Putting It Together. Fast. And Being Fabulous!

I'm so excited to share with you an exciting project I've been asked to be part of. Together in Ten is a blog for those of us with a limited amount of time to get ourselves ready (maybe we have kids...maybe we like sleep...maybe it's all of the above...), and still want to look cute and put together. My post is up today, and I'll share with you how to make this season sparkle! :)

For your Christmas viewing pleasure...

...one of our new favorite songs!

Santa...I don't know him!!!

Liam and I visited Santa over the weekend. A local museum hosts him for a couple of hours the day after the Christmas parade.

Our experience last year was great...Liam looked up and Santa and Mrs. Claus, perhaps just the slightest bit confused. But no tears.



What a difference a year makes!



Poor fella saw his best friend melt down on Santa's lap, and that was the end of that.

Don't worry...a Christmas cookie and some cuddles made everything better. :)

Last week in #fashiondiaries (just a tad late!)

  

Sunday: Sweater for church...it was cold!!!  But isn't my guy cute?! 

Monday:  It was love at first sight for me when I saw this shirt.  So much so that I overlooked several holes in the front of it. A black cami and a strategically placed work ID solved the problem.  

  

Tuesday:This was the face of a gal on Thanksgiving break.  Longest shortest week ever! 

 

Wednesday: Can I just say that moccasin-wedges (I guess you could call them that) are the best shoes ever?!

 

Thursday:  I love how cute and funky Free People clothing is...even better when it's $3 at Goodwill!

Friday:  We returned home late that night after two Thanksgiving meals.  Exhausted, but (surprisingly) I actually lost a little weight!

   

Saturday:  Sickly.  I'm still trying to get over the crud as I type this (almost a week late...oops!)  However, I did manage to do a little Christmas shopping that day. 

Cowl

I managed to squeeze in one crafty-adventure into my Thanksgiving break (which was marvelous, btw -- three different types of bird!).  I've been wanting to try my hand at making a cowl ever since the weather turned colder.  I used my biggest crochet hook and the Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn I picked up recently (that lovely Seattle Sea Mist color was calling my name, and it wouldn't hush!). 



I searched Pinterest for patterns, and ended up using a little of this (which introduced me to the Herringbone Half Double Crochet) and a little of that (to narrow the pattern slightly). 

My little ham

Last night, while Mike went to discipleship class, Liam and I got some one-on-one time.  The little dude kept me plenty entertained! 

As soon as Mike left, Liam started asking, "Where Daddy?  Where he go?"  But then he realized he had strawberries. 

Over the weekend, my family played the "build a big tower and let Liam knock it over" game.  This is Liam more or less saying "don't knock it over...boom!"  :)

And I finally recorded Liam doing the motions to "The Wheels on the Bus".  I love how he chimes in to the last line. 

The week in #fashiondiaries

I've been participating in #fashiondiaries over on Instragram for well over a year, and I think it's about time I start sharing my outfits over here.  I'd like to make this a weekly feature. 

Here are my #fashiondiaries for the previous week:

Was I really wearing elbow-length sleeves just last Sunday? 

The Good: The scarf and blouse went together quite well.  The Bad: This was the last warm day of the week...

...but at least the sweater is cozy!

This is where I started to wear down.  It was a busy, stressful week.  One where I wasn't sure I could take on just one more thing.  Except that I did.  Several times. 

Chaperoning a trip, TSA meeting after school, and -- oh yeah -- three hours of sleep.  The low point of my week.  But nothing a few rounds of "The Wheels on the Bus" couldn't cure. 

Friday was much better.  Seriously, you can't look at this kiddo in a beanie and not feel happy.  We wore our Berea shirts for college readiness week!

On Saturday we celebrated Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family.  Ridiculous amounts of stuffing were consumed.  :)

About last night...

Can we just agree to be as happy as this little guy? 

Attack of the Nerds

Confession:  I don't really care for Halloween.

I'm also not a fan of Halloween candy.  To me, a bucket full of candy is one of the most disgusting smells I can imagine.

There is only one person who could get me into the spirit of the day.

His name?  Dr. Sheldon Cooper.



I think this was the last year that Liam wouldn't have an opinion about his Halloween costume.  Plus, he doesn't care too much for extra layers. Oh, and Liam's parents are huge nerds!  Sheldon was a good choice.

