The ever popular dollhouse bookcase

Hello all! I have in fact not dropped off the face of the earth but instead have been busy with life. I would like to eventually get back to blogging on a regular basis but for now I want to share some information regarding the dollhouse bookcase (see post here http://suburbanmomma.blogspot.com/2008/01/laney-gets-her-dollhouse-bookcase.html)

So many of you have commented asking where and how to find plans for the bookcase. Unfortunately the 4.00 pdf plans appear to be no longer available on eBay, however, I have found an even better alternative for you. With that said, please let me introduce you to Knock off Wood. The fabulous Ana gives you step by step instructions on how to build this bookcase along with a supply list. The best part is it's FREE! There are a ton of other amazing plans to browse through on her blog and I highly recommend you check it out.

Happy building - I'd love to see the results!

I'm Still Alive and a Blog you must check out

Hello friends!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I've been so busy with the kids, the house, the job and reading everyone else's blogs that I've not given my own much attention. I eventually will get back into it and have good intentions of posting regularly but in the meanwhile you simply must check out this blog http://mysweetsavannah.blogspot.com/2009/06/one-lucky-reader-will-win.html. I stumbled upon 'My Sweet Savannah' while perusing Rate My Space. She has a fabulous house, fabulous sense of style and a super fun fabulous blog to read.

I'll leave you with some random pictures from over the past couple months until I post again (hopefully soon). :)

Me and the kids over Memorial Day weekend (I have plans to replace the tile surround. Can't wait to show you!)

Little home project, added the moulding and kids height coat rack

The kids being goofy

Cora Paige

I like so many others have been extremely touched by little Cora Paige. Cora went to be with Jesus on after a short battle with cancer. I've cried and cried for her and her family. For some reason feel such a connection to this little girl and her family even though I don't know them personally. They are fellow Kansans and live just a few hours from me. Perhaps I should just drive down there and give them a big hug!

I wanted to post about Cora and their story not just because of how much I've been touched by this little girl but to spread the word. They are working to collect money to build The Cora Playground in her honor. You can learn more about Cora and her family here http://corapaige.blogspot.com/.

A group of Etsy sellers have also banded together to create neat items that are for sale with proceeds going to the playground. I ordered an adorable little Cora Paige flower pin and there are so many other cute things as well. http://www.etsy.com/. Just type in 'Cora Paige' to find the items for sale.

If you're able please donate to this wonderful project in honor of this precious little girl who has touched so many please do.

Goodness, just looking at her little picture makes me want to hug her and cry. I must say, I've hugged my Aidan and Delaney a bit tighter and for a lot longer. My heart aches for Cora's family.

That's one spooky tree!

This project was so much fun! Susie posted about this project on her blog and I knew I had to make one too. We took the kids out to a nearby park for a nature walk to find a 'spooky' branch for our tree. It was a beautiful day and a fun little adventure for us all. I had all the items I needed on hand for this project except for the crows (Dollar Store) and the branch (nature trail :) . The little lanterns were from the dollar bin at Target last year, I just spray painted them black. Love 'em! For specific steps on how to do this project be sure to check out Susie's blog. She's a very talented person. Love so many of her ideas!

Fall is in the air....

And I couldn't be more excited! I like apparently many fellow bloggers LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fall. It's my absolute favorite time of year.

I love so much about fall; fall clothes, fall colors, the smell of burning leaves, KU football season, Halloween, crisp evenings, yummy cold weather foods, cozy cable knit throws, pumpkins, mums, cute jackets. I could go on and on but I'll spare you. :)

I have started some fall decorating and thought I'd share with you. As always everything is a work in progress!

My latest unbelievable Target clearance deal is the big silver lantern you see in the first picture. I've been ogling them for months now and just the other day I found 2 (the only two left) marked down to 5.98. Yes, that's right girls, only 5.98! They were originally 30.00 and they are absolutely GORGEOUS!

Oh my goodness! Has it really been that long since I last wrote?

Aidan and I have started a little mother & son tradition of going to garage sales a couple Saturday's a month. We always start out with a stop by our beloved Starbucks; I get my non-fat Cafe Mocha and Aidan goes for the old fashion glazed donuts. Ok, so I generally get one too. :) Once we've got our drinks and donuts we set off on our treasure hunt. Aidan's on the watch for toys he didn't realize we couldn't live w/out and I'm on the look out for anything else that strikes my fancy. We visit as we go and it has been a great little bonding time for the two of us. He's almost 4 and it's always amusing some of the conversations we have.

I found these chairs for the dining room table. Just begging for me to take them home and fix them up!month ago. A subdivision not far from us had a neighborhood garage sale and it was pretty amazing. It is a very wealthy neighborhood with some beautiful 'junk' but we weren't really finding much until the last stop of our trip. It was a beautiful, and I do mean BEAUTIFUL home at the end of this winding wooded cul-de-sac. I could almost hear the heaven's sing as we neared the house. The driveway was loaded with furniture of all kinds. Some were antique and some was thrift finds that she was reworking.

I ended up buying these 4 chairs at $10 a piece.

BEFORE - looking a little worn and sad.

