Mothership Confessional

So I haven't done one of these posts in a long  time because life got a little crazy! And it still is - but I was feeling like I needed to do something Ava-focused that is new and exciting for her! I've always wanted to make sensory bins for her, but I've been waiting for her to pass the phase where she puts everything in her mouth. The last time I tried this activity with her I was about 20 weeks pregnant with Liam and Ava was around 15 months old, and she would take fist fulls of rice and shove it in her mouth at our playgroup!! So now that she is 2, I feel that she is ready to try it again! I used to make Toddler Sensory Bags for her since she clearly wasn't ready for an open bin! I went to Walmart this morning and bought a big bag of the cheapest rice, cheapest dry beans, and I picked 2 fun items to go into the sensory bins. I chose a variety pack of pom poms (because she loves playing with cotton balls) and a little packet of plastic gems (because...

I've been wanting to do this for a long, long  time, and there's never been a better time to do it than NOW!! We are moving in a few days and I am in serious purge mode! I knew that if I didn't tackle this DIY project before the move that it wouldn't happen at all. And then I would be sad and regretful that I didn't get it done! So here's what you'll need: -old, expired, or unused make-up containers  -old nail polish We all have old make-up lying around. Or make-up that you think  you'll use again, buuuuut you never do! Most make-up expires in a year or less, especially eye make-up ! I had a friend in high school who used some of her mom's old eye make-up and ended up with an eye infection. So go dig around in your make-up stash for some things you can upcycle into a fun toy for a little girl in your life! Oh, and it doesn't have to be  old nail polish; that's just what I had! Old, separated, nail polish in a forgotte...

I sure haven't gotten around to doing much decorating for the Fall. I'm feeling sort of "Bah-humbug" about Halloween this year. I did buy some pumpkins.  And then I put them outside the garage door.  And that is about all the effort I have put forth so far.  Last year I was inspired to do some creative chevron painting on my pumpkins and use decorative ribbons. For whatever reason, this year I've been so lazy and wanted something with less effort required.  Is that bad of me?! I got my act together today and put some spider web on my now dead bushes in the front of the house (yeah I managed to kill those - I did not consider how much the dirt would settle and the top two inches of the roots became exposed. Lesson learned!). I also put some up on the brick wall by the garage. That stuff sticks perfectly to the texture of the brick!  Then I put my pumpkins by the door. I had a few pairs of black textured tights, so I put one leg ...

I did this project several months ago, but it was such a clever solution for our backyard flooding problem that I thought I'd share it! I had a photo of our flooding issue during a storm, but after switching phone providers shortly after moving here, I lost my photos on my phone. So I will just describe it the best I can. Imagine this whole area in this photo under an inch or two of water: Yes, that about sums it up. It is apparent there is a problem (a hole, a clog) with our gutters because virtually NO water comes down the downspout when it rains. The rain simply pours over the sides of the gutter. The level of the yard is lower in this area and the sidewalk sorta traps all the water right here, plus there is a step up to the patio on the right. I was hoping to have a cute flower bed here, but after the observing the first few rainstorms roll through, I realized it would be a waste of time to attempt to grow anything. The grass thrives, however; we have the mos...

I have seen some cool ideas on Pinterest for ways to store fresh fruits and veggies using fun buckets or storage bins that are anchored to the wall. I think that would be a fun way to store food in a kitchen where counter space is limited. Just like my kitchen. I was in Ross the other day - a store very similar to TJMaxx - when I had a light bulb moment when I laid my eyes on this: A simple hanging shower caddy. I immediately thought of all those pins of wall produce storage ideas, so I snatched the shower caddy for a mere $6.99! And this is what I made! So here is what you'll need: My kitchen is also short on wall space, so I was assuming I'd either have to hang it someplace weird, or hang it on the end of my cabinets. So I picked up a few of these command hooks: One pretty one for the top, and two smaller ones for extra support at the bottom, and also to keep it from swinging. Be sure to pay attention to how many pounds the hooks ...

I am enjoying my day off with open windows, running errands, and crafting/organizing around the house. I was out of town for a week and then worked 4 days in a row. To me, it felt like Friday was Monday, Saturday was Monday, Sunday was Monday...and then finally Monday was Monday! I am glad to get things back in order! Hubby is in the field this week, so now I have some quiet time to get stuff done. It's definitely obvious when school gets out around here - the neighborhood practically erupts with LOUD NOISES! Lots of shouting, giggling, doggies barking, and lawnmowers. I saw some middle school-aged boys walking around with a weed whacker and a rotary grass cutter. It made me laugh! I hope they come back this way; I will gladly pay them to mow my backyard! We have some grass that has shot up to almost knee-height! Ok, onto this "rug" business! We all have this problem: This rug moves and slides around no matter what I do. Mainly because we have t...

I've been itching to work in our yard since the day we moved in almost 9 months ago.  Not a SINGLE plant existed in the whole yard.   Just a bare yard: And then we began our gardening project! It took us about 6 weeks total, mainly because our work schedules didn't align very often, and when they did, we only worked on it for a few hours and only 1 trip to Home Depot each time.  So we really could have knocked it out in a weekend or two if we really wanted to.  And it snowed once after we got started (the only snow we got this winter) , and we had a few rainy days that set us back, too. We started the outline of the flower bed.  We were limited to a 3 foot depth due to the existing termite traps ...what are those called? We thought it would look nice to have a little focal point at the end: At this point we had already hauled one tarp-full of dirt/clay and dumped it in the back yard. It was incredibly he...