Fighting Cabin Fever with an 18-month-old

In the last two weeks we have been snowed-in twice.  I know we aren't alone in feeling like winter has overstayed its welcome...

Snow days have a completely different meaning from what they once were as a child-free teacher.  Now, a snow day is a day stuck inside without a chance of running the usual morning errand and me grasping at anything to keep Lu's spirits up.  Sledding is out of the question until the snow stops.   I can't blame her for being sick of her toys by the end of the day.  I am too!  

Here are a few things that have saved us...

Artsy mornings!  

Lu has been big into coloring with crayons, but we just started using watercolor paints (finger paints were not a hit...).  Doing art in place of our usual morning outing keeps the day from getting monotonous. 

These Melissa & Doug Paint with Water books are great.  There is dried paint on the top of each page and you just need a wet brush.  Genius. 

Introducing something new.  

At Lu's 18 month ped visit last week her doctor suggested getting a potty now so that as soon as shows the signs that she is ready, the potty itself will be familiar.

Hello, potty.  

I pulled this out and bought myself a good 20 minutes of Lu investigating something new. 

Lastly, dance party.  

No photos here since I was swinging her around in my arms!  

Her 2 favorite adult songs right now are "Ho, Hey" and "Happy."  She likes the repetition and sings along like a champ!  (Toddler radio doesn't happen on a day like this or I might lose my mind.)  :)

Please share any tricks you have to keep a toddler from getting cabin fever! 

And...Happy Valentine's Day Eve! 

Upcycled BabyGap Jacket... For $4!

It is no secret that I love a good bargain, especially with kids clothes.  You can imagine how thrilled I was last week when I popped into a local children's consignment shop and saw end-of-season clearance bins for $1.  Lu was with me so I only had a few minutes to rifle through the 2T-3T girls stuff.  A lot of it was eh.  

But I did find a BabyGap denim jacket in practically new condition.  Yes, for $1.

The only problem was that it was white denim with a pink dye wash.  I know it was on trend 2 years ago, but it looked like someone accidentally washed it with a red sweater.  Not cute.

But for $1- hey, I can work some DIY magic!

Enter the Rit fabric dye.  Less than $3 for the box at Michael's.  The colors that I knew would cover the pink were fuschia, pale pink, and scarlet red.  Pink jackets are a dime a dozen for little girls so I went with the scarlet.

Dying fabric is ridiculously easy- all you need to do is follow the instructions on the box.  I chose the hot water in a bucket method.  I used 1/2 the dye powder and let the jacket soak for about 10 minutes (I knew I wanted a lighter red).  Rinse, wash, and let dry.

Final result- cost less than $4 and took 20 minutes of effort.

And it is adorable (if I do say so myself).

Here is how I envision it looking in the spring.

Please take note of the fact that Lu was watching the snow fall while I dressed her in this spring outfit. Ha! 

Right now you can get this exact BabyGap jacket in a dark denim version online for $29.99.  Or, save a few bucks and find a quality consignment shop near you.  :)  A helpful website is consignmentmommies.com.  Happy bargain hunting and DIY-dying!

What to take to a party when the host says don't bring anything...

Aside from the obligatory bottle of wine, of course! ;)

We were invited to a neighbor's house for a casual Super Bowl party and told "no need to bring anything."  I could never show up empty-handed, but flowers or some other hostess type gift just didn't seem appropriate.  Especially considering I'd be taking Lu home to bed after only an hour while the husband stayed behind...

I decided to make a breakfast bread.  Not Super Bowlish at all, I know.  Here's my logic: I hate it when we host and I (undoubtedly) make too much food knowing people will also bring stuff... then it gets thrown away after sitting for hours on the table.   But, I hate even more the next day when you suddenly realize you need to cook all over again.  

Wouldn't it be nice to at least have breakfast taken care of?!

I used this Williams-Sonoma recipe for Lemon-Blueberry Bread, but I did not add the syrup or drizzle icing.  I wanted to keep it simple, but the sweeter version does sound good for an afternoon appetizer with tea.  

Tie on a thank you note and I think it looks much better than another seven-layer-nacho dip.

New Year, New Blog Goal, and a Spot of Tea

I had no intention of going blog-radio-silent. 

Since my last post I found myself in a life whirlwind of surprise party, vacation, holidays holidays holidays, dead phone, and sick baby.  

Nothing like using (and actually having) every excuse in the book, right? 

I have also been playing a part in a lot of Cinderella tea parties and it has been just lovely.  

In all honesty, the unexpected break allowed me to take a step back from not only my blog, but looking at other blogs as well.  

As a new blogger, I think it is important to have a sense of what is trending on other blogs.  But after getting sucked into the blackhole of Pinterest and Bloglovin, I can sometimes find myself one link away from feeling less inspired.  

My goal for is for this blog to be an honest representation of my life at home.  I want to share my inspired creative moments with you.  But I also want to share the not-picture-perfect-no-makeup-frazeled-mommy moments too.  I know my house doesn't look like a styled photoshoot (nor will it ever) and I'm okay with that.  Similarly, there is no need to aspire to a styled photoshoot blog life.  This blog is real life at home.  

In honor of this blogger revelation, I gave the blog a quick new year touch-up.  If you like the new classic design check out Nudge Media Design on Etsy.  

Thanks for reading- it should be a fun year!

Rustic Christmas Mantel (without looking country)

Christmas decorating is in full swing (during nap time) around here!  I like to take a few days to leisurely take out all of my Christmas decor and think about where to put things.  I enjoy the process as much as the end result!

I knew that my Willow Tree Nativity should go on the mantel this year (away from curious fingers) and didn't think my usual glittery ribbon mantel decor would go well.  

I'm loving all of the rustic-without-being country Christmas decor this year.  No burlap or wooden creatures.  Maybe rustic chic is a better description?  I just made that up, but it sounds right. 

Taking a cue from this rustic trend, I decided to go on a hunt in the backyard during Lucy's nap for some new decorations.  

And this is what I came back with.  Perfect.  

I took a large vase and added the holly, large twigs, and evergreen branches (I had bought a bunch at the grocery store for $4).  Then I filled the bottom of the vase with cheap old gold ornament balls (8 or 9) and added a few extra glittery sticks (purchased last year at a craft store).  Ta-da!

Rustic, practically free, and I think it looks pretty good.  

Especially with our Velvet Stockings that I love love love.