Birthday Party at the Park

This Saturday Cream will be turning three! I decided to throw her a party with her friends before our move. Since we have a lot going on right now, I also decided to keep it simple. I picked a local park for the venue and it all worked out perfectly.
I ordered this photo invitation from Wal Greens:

Obviously I inserted a picture of Cream.

I had some snacks out and also provided decorate your own cupcakes with canned frosting a sprinkles. These were a big hit.

There was lots of knife licking and sprinkle tasting going on.

The birthday girl enjoyed her cupcake with a large side of frosting topped with lots of colored sugar sprinkles.

I had a little bag for each of the attendees filled with sidewalk chalk and bubbles for them to use at the park.

For favors we gave everyone a decorated frame in a bag that said, "Thanks for making me smile." I tried to nab a picture of the girls with each of their friends to be given to the attendees and put int he frames, but even with the bribe of cupcakes that wasn't an easy task.

The weather was perfect for just hanging out and enjoying playtime at the park, so after the cupcakes we hit the playground to run off some of the sugar high. Having the party at the park worked out perfectly. I didn't have to clean a house before or after the party and the kids loved the space to run and play and do their thing.

Shortcake: Six Months Old

Hi Mom!

Here we are, half a year! The time has simply flown by!! Our little man is mastering the arts of sitting up unassisted and rolling from back to front. (And after he rolls he gets mad that he can't get from front to back. Just like his sisters.)
We are still working on solids. He will try them, but would much rather get his food from other sources. Sweet boy.

Mr Happy

Shortcake is getting more and more interested in playing with toys and using his hands to get what he wants. Watch out when you are holding him and trying to get anything done, like eating.
We stopped swaddling this month and it went pretty well after the first night. Now he just sleeps in a sleep sack and snuggles a blankie.

Getting so big!

Unfortunately this month has also brought TWO colds. Not fun, but he handles them like a champ.
And one of my favorites for the month are the kisses he gives. If you ask for a kiss and give him your cheek,, he will happily bestow a slobber. Although he prefers giving them to momma, daddy is too prickly.
We love our little man. He is such a blessing to our family and loved by all.

And we have reached the point of pictures getting difficult. (Note the chewed on sticker and the interest in the props.)

Framed Initial Art and a Small Room Re-Do

When we un-bunked the beds in the girls' room and moved Cream to one of the them, I did a little redecorating as well. Part of the new plan was staging, and part of it was simply done because it was time for something new. (You can see what the room looked like when Cream was born here.)

We kept the walls the same light aqua and brown that we painted before Peachy was born. Peachy kept the quilt I made for her when she switched to a big girl bed. I picked up a similar quilt for Cream from Kohls. I made each of the girls a new pillowcase. (In fact I was working on them until right before the photographer came to take pictures for the real estate listing. Because, you know, that would make all the difference!) And then I finished off each of their beds with some handmade softies that we already had.

I wanted something to go above each of the beds and had the idea to frame their initials. I picked up the standard wooden letters from Hobby Lobby and painted the edges white. Then I covered the tops with fabric using Heat and Bond. (Each of the flower fabrics is from JoAnn Fabric.) I had thought about adding a few coats of Modge Podge on top of the fabric, but haven't done that yet. I stuck them to the wall with Command Strips and added two old frames I had around them. It was an easy project and I really like how it turned out. I finished the look by hanging a printed canvass I had picked up at Hobby Lobby. (On clearance for the win!)

Chalk in the Park

Last night the kiddos and I got to go and enjoy a wonderful event at a local park. There was sidewalk chalk for everyone and plenty of sidewalk to be done. Most of the art was done by children, with a few really neat pieces done by older chalk artists.

We had fun decorating several squares of our own. We followed our artistic endeavors up by heading to the playground and rounded out the evening with food from food carts and live music.

We will sure miss events like this, but I am sure we will be able to find new ones in our new home to enjoy.

Helping Kids Prepare for a Move

In case you haven't heard, sometime this month we will be packing up our home of the last six years and relocating to another state. (I say sometime, because we don't have a house to move into yet. House buying is challenging. Someday I will fill you in on our saga.) I have decided I am in a state of denial. I know we will be leaving, but I just can't dwell on it. However, I also know I need to help our children get ready for the move. Here are a few things we have done to help ease the transition.
1) We have visited the town we will be moving to and the school Peachy will be attending. This way the move is not just an abstract concept we talk about.
2) We have been trying to spend as much time as possible with our friends.
3) The girls and I sat down and made a list of everything we wanted to do here before the move. I wish I had taken pictures of all of the activities, but we have been having a blast visiting some of our favorite spots in town.

My Smiley Guy

I have fallen in love with this little man over and over and over again. 

He is such a sweet, calm, and happy baby. 

I just love capturing his personality in pictures! So, sorry for the overload, I can't help myself.

25% Off Sale

Don't forget! The coupon code for my Etsy shop is valid through today! Now go shopping!

Preparing to Sell: Bedrooms (Part 4)

You can read part:
 one here, two here, and three here

This will be the final post in this series. Today we will cover bedrooms. We have a three bedroom home, but really only use two of the bedrooms as actual sleeping spaces. The third room is a multi-purpose room for us. It is our guest room when we have company, it is our library, it is our office, and it often is a storage room. So our first order of business was to assign that bedroom a purpose. I have seen houses staged with airbeds to indicate a bedroom, but we had an extra desk that we needed to stash somewhere. So, we decided to make the third bedroom an office set up. Once again we decluttered, and then moved in the desk and also the kids' chair to fill a little extra space.

Then it was on to the girls' bedroom. I had actually been planning a little redecorating in there for a while pending Cream moving out of the crib. We decided to take the crib down and unbunk the beds to help give the room a bit of space. I made Peachy's quilt when she transitioned from the crib and as much as I would have liked to have made one for Cream, I just didn't have the time. However, I found one that I liked and matched Peachy's style at Kohls. I simplified the decor a bit with a picture I picked up on clearance at Hobby Lobby and some framed initials. I really like how their room is looking!

For the master bedroom, I decided to pick up some new bedding. I got everything from Target. I wanted to play off of the orange walls, so I picked that as an accent color and added in grey and dusty blue. Since we don't have a headboard, I wanted to put something above the bed for decor. I painted some frames I had around and added in some home dec fabric.

There you have it. Our staged home! I am really loving in a neat and tidy home. The motivation of showings is helping to keep me extra motivated in the cleaning department too. Maybe some of that will continue once we move, maybe!