Farmin' the Day Away

Let me take you on a tour of the  lil farm we have going on in our living room.The day is a bit chilly with the sun glistening on the feilds of brown earth.The farm is small-the economy is hard on ya,ya know.So tough,the owner of this farm can't afford the seeds he needs to plant and make a living.

He doesn't seem to mind-he keeps on grinnin' with his lil teeth and farmin' on his hands and knees.

The fences need fixin',the house is rotted away and there's only 2 bales of hay left.Half the doors are off the barn.

 The lil' cow family conentedly chews their hay while gorgeous Rainbow Pony watches on snootily.

"These crazy cows never want to drag race or paint their hooves"-Rainbow Pony storms."Guess the only thing they're made for is makin' milk and meat for humans!...

...And the crazy thing they do for their young'uns-my,my,what a  crazy way to keep the milk flowin'.It's udderly fascinatin'!!

 This ole'  mama milk cow is bout done in.Her tails worn thin from swattin' those pesty flies n skeeters(and babies).The sore spot on her neck keeps gettin bigger-she keeps rubbin' on the fences for lack of better things to do. 

The ranch hands have scarcely a thing to do but scratch heir heads and keep grinning.Mabel still manages to stay plump and rosy-cheeked in spite of the lack of food(or is there a lil one cookin?).Hank keeps his mustache long to help pass the time-if he doesn't quit strokin' it,it'll soon be gone.When he gets in a "romantical" mood,he takes Mabel on a ride on the big green tractor.They ride to the fishin' hole and catch a mess of catfish.Motel Midnight is their bed for the night-under the pine tree in the back feild,lisening to the crickets chirpin' and the coon dogs a barkin'.Don't take much to make these poor country folks happy.

All is well until one day an old tornator comes a-rippin' and a-roarin' thru the farm.My,it sure tore things up!!

The ole' "Date Ride" done lost it's wheel and got it's nose done in real good.

The owner came by to check out the damage.You just can't wipe that grin of his face-no matter what the devastation is.He told Hank & Mabel that he's gonna have to leave the farm 'cuz of the lack of funds to fix 'er back up like new.The damage remains -and so does the smile on his face.

Kobe's 1st Birthday Party

It's hard to believe my lil baby is a year old already!!My first blog post was about the lil cutie.He's loved so much and is so fun right now.He's not walking yet because of some issues with his right foot,but we're getting chiropractor treatments to fix that.I love his cute curls,his 4little teeth and well,basically everything about him!!He loves dancing to music,being read to and playing with his Daddy.His favorite thing to do right now is tear everything out of the kitchen cabinets.

I decided to have an airplane party last fall already,so I could look for stuff ahead of time and make a lot of the stuff to save $$.Airplane stuff is not quite as popular as Spiderman,etc. so I'm glad I had plenty of time to shop and create things.I wanted it to be blue/gray/orange,vintage/travel-themed and fun.I think we accomplished it.I didn't have much time to take pictures of things before the party started so bear with me on these.I used Printshop to make his party invitations and printed them onto postcard paper.They were made to look like tickets.I don't have pictures of the whole tickets.My neice and nephew took the guests' ticket stubs as they came in the door.

  I printed these posters up and put them inside the door.

 This was the kid's "Baggage Claim" area.I filled mugs with coton candy and topped them with airplane cutouts with the kid's names on them.They had blue & orange M&Ms and Tootsie Rolls to snack on too.Brown paper bags held a toy airplane and airplane pictures to color.I found the little gray airplanes at Walmart in the clearance section.Scrabble tiles spelled Fly Away and Airborne.

 I drew an airplane and framed it.The food labels were made of cardstock paper and stickers.

I used twine and clothespins to hang up a pic of Kobe from each month.So hard to believe he used to be soo tiny!! 

 The food table-Guests grabbed utensils and plates off the trunk and suitcase.An old map hung behind the table.I hung clouds made from cardstock paper covered with quilt batting from the ceiling.I bought the red airplane at Hobby Lobby at 50% off.I made a paper airplane garland to hang on the front of the table.Cupckes were stacked on a d-i-y stand on top of an old ammunition box in the center of the table.Drinks(in pint-sized mason jars)were packed in an old suitcase.I used twine instead of ribbon for the balloons for a vintage feel.

Fun decorations.I found an airplane puch at Hobby Lobby on clearance and punched airplnes out of an old atlas.

 Slim's old globe piggy bank and a chalkboard sign..

I'll transalate this for you-Pilot Stuffers=Hot Ham&Cheese Sandwiches
Passenger Pleasers=Party Mix   
Blue Skies=Tapioca Dessert
CloudCakes=Cupcakes
Frozen Clouds=Icecream Cups
Insructor Buttons=M&Ms                                                             
Clouds of Cotton=Cotton Candy
Jet Fuel=Sweet Tea

A friend of mine made the cupcakes.They were delicious!!The toppers were made from cotton balls hot-glued onto toothpicks.I punched out airplanes and hot-glued those on top.

 One of the best pics I got of him all night=/.He looked handsome in his adorable aviator hat(from Ebay) and his little leather Air Force jacket.

 It was so much fun to watch him open his gifts.He sat there with sparkling eyes,literally oohing and aahing over all his presents.

This was his 2nd!! cupcake-after he was cleaned up a little from eating the first one.

I love my lil chubster soo much!!

Tulips

 Tulips-Their simple beauty somehow speaks to me.They speak of spring,cheerfulness and simple quietness.I bought them in memory of Shyloh Jem-the baby we lost thru a miscarriage on March 12,2010.(Also my Mom's birthday)I always buy a bouquet of flowers that day.I still shed a few tears-thinking of what could have been.Losing a child you never met,got to cradle and kiss is hard to explain.Your dreams are shattered-you grieve deeply and a lot of times alone.You have no face to put to the child you loved and prayed for.I may never know why this precious wee one didn't get to stay and meet us but I do know that it taught me so many things about trust and letting go.It drew my husband and I closer together.I have this feeling that it was a girl-I always end up with pink flowers somehow.

I hope they brighten your day as much as they brightened mine!!

Kitchen Shelves

I am so happy with my new shelves!!I can see my pretty dishes now instead of having them hidden behind frosted glass doors.Its such fun to decorate these big,long mamas too.Right now,I just have white dishes,some clear glass ones and tarnished silver.That wall seems so bright and cheery!!I love white in the kitchen!!It makes everything feel so fresh and clean.Lots of pictures of white ahead --> =)

  We got this HEAVY dresser for free from a repo barn.It had pink flowers on the drawers.Last year I hurriedly spray painted the drawer fronts with flower paint(yes,you use it to spray paint flowers)leftover from our wedding.It fit perfectly where the other cabinet had been!!

I have used this chippy white frame everywhere!!

 Our wedding unity candleholders-minus the white bows.

 An old wire frying basket.

 My Mom bought these Princess House salt/pepper shakers for our wedding.

I have lots of goblets-probably 40 or more.Most of them went into storage.

Tulips brighten my day and my shelves.They really popped against all the white and silver.

Now a  few quick before and after shots-

Much better right??Whatcha think about the new star of the kitchen??