Mardi Gras 2012

 Mardi Gras this year was so special.

We loaded the family up and took off to Mamou and Eunice, where Mardi Gras originated.  

Mamou is a teeny tiny town about an hour and a half from us.  There is so much culture and tradition there.

It is known as "The Cajun Music Capital in the World."  

My husband's family is from here and he is very proud of his heritage.  I love how he has shared that with our family.

This little guy was particularly excited about the parade and all the festivities.

Jamie's Uncle Joey was there.  He is very special to us.

Pasta-laya.

{one happy kid}

{making memories}

This makes me smile.

Even baby girl got her share of beads.  

This is what Sloaney's feet looked like after her first Mardi Gras experience. 

Good food, good music.  What a fun day.

I'm pretty sure Grayson will remember this day for the rest of his life.

I can't wait to do it again next year.

Did you celebrate Fat Tuesday?

Kids art caddy

Today, I put together this art caddy.  

I filled it with a few fun things for the kids.

A jar for knick knacks, markers, glitter pens, paint and brushes, Play doh...

Everything I used, I already had around the house.

I took an ice cube tray and wrote a number in each tray.  The idea is to fill each tray with correct number using dried pasta.  Grayson had a blast with this, and it cost nothing.

So there you have it.  

A fun, easy, inexpensive way to organize all things art.

Baby girl shoes

As you know, little bit just turned 1 a few weeks ago.  She started staking steps a few weeks before her birthday, but now she is all over the place.  Sloan normally would pull her shoes off immediately after I put them on, but now that she is mobile, shoes are a must.  So, being the accessory-lover that I am, shoes are fun to buy...especially cute, tiny, baby ones.

Here are some of my favorite shoes that I am looking at for little Sloan.  And they are so cute, I will take them in my size, too.

Of course she will own a pink pair of Converse...every girl should.

She has these teeny little Sperrys.  Too cute.

I have been eyeing these Hunter's First Wellies for a while now, and apparently I am not the only one because they are on backorder.  

Both of these flats are from Baby Gap and she would own them if her feet were big enough.

These sandals are available at Old Navy, and are just perfect for summer.

Let's not forget about baby Toms.  If I had my way, she would have these in every color.

These just might be my favorite at the moment.  Sloan wore these Mary Janes at her birthday party {details coming soon} and they made her whole outfit.  I am in love.  Gracious May has the most precious little shoes for baby girls and boys.  There is not one pair I don't like.

These are just a few of my favorite shoes for baby girl.  Now if she would just keep her headbands and hair clips in her hair!

Three Things

This past week has been quite busy with Valentine's Day, a playroom project, and Miss Sloan's 1st birthday {tomorrow!}.  

Valentine's Day

Happy late one:)  Can you resist this little man?  I cannot.

Grayson's Valentine treats for his classmates made with special love by his Bella.  Don't tell, but they were the cutest of them all.

Playroom Progress

My sweet husband actually agreed to turning the "man room" into a playroom.  I am over-the-top excited since toys have been piling up in our living room for far too long.  We painted the room and the toys have found a new home.

Here is the before picture...

{a bit of a mess and a color not so pleasing to the eye}

and the after...

The color is Sidewalk Gray by Benjamin Moore.  Although calming, it actually turned out a bit more purplish than expected, but I still love it.  I am doing a "You are my sunshine" theme, using the colors gray, yellow and white.  Neutral, fun, modern, playful.  As you can see, there is a lot to be done.  Curtains, furniture, storage, etc.  It looks a bit cluttered in this picture, but it is a big improvement, an even bigger hit with Grayson, and we got our living room back.  I am so glad we completed the task this week since we are having a special party this weekend...a first birthday party!

Birthday Girl

Yes, this little cupcake will ONE tomorrow.  We will be celebrating this weekend with close friends and family.  No surprise,  I have been planning her birthday for months now.  I will tell you that is it going to be pretty, sweet, and feminine, just like little bit herself.

Isn't is she sweet?

I can't wait to fill you in on all the details!