AFTER - all freshly painted and feelin' sassy!

I sanded them down and painted them in a satin black. Added the foam to the seat template Handsome Hubby made and added the fabric. I wanted something in a floral print and stumbled upon this at JoAnn's. I believe it's from the Liz Claiborne line. I love it! It has the chocolate brown and greens I was looking for. Sort of a mod, vintage, even slightly South Pacific vibe...I will probably switch out to a black and white check or something with red this fall but I think this will look great for the spring/summer months.

I just love a good project and the thrill of a good garage sale hunt! My list of projects is long and plenty and I can't wait to share them with you. I promise to write soon!

Walmart, I'm impressed!

Ok, as you all know I'm partial to Target, very partial. But, the other day I was at Walmart.com looking at the HP 3-in-1 printers when I came across a new line that they are carrying called 'Canopy' and I have to say that I'm impressed!

We'd like to start slowly updating our master bedroom furniture. Everything in our bedroom is hand me downs. We have a very large, very ugly dresser that I got at a garage sale a few years back. It's made of solid oak but it's not very functional and often find ourselves (read Handsome Hubby) stacking clothes on top of it for easier access.

Check out this dresser! Based on the description it is well made and it looks sharp. The best part is that it's under $300 which is really a good deal for a dresser if it is indeed well made.

A few other items from the Canopy line that I think have promising potential....

I've not been into Walmart in awhile and I don't know if the line is so new that they're not all in store yet but I'm anxious to check them out. If any of you end up purchasing something from the line you'll have to let me know what you think!

Weeks pass yet again and here I am....I really am not a good blogger. So many times I think of blogging but then I end up reading everyone else's blogs and lose track of time.

The new scale has been helping me keep my weight in check, sort of. We learned that through the company Handsome Hubby's just started with he can get a great deal on a family membership to the YMCA. The YMCA here in my suburb is really pretty nice with lots of new equipment and classes to choose from. We joined a few weeks ago and have been going 4 days a week. We have been meeting there 3 days a week on our lunch hour and going with the kids on Saturday morning. I lost almost 5 lbs according to my new scale last week but managed to gain almost all of it back over the weekend. For shame! Now, I'm spending this week trying to reign it back in. I'm so frustrated with myself because my goal is so attainable, 12-15 lbs to lose, but I seem to sabotage myself on the weekends.

Switching gears completely, I've been thinking about unique things I can put in the kids' Easter baskets next weekend and haven't gotten too far with it but I did find the super cute 'monster toys' at Room Service Home. They were originally $29.00 each but have been marked down to $5.00 each so I bought one for each kid. Aren't they so cute?

They both will get chocolate bunnies and all that good stuff. We'll have to eat Delaney's for her since she's too young. Oh shoot! ;) But I was also thinking about getting them both a pair of Croc's. Aidan wore his pair from last year ALL summer long. They are so easy to throw on and so comfortable. I'm thinking Delaney would use them a lot this summer too since she's just learning to walk, they're lightweight and comfortable. The big decision is the colors, they have about 50 colors to choose from!

This weekend my Mom is coming down to visit. She and I have a 'date' with Aidan on Saturday. We're taking him to see 'Horton Hears a Who'. I can't wait to see it and Aidan is super excited too. It just looks so darn cute doesn't it? We bought the book last weekend in preparation for the big date.

Oh and before I forget! Happy Homemaker I miss reading your blog now that you've gone private. If you read this, I'd love to be invited to read it!

It has been a full few weeks here. I was down in Orlando last week for business and came home with the flu. Handsome Hubby had been sick the day before I flew out and I prayed that neither of the kids would get sick while I was gone OR that I would get sick while I was there. Unfortunately the kids did get sick and so did I. We're just finally starting to come out of it. Since we've been stuck indoors we're a bit stir crazy so today we ventured out to the mall to the Rainforest Cafe and to do a little shopping.

Found a GREAT deal on boots at JCP that I must share! I bought 2 pairs of suede boots regularly 110.00 for 9.97 each! Can you believe it?! Apparently someone had just returned them and they were only on the shelf for about 15 mins before I swiped them back off.
This isn't a great picture but you get the idea. (The brown pair in front and a black pair behind.) Normally I'm a heeled boot kind of gal but these looked super cute on.

A few weeks back I took a sewing class at Joann's Fabric. It was a little Xmas gift from Handsome Hubby and it was the best gift really. Seriously, a couple years ago he brought me a nice Singer sewing machine for Xmas but whenever I tried to use it I'd end up jamming the thread and getting frustrated. Anyway, I just loved the class and I'm looking to take a few more of their classes. Here are some curtains for my dining room. I've had the fabric for a year or two and am in the process of adding some fun brown pom-pom fringe. I'm obviously not done yet but getting there. I saw some really fun fabrics in bright springy color patterns that I may end up making to swap these out for spring/summer but before I start planning that I suppose I should just get these finished up first.

Speaking of spring...I don't know about you but I'm SOOOO ready for spring. It was fun to see all the bright spring clothes while out at the mall today. I'm starting to pull out my apple green colors to go with my browns and blacks. I love the look of apple green with brown, black and white. Got these fun little faux granny apples at Hobby Lobby and have stuck them in little places around the house.

