October 18, 2011

This picture was taken a week ago at Sissy's (Lily's cousin) birthday party but I forgot to post it earlier.  That icing stained her face for 2 days.  :)  But it was DELICIOUS.  We also loved the party shirts!  Fun party!

October 17, 2011

All five years of costumes...all hanging in her closet.  I love the contrast of the different lengths.  She's grown a TON in the last year!

October 16, 2011

My new wreath:

October 15, 2011

In case you did not know, my mother is incredible.  She helped me sew this dress and understand more about sewing and pattern-making.  We started from scratch.  I couldn't get the idea out of my head - Lily has loved Mary Poppins since she was tiny.  Something about the non-cartoon factor sparked her interest early.  She couldn't be more happy with the dress and neither could I.  I am thrilled to have it done - it was born in my head back in August and we ran into more than one snafu - I basically had to make the bodice twice because of how I cut it the first time.  Grrr...trial and error.  But I am happy to report that I didn't have to buy any additional supplies after my first trip.  I found my inspiration from an etsy designer who wanted close to $200 for a very similar dress.  Mine cost a lot of time...but a lot less money.  There is something about Halloween - I don't even know what brings it out in me but I LOVE creating costumes that Lily Jo loves.  I also really enjoy the time I get to spend with my mom, what she teaches me, her "khhhhheeeeeeeeeeeewwwww" moments when she's done something wrong, and how much she laughs at my jokes. 

PS - one of my favorite sewing bloggers posted this today (October 19).  I won't say I came up with the idea first, but I just wanted to put it out there that I didn't copy this idea from her tutorial! (for once in my life)  If she posts tutorials on how to create the boot covers, I'll probably be copying that part. :)  I actually made my own dress & pattern that included a lined bodice, full skirt, lace-edged "bib" section, and a corset with rivets & boning!!  Go me!

October 14, 2011

Has anyone seen my baby?  I can't find her but this small human answers to Lily and follows me around. 

October 13, 2011

A very sweet co-worker made this little gem for me.  She sits perfectly on my desk and makes me smile while I'm dealing with all the crazy.

October 12, 2011

Have I mentioned how much we love Halloween around here?  Candy corn manicure!  Lily was VERY patient (and perhaps a bit dramatic) with how long it took.  She's happy with the results.

October 11, 2011

Another quick Pinterest inspired easy decor idea!  Didn't spend a dime thanks to the "joke" candles my dear attorneys have gotten me as gag gifts over the years. I might need to find some orange ribbon for the tops though....maybe next year!

October 10, 2011

Finally, it's done.  She likes it quite a bit so it was worth it.

October 9, 2011

Easy breezy day today - spent some time painting this lil pumpkin, my favorite of the crew we brought home the other day.  It didn't turn out exactly like I wanted (elegant, stenciled black monogram) but c'est la vie.  I'm just glad it wasn't a total loss.  And Lily was ecstatic about the glitter. 

October 8, 2011

Holy awesome day.  Jason went up camping/hunting which was the only downside.  We were invited to spend the day with Bree & her whole family.  It started out with a Gowers family photo shoot where we witness to a drug deal going down in Midvale.  That was fun.  :)  It was quite a chilly morning so we headed to McDonald's next and warmed up with some hot chocolate and a little lunch.  We then drove up to Bree's brother-in-law's pumpkin farm where we got to choose a few pumpkins to bring home!!  Lily enjoyed stomping around that patch and finding pumpkins - she loved it!! 

Next up was Black Island Farms in Syracuse - which was so much fun.  Huge slides, lots of animals to see and feed, corn maze, a "corn pile" (like a sand pile but with corn).  This place was a blast and I hope we can go up and do it again next year.  The only drawback was a stupid kid throwing corn repeatedly at little kids.  I got after him when he didn't believe me that it was "against the rules" (It totally was!  I saw it on the sign on the way in) and his mom showed up and acted super snotty and didn't even discipline her bully child.  UGH.  Whatever - small bump in the road. 

We wrapped things up at a fantastic mexican restaurant that was pretty new - I don't even remember the name but they had an amazing salsa bar - with fresh cilantro guac (no tomatoes!!!) and another super delish mango spicy salsa.  The entree was GREAT too.  Lily was so tired that after she finished eating, she climbed into my lap and fell asleep in the middle of the restaurant. 

It was a day I won't soon forget.  We really had such a good time!  Thank you Bree & Robbie!!

October 7, 2011

No eggs in the house? No problem.  Pinterest is my new best friend.  Quickly found a made-from-scratch eggless pancakes recipe that was delicious!

October 6, 2011

We took 1/2 day off work today and drove up into the mountians so Jason could hunt.  I didn't take any pictures though, because it wasn't the best of trips.  We saw no elk, no deer and we got stuck in the snow.  Luckily, someone pulled us out.  However, I did work on and finish these cute little shoes.  I have an addiction.  I'm fully aware.

October 5, 2011

Made this cute "trick-or-treat" bunting thanks to inspiration (and helpful jpgs) from my good friend Shelley...mine's not nearly as cute as hers...but I didn't spend a dime on anything new - just used stuff I already had!  Woo hoo for thrifty!

October 4, 2011

Recently found Pinterest and addicted doesn't begin to cover it.  Lily's behavior has been a bit difficult lately so I'm tyring to spend some extra time with her and be more patient.  Pinterest has given me a whole buncha fun ideas and tonight, we made cloud dough.  I have a strict no-play-doh rule in my house.  I can't stand the stuff.  But cloud dough was a nice change from stinky play-doh.  We had fun mixing it together and building "sand castles".  Lily was in cloud heaven and played in it for a good 45 minutes.  And the mess it made was worth the fun we had together.  ♥ my girl. :)

October 3, 2011

These were so much fun to make! 

October 2, 2011

I am rediscovering just how much I love to crochet - quick projects and if you search long and hard enough, they don't  ALL look grandma-ish. :)  (no offense Grandma!!)

October 1, 2011

I cleaned out Lily's closet & drawers this weekend.  Found this beautiful thing at the back of her closet.  It was worn by my niece at my own wedding and it fits Lily perfectly now.  I wish we had an angelic weekend like it appears....she had her own idea of how long to wear this and twirl. 

September 30, 2011

Girlfriend can't.  wait.  for Halloween.