A sneak peek...

I have been working very hard on some baby outfits to enter into the LBB/Dharma Trading Design Challenge.  Entries aren't due until February 15, but here is a sneak peek of what I have been working on.

Intrigued?  I can't wait to show you the finished products on my model--Lydia Grace!

Another Snow Day

School was called off again yesterday.  The snow day meant getting another wonderful day to stay home with Lydia Grace.  Yay!  I love snow days!   There was no snow on the ground though.  School had been called off "in anticipation of snow." 

So we waited...

And waited...

And waited some more...

But there was no snow to go with this snow day.  Have you heard the old saying, "A watched kettle never boils?"  Well, it's true.

Eventually it did start snowing, and now the world looks white.

ABC Weekends: D is for...

D was for Disney Days!  I know!  It's completely cheesy, but we do have a little girl who happened to love it.  And Lydia Grace's mommy and daddy loved the dinner and dessert that went with it.

Sticking to the Disney theme, Tim and I decided to dine at a wonderful French restaurant.
"What does that have to do with Disney?" you ask.  Have you seen Ratatouille or the dinner scene from Beauty and the Beast?

It was truly the most delicious meal I have had in a very long time.  Both the food and service were superb.  (Or should I say tres bien.)  I half expected Remy to come bursting from the kitchen.  However the real chef was a man who made the most incredible creme brulee I have ever eaten.

Afterwards we went to the Disney Store where Lydia Grace had a blast Finding Nemo,

cooking in Minnie's kitchen,

  peering into an enchanted mirror,

and making some Disney purchases.

The next day we had a tea party,

made princess cupcakes,

and had a Disney movie marathon while eating spaghetti.  The spaghetti was in honor of Lady and the Tramp, of course.

Proof that having a magical time is as easy as ABC.

Before and After: Child's Rocking Chair

I found this in an antique store a couple of weeks ago.  The upholstery was horrible, but I felt like it had some real potential as a cute rocking chair for Lydia Grace.

My dad helped me reupholster it with some lovely cream fabric with pink and green stripes.   Thanks Dad!

We also replaced a couple of screws, secured some of the nails, and used a furniture marker to cover up any bad spots in the wood.  My dad is incredibly talented at projects like this. 

I sewed a pillow for it too!

It makes a great addition to Lydia Grace's reading nook.

Here's my little bookworm.

I think she likes her newly restored chair!

C is for Car Trip...

C is for a car trip to the college campus where Tim and I met years ago in Chemistry class.  Tim and I traveled to Johnson City last Saturday (January 16).

Sadly, I accidentally left my camera behind, so I have no pictures of our adventure down memory lane.  However, I decided to improvise and pull out some photos from our college days.

(That is why it has taken me so long to put this post up.)

First Stop: Lunch at Pal's
In college it's all you can afford to eat--you can't live without it.
Out of college you don't want to live without it.


Second Stop: Historic Jonesborough

Yep!  That's me my junior year of college visiting the beautiful, historic town just minutes from campus.  I would often visit Historic Jonesborough to get away from campus for awhile.  It is a place I still love to visit.  (Click on this link to see pictures of my visit prior to this one where I went with Lydia Grace, my mom, and my sister.)


Third Stop: ETSU
We went to Brown Hall where we first met in CHEM 1.  We were hoping the doors would be unlocked so we could go into the classroom where we met, but the building was tightly secured for the weekend.  Well, except for that one open window that Tim tired to get into by scaling the building.  All he accomplished was falling into a bush though.  Luckily ETSU is a "dead" campus on the weekends, so there wasn't anyone around to see what we were up to.


We strolled Lydia Grace past the "Tree House", business building, and education building where we continued our tour through the Culp Center and library.  All the while reminiscing on our times spent there...

During my college days, I spent much of my time hanging out with friends, doing things with my sorority, participating in community service with Volunteer ETSU, and (of course) going to class.

Tim spent most of his college days working for ETSU's athletic program, interning with the Johnson City Cardinals and the Kingsport Mets, playing intramural football with friends, and finishing both his undergraduate and graduate studies.

College had been an amazing time for both of us!

Fourth and Final Stop: Cheddar's for Dinner
We finished up this memorable day by having a nice dinner at Cheddar's.  (The place we would eat at in college when we weren't broke.)

What a great day!
Proof that reliving the past is as fun and easy as ABC!

Baby Art

What do you get when you mix...

a front porch,

paint,

brushes,

"no no" to eating the paint or brushes,

a blank piece of paper,

and a terrific ten month old?

You get a masterpiece!

I Heart Faces--"We Are Family"

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is "We Are Family", and I have decided to participate.  This picture was taken just a few days after Lydia Grace was born and became a part of our family.  It is one of my favorite pictures!

  Become a part of this celebration of family for yourself at...

ABC Weekends: B is for Books and Baking Cookies

My husband picked the alphabet activity for this weekend.  If you aren't sure what I am referring to, check out this post.  His pick:

Browsing books at the bookstore (They were having a "Blowout Sale", so we bought some books too.)

and...

Baking cookies.  Yummy!

Lydia Grace even tried to cook.

This weekend was nothing extravagant...nothing terribly adventurous...just special moments spent together as a family.

Proving that creating memorable moments from the simple things in life is as easy as ABC.

Glass Container for Potpourri (Repurposed Baby Food Jar--Part 2)

You can make your own container for potpourri.

1. Pour potpourri into a clean baby food jar.

2. Cover the top with a small piece of mesh fabric that will allow the scent to diffuse from the jar.  (Use a rubber band to hold the fabric firmly in place.)

3. Hide the rubber band with a raffia or ribbon bow.

4. Give as a gift or place in your home to enjoy the lovely scent for yourself.

Snow Day!

School was out today, so I got to stay in! Some snow actually fell and stuck here in Knoxville. We never get snow, so it was quite exciting for school to be called off. Tim was feeling a little under the weather (no pun intended). Between feeling sick and the snow on the roads, he decided to call work and let them know he would be taking the day off.

All of this lead to Tim, Lydia, and I getting to spend a snow day together!

We took Lydia Grace out into the snow...We threw snowballs...
And we warmed up with homemade hot cocoa.