Sweet Sweets

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I'm seeing pretty treats everywhere.  Although I am not really a sweets kind of gal, these gorgeous treats sure have my mouth watering...

I can't wait to make these precious Conversation Hearts cookies from here.

Perhaps I'm just a sucker for hearts and all things pink!

Speaking of hearts and pink...there is a precious little girl that comes to mind...

{pretty in pink}

This sweet little thing is almost ONE!  And she just took her first steps the other day.  What a big girl.

Happy Super Bowl Weekend

If you're anything like me, you will be watching the game for one thing only.  The commercials.  I honestly cannot tell you who is playing in the Super Bowl this year, but if it calls for a celebration, I'm in!  Love me some football party food.

So, if you are throwing a Super Bowl party, here's a few fun football food ideas...

Thank you, Pinterest!

And let's not forget these adorable brownie burgers Emily made.  How presh?

Find the recipe here.

Fire trucks {27}

To say that Grayson loves fire trucks is an understatement.  He is pretty much obsessed.  What 3-year-old boy doesn't like fire trucks?  But he really loves them.  It is apparent when you see his fire truck collection.  He has a bunch.  Twenty-seven to be exact.  

He has tiny ones, huge ones, metal ones, plastic ones, wooden ones, lego ones.  He has ones that make really loud sounds and some that he rides on even though they are not meant to be ridden.  He even has a vintage fire truck I found that is from the 70s.

{27}

Even though these fire trucks are taking over our house, I wouldn't have it any other way.  In fact, I want him to love them forever, but I know one day he will grow out of them.  Soon it will be super heroes and other big boy stuff.  And that makes me sad.

He told me the other day that when he grows up, he wants to be a fireman and drive the firetruck and rescue the kitty.  My heart melted.

Well hello! {and a DIY chalkboard}

Hi there!  I took quite a break from blogging, but I am glad to be back.  I took some time to just enjoy life and the little things...I will share all of those things with you very soon.  But for now, I won't bore you with excuses.  I have so much I can't wait to share with you...ideas, projects, inspirations, parties, just random stuff that I love.  I hope you are still out there!!

I will catch you up on things since last year, but you'll have to wait a little bit.  We have had computer issues.  Both of our Macs went out so I can't get to my photos at the moment.  But I am one lucky girl and got a new one for Christmas, so I'm back in business!  I had forgotten how awesome it is to have a working computer and to be able to upload pictures.

So, it's another year already.  I always love the start of a new year.  Although I hate saying goodbye to Christmas, it's nice to put away things and declutter around the house.  I have been organizing A LOT lately and it feels so good to finally get some things that have been on my to-do list scratched off.  I have turned to Pinterest for lots of tips and ideas....are you not obsessed?!  I sure am.  Find me here. 

I wanted to share a little project that I did that I actually completed!  For a long time I've wanted a framed chalkboard, but as I searched through several stores, I never found "the one."  So, I knew that I would have to make one.  My crafty mama makes fun things all the time, so she shared a few of her secrets and I went to work.

{picture time}

I searched and searched for an old, ornate picture frame, but I couldn't find one.  Then one day while on Facebook, I came across a local photography studio who posted that they were selling old picture frames.  My heart raced!  The next day, I went and spotted this little beauty.  Isn't she lovely?  I thought so, too.  And it was marked 60% off.  So, I gathered my supplies....

Glue that sticks to glass and chalkboard paint.  You can also use spray paint.  Then I had to get a piece of glass cut to fit the empty frame.  I got it cut at Hobby Lobby and with a 40% discount, it came out very cheap.  Score!

So, I painted....and painted....and painted.  It took several coats of the paint.  

Once dry, I glued it to the frame, and....

Voila!  A beautiful, functional framed chalkboard.  Easy peasy.  

I'm loving how it turned out.  I toyed with the idea of painting it white, but the hubby thought I should go with the original color and I couldn't agree more!

Here it is in my kitchen for all to see.

{love}

This is my new favorite quote by the way.  You'll see more of it soon.

Well, that's it for now.  Please excuse my blogging skills at the moment.  It's been a while and I'm trying to get back in the swing:)

Happy February!