For Halloween dress-up at work, my coworker, Jennifer, and I were Penny and Amy.  Again, nerds.  :)  I forgot to take my glasses off for the pic, so I might be a little more Bernadette than Penny.  No matter.  I managed a Cheesecake Factory uniform from items I already owned.  I might be the MacGyver of Halloween. 



(Someone asked me why I wasn't Amy instead.  Goodness knows I've got the wardrobe to support that look.  But, as Liam's mother, I absolutely could not dress up as Sheldon's girlfriend.  Therapy is expensive, folks.  Plus, the Penny-Sheldon dynamic is so "parent-child", it seemed like the perfect choice!)

New bedtime routine

Liam has transitioned from tossing his stuffed animals out of the crib, to meticulously arranging them before going to sleep.  If you tune in for the whole video, you'll hear Liam tell his friends to "sit down" near the end. 

That time Liam was a ring bearer, but not really.

A couple of weeks ago, Liam was a ring bearer in his Uncle Matt's wedding. 

He was quite the ladies' man... 







Unfortunately, just before the ceremony, he had a small meltdown.  Just enough to keep him from walking down the aisle. We tried to sit through the service, but he was very preoccupied with calling out "Daddy" (Mike was a groomsman) the whole time, so we made a quick exit.  Luckily, the church had crayons! 


He was still very dashing!  :)


Maybe he was just tired. 
 

(Don't let the above pic fool you...he stayed in that position just long enough for me to take that picture, then he was up and running again!)

So, time flies, huh?

I'm one-quarter of the way through the school year. 

And I haven't blogged a single time. 

Remember that time I blogged every day of 2010?  Yeah, those were good times. 

Life is busy.  Good, and busy.  Between work, motherhood, and wifey-things , I'm doing my best to stay afloat.  I'm in the busiest season of my life.  But I know it's just a season.  I work hard through the day, get in as much Mike and Liam time as I possibly can, put Liam to bed (Mike is never far behind at this point), and then stay up until about midnight grading assignments and getting lesson plans together. 

This is the first time in over two years that I've felt like I'm on my A-game at work.  Two years ago, I was pregnant and, naturally, that was where my focus was.  Last year, I was dealing with post-partum depression (did I even mention this?  I was never totally sure how to bring it up...).  This year I feel like myself.  Maybe a slightly more exhausted version of Bekka.  But I'm definitely me again. 

I think about you all from time to time.  I think of cute things to write...things I don't get around to.  I'm on Fall Break (hooray!), so this seems like a great time to play catch-up.  I want to tell you about all the things I've pinned that I've actually attempted, all the cute retro-outfits I've worn.  And of course, the adorable things Liam has done. 

You really won't believe how much the kiddo has grown.  So here's a little proof.  :)

Thank you for letting me ramble.  It felt good.  So good I might just come back here and do it again soon.  :)

And THAT'S how you make a first impression.

I'm in a hotel attending a conference.

I had just met the newly-hired business teacher rooming with me last night.

This morning I slipped in the shower. Loudly.

I'm pretty sure my efforts to stay on my feet made me look like a cartoon character.

My knees are bruised. 

Thankfully, I did not need rescuing. 

Reason for slipping? "Lack of adhesive ducks".  (Bonus points if you got the reference.)

My first refashion

I love reading blogs like ReFashionista. I'm super impressed by the creativity that it takes to make something wearable out of something that's past it's prime. Last year, I found a hideous dress, and decided to challenge myself to make it wearable (in this decade, anyway).

Loved the print...but only the print. 

Check out the shoulders...why yes, they are padded.

Because this was my first refashion, I didn't have a clear idea of exactly what I wanted to do with this dress.  Originally I wanted to keep the top intact, minus the sleeves, ruffles, and shoulder pads.  But that didn't seem to be working, so I chopped off the top. 

Again...LOVE the print.  Also love the book in this shot...Where's Dave? :)

Next I took the dress in 3" on each side.  I folded over the top, and stitched it all the way around.  I sewed up some of the longer extra pieces to create a long sash.  I cut a notch in the front center of the top hem, and threaded the sash through to create a halter. 

Pair it up with a short sleeved cardi, and I can leave the house without embarrassment! 

I see this becoming an addiction...I can easily imagine myself begging friends for ugly clothes to support my habit. ;D

Completed Pin: Spray Paint Wall Art

I knew when I came across this pin on A Beautiful Mess, I simply had to try it!  Liam's room is desperate for some wall art, and this project looked simple enough for nap time. 

