we took a little trip

i took the boys to Branson, Missouri over spring break. we loaded up the volvo wagon, armed with the DVD player, snacks, drinks and a map and headed out. the 3.5-4 hour trip took us a little over 5 hours. without daddy, i was able to stop at any and all the flea markets on the way that i wanted to. a couple bathroom/stretch breaks were thrown in too. we rented a cute little condo and the boys thought the best part about it was the small t.v. in the bedroom. so every morning we had breakfast (lucky charm cereal) in bed and watched cartoons. it was nice that those few minutes in the morning was the only t.v. time we had.

we had a picnic lunch on the river. the boys spent a good couple of hours afterwards throwing rocks into the river. it was probably 80 degrees that day...just beautiful.

M found this rock that looked like a heart.

the boys got along so well. i was so proud of them.

down at the Landing we found this really cool store....Ridemakerz. it's like build a bear, but you build a car. upgrades can be made over the internet. M had a blast picking the body of his car as well as the wheels, stickers, etc. then he had to actually put it all together. a fun souvenir!

an afternoon playing putt putt golf.

for not even being 3 yet, C was pretty good and did not hold us up at all. he yelled "whoo hoo" every time he got his ball in the hole.

this photo was taken at a place we had dinner at. we actually had dessert (ice-cream) first that night, and then had pizza. the boys thought this huge banjo was pretty cool.

C was hesitant to get into the pool at first. but then i couldn't get him out.

this indoor pool was one of the reasons we picked this condo.

all in all it was a great few days and something fun to do. now that we are back, C keeps saying (when he wakes up in the mornings) "it's vacation day, time to go to the condo!" needless to say, he enjoys taking little trips.

finally....some trays

i finally got around to getting a {small} batch of trays done. they are on their way to Now & Then, the little shop that i sell them in. if you have been to Now & Then (in downtown Overland Park, KS) make a note that she has moved. she's on the same street, just a couple of store fronts north of her old space. i am delivering the spring trays to her on saturday. so if you are in the area, have some free time, need some me time go and check them out. i am not sure why the photo of the papers looks so washed out. these trays really did turn out beautiful with the brown and blue papers that i used. the black & white one is perfect for a wedding gift and the red one just makes you happy and ready for summer.

every cowboy. . .

needs a place to hang his hat. in my youngest sons case, it is a place to hang his baseball hats.

on a recent stop at a thrift store, C pointed at something and said "i need that for my hats". i had no idea what he was pointing at. i let him out of the cart to show me what it was he thought he needed. he picked up a peg rack and again said "i need this for my hats". his hats do usually just get tossed somewhere and i had to agree that having a peg rack for his hats would be a great idea. so for one dollar, it was his. we came home found a spot in his room and he proudly hung all four of his, well loved, baseball hats. though he is too young to realize the reuse, recycle reason why mommy shops at thrift stores, i am proud that he found something that he liked and is proud of. equally proud am i that he is beginning to show some organizational skills. {smile}

a tiny office nook

i recently did some rearranging and had used a small sofa table as a desk in my mudroom. i thought it was the perfect little spot to keep daily papers organized. after using it for a few days i realized that it wasn't that perfect. it was a smidgen to narrow, not allowing much space to actually write at. it also was not near an outlet so i could not have a lamp for task lighting. so on a trip to good juju last month i spotted a cute little table. i quickly dismissed it because i was using the sofa table and it was working fine. but i could not stop thinking of this cute table. good juju is open only the first weekend of every month. so for the whole month i thought about this cute table that i had seen. AND when they opened this past weekend, i was there when they opened and the table was still there. i was so excited and chalked it up as 'meant to be'.

with a little more rearranging i now have this tiny office nook (still in my mudroom). it is now by an outlet, so i am able to have a lamp on it. it also is the perfect width to actually house some organizing bins and still have room to write. i love, love, love it. funny how having this tiny space has made daily tasks a little more fun to complete.

rainy days and mondays

it was a rainy monday here in kansas city. every time it rains and it is a monday i am reminded of that song by the carpenter's. but rainy days nor mondays get me down, i use them to get some projects done.


i have had these old, i call them fishing stools, in my stash for awhile. i failed to take a before photo so here they are in their after. scrap zebra fabric left over from redoing some chairs, a staple gun and 6 minutes to do each one. when projects are this simple, it makes me wonder why i put them off for so long. these two beauties will actually be for sale in the upcoming "Friends of a Feather" sale in june. for the past two years i have joined a creative bunch and held a fabulous artist/junker sale. this year we are taking it up a notch with more vendors, a huge tent filled with so many lovely things and even more marketing. if you are in the kansas city area, this is one sale you will not want to miss. more details on it later. so it is tuesday, and it is raining.....what project will i work on today?!

the ever changing mantel

since it is march i decided to remove the red floral wreath and art piece with a red heart from the mantel. using what i had, i created this display.....for now.

it is quick and simple to create an arrangement like this when you stick with a color theme.
add or take away and just fuss with it for a minute and ta-da you have something new to look at.

i often get emails from snapfish with a coupon to create a free coffee table book. i think i will gather up all my mantel display photos and put them into one book. i often have friends and neighbors ask me to help them with mantel displays. they could use the book as a resource and be inspired. now that is a good idea!