Say It Ain't So...

Bad behavior from my SWEET little man????

NO!!! NEVER!!

Ok. Maybe it's true. Well, I wouldn't call it BAD behavior because obviously an 8 month old doesn't know good vs. bad, but lately he has been fighting me on every.single.thing. It is very frustrating to have a little one go from being a perfect angel to being Dennis the Menace in a flash!

He is fighting sleep, fighting his feedings, and throwing tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He's also experiencing some serious separation anxiety these days. If I'm not in his sight, he'll start screaming 9 times out of 10. Don't get me wrong, I love feeling wanted by my baby, but I also want him to be happy, confident, and independent. He is at the prime age for separation anxiety, so I know this is just a phase and I have to keep reminding myself that "This too shall pass".

So what's my solution? Well, in order to keep my sanity, I'm going back to square one. My plan is to re-focus on his feeding/sleeping schedule to get that back on track, and re-directing his attention when he gets upset and frustrated. I don't want to be "that" mother who's constantly yelling "No!" when he gets into something he shouldn't, so instead I'm going to focus on teaching him right from wrong by reinforcing good behavior and ignoring bad behavior.

I am setting my intention to be patient, empathetic, and understanding with my children, while also teaching them how to be happy, confident, independent individuals. I know if I focus just a little extra attention on this I will have my sweet angel back in no time, and Briggs will be able to SHINE once again! I absolutely love being a mommy and I cannot wait to watch my children grow and thrive.

Oh, and one more thing that will help me get through some of the more frustrating times...more WINE! Who's drinking with me!? It's all for the LOVE of this little man.

How can I resist that PRECIOUS little face!? Goodness, I love him.

DIY Painted Canvas for Playroom

Leave it to Pinterest to make me addicted to crafting.

That being said, I saw a canvas project a while back on Pinterest and I knew I wanted to make something similar for my play room. I also knew that I wanted to use it on my Family Photo Gallery Wall that I was planning, so I had to select the appropriate size canvas for my project.

I ended up selecting a white 24 x 36" canvas from Michaels and I spray painted it BLACK. I did a few coats to make sure it was fully covered, and once it was completely dry I sanded it down with a sheet of sand paper to give it a rustic look. Here's what it looked like after sanding.

For the letters, I ordered some foam stamps online because I couldn't find them in a store ANYWHERE, and I used white acrylic paint.  

I wanted a "worn" look for the letters, so I dabbed them in the paint and then blotted them on a paper towel before stamping them on the canvas. I planned my words out in advance, but I didn't put much thought into the spacing. I just kinda rolled with it as I went along.

Here's the final result. I like the imperfections...they add character ;)

This project was relatively easy and ended up being PERFECT for my Gallery Frame Wall! I tried to think of phrases that would mean something to Briggs as he grows, and I love how it turned out. You'll see the Family Photo Gallery Wall in completion in a post coming soon :)



Kitchen Remodel

I am THRILLED about this long-awaited post! Ever since we bought our house nearly 4 years ago, I have hoped and dreamed of having an updated kitchen. Not a day went by that I didn't complain about my kitchen. I always told Blake I would cook more if I had a kitchen worthy of cooking in ;)  Guess I have no excuses now!

We started fixing up our kitchen piece by piece. First we replaced the nasty vinyl floors, then eventually we replaced all of the appliances. Finally we demolished and replaced the awful brown tile counter tops with BROWN grout and we also refaced all of the cabinets. Oh my, what a difference it makes. Take a look!

BEFORE

Brown tile counters & backsplash, brown grout, green walls, and ancient cabinets.
I used to have to VACUUM my countertops to get them even remotely clean. Gross.

Another view. Excuse the mess.

We're not finished with the BEFORE pictures yet. Awful sink. Even more awful backsplash.

DEMOLITION!!!!

And...drumroll please...

AFTER

Granite countertops (Santa Cecilia), Shaker Style cabinets, Tumbled Travertine backsplash, and a fresh coat of paint (Sherwin Williams -- Universal Khaki)

New sink and fixtures

LOVE my new kitchen!

So there you have it. My beautiful cook-worthy kitchen! Our contractor was a friend of a friend and he and his guys were fantastic. Let me know if you need his number. You can find some of his info here.

That's all for now! Stay tuned for pics from some DIY projects I've been working on. Come over and see my new kitchen. I'll cook for you ;)