Joy

Saturday, January 28, 2012

To the Zoo

Yesterday we went to the zoo with Grandma and Aunt Shelbe. Some of you may know how I feel about the zoo from reading this post, but I had an open mind and figured that since Josh's family always has a great time, the animals must somehow sense their presence and come out of hiding. The weather was absolutely perfect so we were off to a much better start than the last time.

Right off the bat we saw the giraffes and elephants, all out and close to the fences so we could see them.
Joy enjoying her giraffe in front of the giraffes.
We got to see this disgusting ape up close. Claire was eating a strawberry as we were watching it and the ape saw the strawberry and wanted it.


She (the monkey) then grapped some lettuce and brought it to the window and held it out to Claire as though she thought she could trade. Claire was freaked out and backed away. Leaving the gross primate sad and dejected.From there we went to see the camels. Claire and Shelbe took a camel ride.We then went to the goat petting area for awhile. Claire loved it.For some reason this goat was deemed precious by Claire.
Claire thinks she is going to get a horse when she is bigger. She is terribly mistaken.Grandma and my Precious Punkin waiting for sissy.I was super excited that the peacocks were walking around the food court area. For whatever reason, Claire is deathly afraid of peacocks even though she has never seen one.
She routinely has nightmares about them too.
Look how close she got!Off to see more of the zoo!
and ride the carousel.
and last but not least, We petted the sting rays. Claire was not afraid at all.How many babies could spend 5 hours at the zoo and be happy at every moment? This one could.

It was a super fun day; every single animal was out and about and we had a great time!

Thank you Grandma and Aunt Shelbe!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Dresser Makeover

We had gone back and forth over what to do about furniture now that Joy is in her own room. I was planning on buying a white dresser to match Claire's old crib and changing table but kept dragging my feet about spending $250 on a dresser. My parents didn't have a use for this dresser that belonged to my grandparents so I took it and gave it a new look.
The nursery is going to be an aqua/seafoam color with yellow accents (permanently. I'm not painting it again) so I knew I wanted to paint the dresser yellow. I have painted furniture before and it has always been a nightmare so I decided to try using spray paint this time.

But before I could paint, I had to do the worst of the work; which is of course sanding. I didn't like this design in the wood.... it looks too southwestern so I filled it in with some acrylic patch to make it smooth.
I did two coats of Krylon primer spray paint and about 5 coats of Valspar yellow satin. I started and finished the project while Josh was in Mexico so it didn't take too long. I love the way it turned out.

No unsightly brush marks or drips. Yay! I did spend around $50 on paint and new hardware but that's a heck of a lot better than the cost of a new one. Plus this one has a little sentimental value.
Now that there is not a pile of clothes in her room, I can work on the curtains, dust ruffle and recovering the rocking chair.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Scrap Fabric Hair Flowers

I wanted the girls to have a special hair bow/band for Christmas; not just the same old ribbon bows I usually make for them.

I had pinned this fabric flower on my pinterest board and decided to give it a try. I used two different fabrics to make it looks more dressy; a soft chiffon left over from a previous project and a black silk type fabric from an old top. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out so I made one for Joy as well. (as shown in our Christmas photos.)

Later, I made this one out of Claire's window curtain fabric and a dress she had ripped while acting crazy in Sunday School.

Here is a quick picture tutorial of how I made them.

Find the fabric you wish to use and cut it into 9 squares. Mine were approx. 4x4 but it just depends on how big you want your flower.
Then cut a 5-petal flower out of paper and pin it to half of your fabric stack. Use the paper flower as a pattern to cut your fabric squares.
Ta da.

Then you need to cut a small circle of the same fabric to anchor your petals to. Fold one flower in half, and in half again...

then make one little stitch with a needle and thread to anchor it to the circle of fabric. Sew four petals to the circle of fabric and there you have the first layer of the flower.

Now for the send layer, fold the petals the same way but instead of sewing them on exactly on top of the first layer sew them on so they overlap the gaps of the first layer. (The picture says it all.)
Sew the four petals of the second layer.

To finish it off, you need to take the last flower, fold it in half and then roll it so it looks like a flower bud.

Sew it to the middle of the flower and sew the surrounding petals to it so they are secure.

Attach the completed flower to a clip or a headband and admire your work!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Gigi

I am sad to say that last month our Gigi passed away. You may remember that I wrote this post about her just a few months ago. That day we spent with her was one of the last that she was feeling halfway good and able to be out and about. The cancer her body had valiantly been fighting for over a decade was finally taking its toll. Her health continued to deteriorate and after being taken to the hospital due to severe dehydration, it was clear that she would not bounce back and would not be able to live on her own anymore. She stayed at my parent's house for her last days. My mom took care of her round the clock and she had hospice nurses coming to check on her daily. I had happened to be over at my mom's house the day she died. My mom kept checking on her every 15 minutes or so all day. (Gigi had been mostly unconscious the last 2 days) I was just getting the girls packed up when my mom checked on her and she was gone. We are so glad that she passed quickly and did not have any pain or anxiety.

This is the last picture taken of her at Thanksgiving.
We are so glad she was able to be with family the last few months of her life. When I told Claire that Gigi had died she gasped and said, "Oh no!" so sadly. When we talk about Gigi, Claire always remembers that Will died too and they are together with Jesus.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tortilla Land

I have been buying these uncooked flour tortillas for a couple of years now and every time I make them I think, "I should put these on my blog." but I am making dinner so don't have time to take pictures or my stove is so disgustingly dirty that I don't want to.
So here you go. If you have not seen them, or maybe have but haven't tried them yet, I am here to tell you that you should.

They are typically found in the refrigerated section alongside the cream cheeses. The pack of 18 costs between $2.84 (Walmart) and $3.87 (Fry's) - Or $8.73 at Safeway ... I'm just kidding, Safeway is too lame to have these - but if they did I'm sure they would be outlandishly priced.
There are a few other brands available but they have way more ingredients and artificial stuff in them so I have steered clear of them.

They look like this out of the package. Just peel one off
and throw it on your hot, cast iron skillet.
Wait until it bubbles up a little and give it a flip.
The second side bubbles up like this so you can take out your aggression and hit it to flatten it out.
Then, is just a few seconds, you have a lovely, thin, extremely soft, flour tortilla. (The whole process takes less than a minute) Put the rest of the uncooked tortillas back in the bag and freeze until the next time you need them. If I am really on the ball, then I lay a sheet of wax or parchment paper in between each tortilla before I freeze them. That makes life much easier if you only need to grab one or two for a quick lunch.

So go ahead, give them a try! Once you do, I guarantee you will never go back.

Back on Track

I know, I know,

I've been a bit lame when it comes to blogging lately.
We have just been so extremely busy that I haven't had time to do much of anything.

I have so many things to post about so hopefully, now that life has slowed down a bit,
I will be crankin 'em out.