Pirate Party

Harrison and the Never Land Pirates

I had so much putting together the decorations for my nephew Harrison's 1st birthday party.  His older brothers are big fans of the cartoon 'Jake and the Never Land Pirates' so I took the theme chosen by his parents and gave it a more personalized touch.  Such a great theme choice because it was fun for all ages.  

Adorable cake from Publix bakery.

I found a few ideas on Pinterest like the 'Fish n' chips' with gold fish and potato chips.

 Free printable Birthday sign and cake tray template after the Jump...

Turkey Day Centerpiece

I am visiting my sister this year for Thanksgiving and since she knows cooking is not my specialty she put me in charge of the centerpiece. I may have taken the job a little too seriously and came up with a few different ideas for the dinner table, serving table and dessert table. But all are very thrifty!

Dining Table Decor:

I found several old and tarnished brass candlesticks at a thrift store. They ranged in price from $.50- $2! Then I used three different metallic paints to give them a fresh look, gold, bronze and copper. I used Martha Stewarts gilding paints but a spray paint would work just as well and be much easier. (I'm staying away from spray paint right now since I am pregnant)

I just used simple white candle sticks and let the fall colors of the holders really shine.

Ribbon Wreath- GO GATORS

Here is a super simple craft project I did for our friends/neighbors for football season.  Just used a store bought wreath form (this one was straw but foam would work better), you can find them at most craft stores.   I found several different fun ribbons in Gator colors but I guess it would work for any team or holiday.  Secure the ribbons on the back with pins and start wrapping randomly, making sure to keep the ribbon pulled tight and pin periodically.  Would look great in red and green for Christmas!

Baby News

I announced a few days ago that we are expecting our first baby in just a couple months!! This will be the first grandchild on my husband's side so we knew they would be excited no matter how we told them but on my side this will make grand-baby number 12! To make sure the 12th baby was just as exciting news as the first 11 we came up with a clever way to announce the news to my parents.

My husband bought a dozen donuts (and even coordinated a different kind for each family) and I printed a picture of each grandchild to put on them with our little 'sweetie' as the 12th. For the first time ever, we had to force my parent's to open the box (they usually can't resist a donut) and it took them both a minute to process what was happening but the end result was exactly what we hoped for. Tears!! Success!

I would love to hear the creative ways you made a big announcement to your family.

Please ignore the mess in the background. These pictures were taken during construction of my parent's new house (which I will be sharing more pictures of soon)

Grand kids in order- Ella, Clayton, Owen, Isabella, Anna, Caleb, Carter, Charlie, Amelia, Lucy, Harrison and Our Baby (name tbd) - don't ask me all their birthdays.

Tears from Papa!! Very proud of our tear jerking announcement.

Fort Carter- Moving Box Fun

Make the most out of that moving experience for the whole family.  Before you throw out those used moving boxes, have a little fun with them for the little ones in the family.  My nephew really enjoyed his own Fort Carter for a few days.  The best part, it was pretty much a free toy.

Simple Fixer Upper- Burlap Stool

I found this great, sturdy little stool at a thrift store and couldn't pass it up. The finish is a little blah and the fabric was pretty awful but I could see it's simple potential.

First- I removed the legs (just screwed into the bottom) and wrapped burlap right over the existing fabric. Just pulled it tight all the way around and stapled it along the bottom as I went. Just make sure the burlap is smooth as you go but don't worry about the bottom being pretty. I folded another strip of burlap and stapled underneath to give the edge a clean look.

Once everything was secure I simply trimmed the extra fabric.

Next step was painting the legs. I used push pins to hold the legs onto a piece of cardboard and sprayed away. I used a flat black paint from Krylon and highly recommend using a spray paint gun to make it much easier and cleaner for your fingers. (don't worry, I did this before I was pregnant)

The last steps were just to re-attach the legs and add nail head trim to finish off the look. You can find the nail heads in a variety of sizes and colors at your local hardware store. These were in the nail section at Home Depot.

Thanksgiving Care Package

Since I can't send my husband a real home cooked Thanksgiving dinner overseas I had to get a little creative.  I tried to pick some of his favorite Thanksgiving staples and found ways to send them that were not only non-perishable but could also be easily prepared in the microwave.  

Thanksgiving dinner includes:

- Instant mashed potatoes

- Canned cranberry sauce

- Stove Top dressing (can be microwaved)

- His favorite Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

- Mac n Cheese

- Canned yams w/ marshmallows

- Gravy (hopefully they have some turkey for them but if not can be used on potatoes)

- Sweet Tea Mio (just add to water)

- Mini Graham Cracker Pie Crusts with pudding to fill and make his own pies

- You could also add turkey jerky but I didn't bother since I know my husband doesn't like it.  

I would love to hear any other ideas you may have for Thanksgiving Care Packages.  

Back to Blogging

Sorry that I disappeared for a little bit.  My husband recently deployed overseas and I decided to take a little break to spend time with him before he left.  But that isn't the only BIG news in our family, we are also expecting our first baby in just a few months. Our baby boy  is due February 1st so I will be sharing some details of his room soon.  

3 Months pregnant- Daddy saying bye for a few months.  Baby was the size of an orange.

   I am back now and have a long list of tips and tricks to start sharing.  

Spur of the moment trip to St. Simons

When my husband and I get bored (which is pretty often) we like to just jump in the car and start driving with no particular destination in mind.  We usually start heading down random back roads and then eventually break out the atlas and pick a small town nearby that we haven't been to yet.  Since these aren't planned and we have a puppy to get back to we typically stay within a few hours drive of home but it is amazing the things you can find in your own backyard.  The Army keeps us moving to new places so every few years we get a whole new set of small towns to explore.  

Our most recent jaunt was to a little coastal town about 1 hour and 45 minutes south of Savannah.  St. Simons Island is a place I have heard about often but this was our first encounter with this cute little tourist destination.  It was an overcast day so it wasn't great beach weather but it was perfect for a stroll through the local shops and along the beautiful park overlooking the water.  Since this wasn't a planned trip, I didn't have the fancy camera with us so I snapped a few photos with my cell phone.  We ate lunch in a great outdoor cafe, window shopped the AMAZING stores along the main drag and enjoyed some live acoustic guitar music near the water.  It was a great, cheap day trip but I would love to go back and spend some money in the antique shops.  It has also made me want to include some nautical elements into our home decor.

Are we the only crazy people who take unplanned day trips?  

Pinterest Project

My sweet cousin Rachel just moved into her first post-college home and like the rest of us is addicted to Pinterest!  I know I have a long list of future projects but she has actually gotten started accomplishing hers.  Here is her adorable version of a popular Pinterest project...  

Here is Rachel's simple how to...

"So it is really simple... I just bought a piece of wood from Lowe's and had them cut it to 18 inches.  I spray painted it black.  I also bought 2 dresser drawer knobs, a hook and a pipe clamp from the bathroom section at Lowe's.  I drilled a hole for the knobs, tightened the clamp around the jar and hot glued it onto the wood. Then I just put some rocks and fake flowers as decor.  (these can be found at Walmart, the Dollar Store or any craft store).  Really simple and not too time consuming!"

What a seriously simple project.  She has it hanging by her front door and uses it for keys, puppy leash, jackets etc. but it would also be precious in a bathroom for towels and robes or a kitchen for aprons.  You could customize the colors and knobs to fit your decor and even change out the flowers seasonally.  If you wanted to use fresh flowers I would suggest attaching the pipe clamp with a screw to the board because the water would add to the weight and hot glue may not hold up.  You may have to screw the clamp in before tightening it around the jar.