First day of school (3 weeks in)

So I've been a baaaad baaaaaaaaaaad blogger... It's going to be a crazy fall!

1. We have season tix to the Aggie games - WHOOP! (picture of us at the game later - it's on my phone).
2. We also signed Kendall up for her first organized sport - SOFTBALL! Well, as organized as 4-6 year olds can be. Kendall knows nothing of the sport. She's been to a baseball game but she of course played more than she watched - which is totally normal. I'm not expecting her to keep player stats. Not that her dad wouldn't eat that up. First practice is tomorrow night. Pictures will surely follow this weekend.
3. And school is back in session - shhh....can you hear it? Silence. Yes the girls are asleep but it is more quiet than this when they are at school and it is awesome! I love love love my girls, but I love love love having time to myself without having to fix lunch, get somthing to drink, get a napkin, wipe a mouth, get the other something to drink, wash hands, Ty get out of the kitchen, sit back down, put the table down, stop scooting the table, just LEAVE IT ALONE OR YOU ARE BOTH GOING TO YOUR ROOMS!

Where was I? Oh yes...school. So here are the girls on their first day of school. I was having difficulties with my camera so Kendall is a little blurry but you get the gist. Avery insisted on wearing her ugly old croc shoes. Kendall has never cared about what I pick out for her. Avery on the other hand - she is one opinionated chic. So, fine, cute dress, ugly shoes. Avery - 1, mom - 0.

Kendall was more than ready to get back to school. Avery was skeptical but that's where we go to church and she's familiar with the building and of course she wants to do whatever big sister is doing, so she willingly followed. And shockingly - NO TEARS. In the whole toddler class! 10 toddlers aged 18-24 months and not one cried. I think it was a first. Her teachers were pleasantly surprised but waiting for something or someone to trigger the tears. But they never came.

I'll have to get a picture of Avery with her teachers and Kendall with her teachers. The first day was so hectic that I didn't want to add more stress to the teachers. Kendall's teachers ADORE her. She is one of only 3 girls in a class of 12 so she is more than favored. Not too mention that she honestly is a pleasant kid. If she's not, someone please tell me.

Okay, I'm pooped. Time for bed. Love to you all!

New Look!

I started some HTML training and while I would like to say that it helped me with my new blog layout...it didn't. I still can't figure out how to add a "button". I really want the "I Heart Studs" button by Ana White from Knock-off Wood.

However I was able to take off our picture and replace it with this cute one. I have to give credit to Ashely O. of Coffee Break. I saw her linen background and title and linen is one of my all time favorite fabrics. So I grabbed another background but used a similar linen header. I'm sure none of you really care though - I just wanted to her know that my unoriginal self is copying her. It makes me feel better about myself. And if you go to her blog - you have got to turn on your volume. She's got the best music. Totally coffehouse music.

So, onto recent life...the girls met their teachers on Thursday and school starts next Tuesday (can you hear the heavens singing "Haaaaaaaaaallelujah!"? Oh, I suppose I'm the only one who hears that music in my crazy "been wtih the kids too long this summer" head.) Really - I chose to be a stay at home mom but some days I wonder if I really knew what I was signing up for. I work part-time but that doesn't fulfill the "adult interaction" void seeing as how the majority of the time I am parked by my lonely self in front of the computer trying to remember what the heck I'm supposed to be doing. Waaah, wah, wah...what was I talking about? Oh, the girls...

The girls met their teachers yesterday. Avery was there all of 30 minutes in her classroom and has already started with a runny nose and sneezing this morning. Seriously? Well, it's better than fever and vomiting so I'll accept it as enabling a pre-school boost to her immune system. I hope she's over by Tuesday because bygod the girl is going to school. Come hell or high water! THIS MOMMY NEEDS A BREAK.

I envisioned my first day of freedom being filled with chocolate, massages, pedicures and really fattening food but then reality struck this morning when I realized that I have to do a New User Orientation for 2 of our clients. Shucks. So close. I do hope to do the orientation early though, then either head to lunch with friends or go to Freebirds (A&M established burrito joint that's all over Texas now). I've been craving one for months and the closest one is in town.

Well, I've got pictures to edit. While in Dallas for our last visit I tried out using RAW images with my camera and dangit to heck I didn't realize what a chore that is when it comes to editing! Plus I forgot that it was on that setting and took a bunch more pictures...ooohhhh...time time time...I need more time.

This is a completely rambling post...and now....I think I'm done. Off to edit pictures!

Avery - the lizard baby

...Funny Avery, just being...well, Avery. Is this a 2nd child thing?