I came across a painting at a local thrift store that was in the process of closing.  The paint was starting to flake of the canvas in some spots, but the picture was exactly what I was looking for.  I chose "You make me happy when skies are grey" for the quote, and found some letters in the craft department at Walmart. 

(Note: The painting was beginning to flake, so I sprayed a clear coat over it before starting the steps below.  Which did not help. More about that after the tutorial.)


Step 1: Cut out the letters and play around with arrangement.  Flaky painting = tedious work.
 



Step 2: Peel and place letters.  The letters I used were meant for poster projects, so the letters didn't stick to the painting very well.  That was actually ideal, because it made step 4 much easier.




Step 3: Spray paint.  Because of the way the painting was nailed into the frame, I chose to paint the canvas and frame the same color.




Step 4: Peel off letters.  I was really afraid the painting would flake when I peeled off the letters.  This only happened in a few spots.




All in all, I liked the final product.  When I try this again, I will use a print, not a painting, simply because this piece is going to flake in the future.  But I do love the texture the flaking gives.  I can't wait to try it again!

What I Read: The Future of Us

This week I read The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.  I checked it out from the high school library a few months ago recently (no overdue charges for teachers makes it very easy to forget about that book I just had to read). 



Imagine discovering your Facebook profile fifteen years in the future...and Facebook doesn't even exist yet.  The book deals with two teens in 1996 who discover the profiles of their 30-something selves.  It was a fun, quick read.  I love the idea that even the smallest decisions, conversations, and actions can completely change who we become. Plus, the fact that I was sixteen years old in 1996 made the read even better -- so many little references...setting the VCR to record a tv show, using AOL CDs to log on to the internet, jogging with your Sony Discman...it definitely appealed to 16-year old me. The ending was on the predictable side, but the message was a meaningful one, especially for young readers.

If you're hippity-happity-flappity, shout hooray!

My parents gave Liam this adorable duck for Easter.  He has finally stopped giving it weird looks, and now he flaps his "wings" when the duck sings. 



"If you're hippity-happity-flappity, shout hooray!
If you're hippity-happity-quackity, say okay!
If you're tickled that its spring, and you want to dance and sing,
If you're hippity-happity-flappity, shout hooray!"

Pop Pop!

Christina and Jeff gave Liam this ball-popper toy.  I know as a parent I'm not supposed to like noisy toys, but I have to admit that I think they're lots of fun. Especially the ones that require Liam to hit a button to make the noise -- it's a great way to keep track of his whereabouts while I'm washing dishes.  Liam really enjoys playing with this toy...this week he started dancing to the music.  (This was as close as I've been able to get to capturing his moves on film. He almost always stops when he knows the camera is on.)

Green Smoothie Challenge

I saw this post on A Beautiful Mess last week, and since I love smoothies, I decided to give it a try this week.  Today's smoothie was made up of one banana, one golden delicious apple, a big handful of strawberries, and a big handful of spinach.  Not bad...I've made better smoothies.  The apple made it a little grittier than I cared for.  But all in all, it was okay. The best part was that I could sip on it throughout the afternoon. 

Ready for Hogwarts

While we were playing in the yard this afternoon, Liam found a stick.  The most amazing stick ever.  I was very impressed by his ability to turn it into a magic wand.
 




If Hogwarts had preschoolers, would they try to eat their wands, like our preschoolers eat paste?




And for you The Lord of the Rings fans...



"You shall not pass!"

Visiting Grandma and Papaw

Since I'm on Spring Break this week (and Mike is not...sadface), Liam and I made the trip to visit Grandma and Papaw (otherwise known as my parents).

Grandma took the day off from work to spend time with us.  We had lunch at Bob Evans, and Papaw even managed to sneak away from work for a few minutes.  As you can tell, they're very happy to have the little man around.


Grandma found this really cool dinosaur tent on clearance, and brought it out for Liam to play in.  He wanted nothing to do with it.  Grandma even tried to lure him in with blocks...he just walked over to the tent, pulled the blocks out, and sat back down to play with them. 


Liam plopped himself in Grandma's lap in order to get a few bites of blueberry crepe. 
 

This morning, Papaw took Liam to his barber.  My dad doesn't miss a chance to show him off.  


After his haircut, Liam, Grandma, and I went outside to blow bubbles.
 

He had his first experience with the piano, and absolutely loved discovering all the different sounds that he could make. 


We're back home now, and Spring Break is winding down.  It was so nice to visit for a little while.