Hours of Entertainment

I am constantly impressed with Eden and her abilities. She is excelling in school at a rapid pace and I pretty much give myself NONE of the credit. She is really gifted and a natural go-getter. Last year, we got her reading assessment from her 1st grade teacher and it said that at the end of the school year it is the goal for 1st graders to be at a level 4. Eden's score was a 17. What? She is awesome. On the other hand, not to shoot down my son but he is at a 5.

When Eden gets an idea in her head, she gets embarrassingly excited. Super dorky about it actually. She went all out with school the other day, teaching Olivia shapes, rules and subjects and she was awarding prizes and badges if she completed her tasks and acted appropriately. It was a RIOT to watch. Olivia was her little slave and ate it all up. She walked away with a star badge and a ribbon medal to wear around her neck.

10.10.10

Today she is 3 months old and my dad is going to HATE these bigger-than-her-head flowers.

I am definitely not a photographer, just a mom with a desire to capture the milestones.

Tatum's High Chair

I've been into projects lately. I have completed 3 other mini projects that I am excited to post about. I hope you get inspired like I have from these two awesome blogs... Thrifty Decor Chickand All Things Thrifty.

I decided to redo a wood high chair for Tatum. I bought this little beauty off craigslist for $3 and although covered in food chunks and mold, I could see the potential.

Before:

I sanded that sucker down and primed her.

I thick coat of Colonial Red spray paint...

A dry brush of my favorite black antiquing glaze...

and wa la....

The cutest high chair you have ever seen!!

My New Office

Living in a 3-bedroom home with no bonus room lends itself to all kinds of space issues. If I had one wish for this house, it would be for an office. Close-the-door-leave-the-business-bill-computer-mess-behind room.

Back in 2007, I built this little black table that ended up being my desk which we put in our TV room and it has plagued me with its smallness for years. Until now. I lovingly asked my husband for a bigger desk and in two weekends we hammered it out together I am in my new home.

Before: (sad right?)

The process:
A family affair:
It's a very simple design but we are all about function...

Including Olivia's "help" with the polyurethane. She did this while I was inside after I had completed the finishing on the top to a smoothness like unto a baby's bottom. She wanted to help. It set me back hours as I had to scrape, re-sand, re-paint, re-glaze, re-poly and all this with a newborn in arms. I was a tiny bit upset.

The finish is just a brown paint that we matched with our entertainment center stain color and then I used a black antiquing glaze to make it look almost like a stain.

And after:
So much better!!! I am one happy bill payer, couponer, secretary, blogger, organizer.

Again...before...

And from the same angle, after...

I Can't Count To 4

So we are on a stroll yesterday, taking advantage of the AMAZING weather while Rob is out of town at a work conference and an interesting thing happened.

I have strapped Tatum to my chest in a baby pack and the 3 others are running ahead of me. We initially are looking for some dead tree branches for a Halloween decoration I want to do but it turns into a photo shoot. The lighting is so nice that I just starting snapping. First Indy, then the other two. They are so happy to comply that I just keep going. I group them together as usual and tell them to act like they like each other. They smile willingly and I get my typical pictures of my three kids.

Wait....what am I doing?

I have FOUR kids. Holy crap!

I am happily clicking my camera at my kids and all this time Tatum is hanging out there in front being totally forgotten. I forgot I have another child. I have to take the pictures again. I can't take pictures of just three. She has to be part of the family at some point right? So, we stop and start the photo shoot again. She is still a little floppy so they aren't great but there you have it. I have 4 children now.

Good thing I didn't realize this after leaving her in the car while I went shopping. Good grief. When is it going to sink in that I have another kid. We have been 5 for so long that 6 is taking some serious getting used to.

We are having so much fun though. Tatum is so scrumptious!

Side note: Why are babies eatable? Every time I talk about newborns it is delicious, scrumptious, or yummy and then you want to bite, chew or nibble on their little legs or cheeks. Morbid.