Lucy’s room. The best part is that most of these things are from my own family. I have pieces that belonged to both of my grandmothers, my mother, my father, and yours truly.

The beaded clutch and the bunnies belonged to my dad’s mother, Jo Jo. The pillow under the pink bunny was my mom’s. The baby card on the left there was sent to my mom when I was born. The tin box in the background held hair pins on my dresser when I was kid, but it belonged to my mom before me.

This pink and blue quilt has been my inspiration for what colors I am planning to use in the room. The quilt was made for my mother when she was a baby. When deciding on the wall color, I made sure it coordinated with this quilt, because I plan to hang the quilt on the wall over Lucy’s bed. And speaking of bed. I’m buying a brand new bed just for Lucy, right? Wrong! She’s getting the same bed that I had as a girl. By the way, I recently ran across an old pocket calendar of my grandmother’s. She had written in it when she purchased the bed for me in April 1988. Was it really 23 years ago?? I remember it like it was yesterday.

The dress?

Mine.

I wore it when I was a flower girl in my Uncle Mark’s wedding. When last I saw it 20 years ago it was snow white.

Now? Mother-of-Pearl.

I’ve got a mannequin I would love to display this dress on, but alas, her curves are much too voluptuous for a size 6X.

I’m just dying to put Lucy’s room together, but to go out and buy everything I need want would put us in the po’ house. So, I’m afraid it’s gonna have to happen a little at a time. Be patient. I’ll post pictures as I make progress.

I'm linking this post to these parties:

Inspiration Friday at the Picket Fence