Summer fun

Well, well, well...look who is finally taking one whole minute to throw a quick post up. My boss (aka - dad) has set forth a "bonus proposition" so I'm working my life away trying to make at least 20 hours a week in work. So far I'm only behind about 2 hours. I'm hyperventilating while I type seeing as how I SHOULD be working but it is after midnight - CAN I HAVE A WHOLE 3O MINUTES TO MYSELF? oh that's right, I don't' get time to myself because I have kids. I forgot. That's OK. They both start "school" a.k.a. mother's day out in two weeks and believe me - the countdown has begun! Kendall is beyond bored out of her tree and it is so flipping hot outside there's not a lot of options for activities.

Yesterday I decided to get some sun on this white white skin, so I threw on my bathing suit and the girls and I headed out in the backyard. I got out the Slip 'n Slide and the water table and they had a good time and I did too! I had to show Kendall how to properly do the slip n slide of course. It hurt a lot less than I thought it would...

...until today...

...and I woke up and my shoulders were KILLING ME. I say "were" but they still are killing me. Whew. But it was still fun. Mike wished he knew where the camera was, but ha ha...he does NOT! I however did break out the camera to capture the girls' fun. Kendall tried but didn't quite have enough trust to completely throw herself down on the ground and now I'm starting to think that she might have been pretty smart seeing how SHE isn't complaining about HER shoulder muscles wreaking havoc on her body today...

Avery just enjoyed saying "two, two, twoooooooooooooo" over and over (mimicking my "one, two, three" countdown for Kendall) and playing in the little sprinkler pillow at the end of the slide. Overall it was a fun afternoon and the grass isn't too terribly ruined. We haven't had much rain so it needed a little extra watering.

Ready

Avery is ready for school! She'll start in just a few weeks. I put her backpack on her and she refused to take it off. She pretty much looked like a turtle. A really cute turtle.

Hannah Bandanna

Kendall wants to be a rock star...or at least she asks me every other day if she can be one. And we do NOT watch or listen to Hannah Montana. Don't we all have an inner desire to be rock stars though? Really?

On another note...I found a tutorial the other day on a FABULOUS blog that is only going to mean distraction, distraction, distraction for me (that's bad). Nicole at Create and Delegate does THE CUTEST stuff with old worn out t-shirts and $1 bandannas, and felt, and fabric scraps, and well, just about anything. I wish I was that naturally crafty!

From her tutorial I learned how to shirr (despite being a bit scared) but I overcame my fear and used a spool of elastic thread that i have no idea where it came from or how long it's been laying around but I used up almost all of it. Okay, so here are the pictures of the dresses. And because this is my blog I am going to over-picture here and put up all of the pictures that I love. And here is where to go to learn how to do make your own bandanna dress!

Projects!!!!

Unbeknown to my husband, I have a million project ideas running through my head. Not that he really cares b/c they don't involve him anyway, BUT here was the first that I'd been pondering on for quite some time. My entertainment center drives me nuts. I really don't LOVE it and I'd rather have something more streamlined like this...

And instead I have a large clunky big screen with cabinets around it. I mean, it's okay...it's just...big. (and don't get me wrong. After we reassembled the 2 ton shelves and put them back in place Mike said, "we should just move all that into another room and get a flat screen on the wall." I know honey...I know...it's my dream too. We just need another oh....500 square feet. We do have plans for a little rearranging once Avery gets into a big girl bed so we'll see. Maybe then...)

Anyway, to me the bookshelves on either side have always been black holes. You can't really see anything in the them b/c the wood is so dark. I've seen in a mag where they added wallpaper to the back of the shelves and I knew this is what I wanted to do.

Well...have you checked out the price of wallpaper lately? I mean really...it's obviously making a comeback because it is ridiculously expensive. Well, not for the old rooster and veggie wallpaper, but for the trendy ones - it's at least $30 a roll and most places making you have buy 2 rolls. But I don't NEED 40 feet of wallpaper, I need about 10. So I've been searching for an alternate for months. Scrapbook paper...no...paint my own...nah...wallpaper scraps - no idea where to even start...

Then last week I was meandering through the Wal-mart that I NEVER go to because it is so far away (it's like 10 miles away...whew...long trek). Anyway, I happened upon shelf liner that looks like the ever popular $90+/roll wallpaper. Now this IS the spongy shelf liner not the self stick but I decided to give it a try. Long story short (I've got a baby screaming in her crib) it worked! So for about $11, my shelves when from this to this!

I think I am going to get 2 bigger baskets for the bottom shelves where the smaller baskets are now. I'll make a few more changes but for now, it just livens them up so much! I love it.