A loud dresser

This dresser was painted for a retired English teacher.  I started out with all of the crazy knobs and went from there.  I love all of the drawers and quotes.

If you are interested in getting something custom painted, visit www.swirlsandstripes.com for details and pricing. 

KC, John, and the big 8-0

Last weekend we packed up and headed to Kansas City for my grandma's 80th birthday party!  The whole family was there and we had a blast as usual.

Nola was most excited to see John, she has a crush on him.  

She was shy and blushing when she saw him the first time.  Later she tried to lick him.

Who doesn't love a man in a Christmas sweater?!?!

The party was Saturday night at the hotel.  Most of our extended family was there to celebrate, it was so great to see everybody.  Nola has recently gotten over her fear of older men so this was really the first time she warmed up to either one of my Grandfathers.  Old Buddy was happy to sit with her a read a book.  How sweet is this picture?!?!?

The best part of the weekend was spending time with my siblings.  We are spread out all over the country, so we only get together a couple of times a year.  We have a lot of fun together.

We might have been so obnoxious at a resturant that a family complained about us.  Oops.

Sunday was a little rough, but we got some ice cream on the way out of town and that helped a bit.

And last but not least, the birthday girl (a little blurry)-

Happy Birthday Grandma June!

More firsts!

A couple of weeks ago we had a fun family day!  Nola has never been to the movie theater before, so we decided to take her to Big Hero 6.  It looked like a cute movie and after I showed her the trailer she got pretty excited.

We went all out and got popcorn and candy.  She sat still for half the movie, then it got a little scary and she asked to go to the potty.  From then on we were in and out of the theater.  We finally got her settled with more candy.

The experience was ok.  I'd give her a B-.

From there we went over to the bowling alley for pizza and decided to bowl a little bit too!  It was Nola's first time bowling and they set her up with bumpers and a ramp.  She loved it, but had a hard time taking turns.

After she bowled she would lay on the ground and watch it.

Did I mention she wanted to wear her party dress?  She was a fancy bowler and there was glitter e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.

SNOW!

Nola is not a morning person.  It takes a lot of patience and bribes to get her going. 

Yep.  She's 3 and still in a crib. 

We got our first snowfall overnight last week.  When I woke Nola up the next morning and told her it snowed she was wide awake.  She was ready to play in the snow!  She didn't get out in it until the weekend and she loved every minute of it.

I was so surprised that she remembered that she had a sled.  I'm constantly surprised by how much she remembers.

She made snow angels.

And I pulled her around in the sled.  A.l.o.t.

We had a great day, and while I'm not crazy about all of the snow, I'm glad she is!

Halloween 2014

Nola has been practicing trick-or-treating for at least a month, so when Halloween finally rolled around she was ready.  Last year it took her a few houses to warm up, but she got the hang of it by the end.  

2013                                               2014

Nola got to dress up for daycare.  Months ago I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween.  She told me she wanted to be a pink mermaid and never changed her mind.  So, I bought a tail from etsy and threw together a top.  Because the top had to be assembled I didn't want to send her to daycare in the mermaid costume.  Luckily, she got an Ana dress from Boca for her birthday, so we sent her in that.  She even let me braid her hair- a first!

When she got home she was still wearing the dress and still had the braids in.  She did not want to change.  We finally convinced her by telling her she could be a mermaid princess.  Parenting is all about compromise?!?

 

I'm glad I held on to my homecoming consolation crown.

We went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood then jumped in the car and drove to a few streets.  I learned a few things about trick-or-treating this year:

1.  When you're a cute, pink mermaid you get more than just candy.  Robert has done a lot of computer work for an elderly couple down the street, he calls them our David City Grandparents.  When we stopped by their house they gave Nola a cup and plate with Minnie on it as well as a small pink purse they found at a garage sale.  Such a sweet couple!

2.  When you're a cute, pink mermaid you get extra candy.  At almost every house Nola would get candy and then ask for more/reach in the bowl.  They would happily give her more.  One woman emptied her full bowl into Nola's basket, shut her door, and turned off the light!

3.  When you're a cute, pink mermaid you can invite yourself into stranger's houses.  One family had a lot of lights and decorations inside their house.  Nola got candy, asked for more candy, then asked the lady if she could come in.  Nola went inside and looked around at all of the lights and decorations until I drug her out.  

After about an hour, Nola got hungry.  We went over to Pizza Hut and had a late dinner. 

And here she is, 3 days later....

A cat and a crown.  What more could a girl want?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sara's chair

Purple and teal are one of my favorite color combinations.  I was happy to paint this chair for my sister1

Ps- don't mind the cat :)

If you are interested in getting something custom painted, visit www.swirlsandstripes.com for details and pricing.