Thoughts of spring also inspired me to purchase a new scale today. I like to weigh myself daily and I've been doing so for the last several years on a very generic scale. I decided that if I plan to sport the fun looks this spring I'd better buckle down and finally lose that 10-15 lbs. I'm hoping this will help keep my in line. It's middle of the road price wise but has great reviews. I bought it at Walmart for about $40 and it's the 'HealthoMeter Body Fat & Body Water Fitness Tracking Scale'. It's kinda fun (well, as fun as a scale that measures my chubby factor can be) :) but you can store your height, age, gender, goal weight and a few other things and it will help track your progress and measure my favorite, BMI. LOL. Oh my. There are much more expensive, fancier versions out there but keep in mind I had a very old basic scale so these little features have me dazzled! :)

Anyway, I'll let you all know if the scale keeps me inspired to lose the weight. Cross your fingers~!

Oh, and before I forget! Handsome Hubby is starting a new job tomorrow with Garmin. We're beyond excited for this opportunity and truly thank the Lord for this blessing. Garmin is headquartered in our area, in fact it will be a very short commute, and they are a company full of opportunity. Funny though, I kinda feel like his mother though, nervous for his first day, asking him repeatedly if he's picked out his outfit and mapped out his morning yet. hehehehe

Bye for now!

I want a new drug.

Tonight began innocently enough, a simple trip to the ATM and onto the grocery store. It wasn't time for my next fix, not even close but as I pulled away from the ATM a thought crossed my mind. Maybe I should do it. I'm so good at it, so quick. Nobody at home would be the wiser, a quick in and out if you will. So, against my better judgement I went. I went for my fix even though I had just gone 2 days earlier. Hello. My name is Suburban Momma and I'm a Target junkie.

Like any good Target junkie worth her grain in salt I know where to find the goods. The goods with the little red sticker. Oh how that little sticker can make my heart race, my step a little quicker as I push my rickety cart towards the object of my desire. I vie for cart space at the end of each aisle (where many of the items wearing that brazen little sticker can be found). You know you're amongst other hardened Target addicts when you see random milling around, hovering at the end of the back aisles. I like to think of them as an instant friend. Someone on the same mission as I. Someone with like minded goals.

Tonight was different though. I was stronger then usual, I put items in, let them ride around in my cart for a bit while I reasoned with myself. Eventually the majority ended back on their perspective shelves, right where they belonged. I'm proud to say that Suburban Momma pervailed and walked out with a few great items, several of which bore that little red sticker, but all rang in at under $20 total. That never happens. I don't know ladies but I'm feeling strong like I can conquer anything!

Suburban Momma 1; Target 0

(Psst, has anyone checked out the Old Navy 40% off kids and baby sale??) :)

My take on tassels

A month or two ago stumbled upon a great blog, Nesting Place. 'The Nester' has a great sense of style and she's great to share with us some of her fabulous decorating ideas. In addition to her great decorating skills she makes adorable tassels which she sells on Etsy. Check her out if you've not already!

Several months back while wandering aimlessly around Hobby Lobby I came upon some tassel caps. They are unpainted wood caps that were marked down to .25 cents each. Not ever having made a tassel before they sat untouched in a jar in my office, waiting for inspiration. Inspiration was found after stumbling upon 'The Nester's' cute tassels. I did some googling and found instructions on how to make them and here's what I've done so far.

My tassels aren't nearly as cute has her's but it's been fun to make them and I intend to perfect my technique!




Handsome Hubby thinks I'm a goof, watching me as I try to find different places to hang my little tassels, and Aidan finds the tassels funny. Hmmm, not sure why but for whatever reason they make him chuckle. :)


Another blog that you have to check out if you haven't already is Kari & Kijsa. These two sisters are beyond creative and inspirational. They provide decorating tips, helpful hints and creative projects.

Laney gets her dollhouse bookcase

Hello blog world friends! Another month has passed and I am finally getting around to post. I've been busy with life in general, oh and reading everyone elses' blogs. :)

We finally completed the much anticipated dollhouse bookcase. You may recall I've talked about this 'infamous' bookcase several times over the past few months and after what seems like forever it's finally complete. Handsome Hubby built this from a PDF format plans I bought on eBay for around 4.oo. I know you can buy one similar at Target but it I didn't like that you could see the screws on it plus it was a bit less expensive to do it this way.

Dollhouse bookcase in progress...

and now completed!

I'd like to decorate it a bit differently but for now I just threw these things in it to dress it up. If you've got a keen eye you may notice the Strawberry Shortcake doll and horse. Oh I wish you could smell them! Yummy! I was a HUGE fan of Strawberry Shortcake so of course Santa had to make a point to bring Laney her own this year. (Even though she's nowhere close to being able to play with them!) :)

The cute little green chair is a 1.00 junk store find that I painted. So cute!

Just have to share!

We had professional pictures taken of the kids just after Thanksgiving and this is the one we chose for the Christmas Cards.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas - a few of my current faves

I've recently found a couple of great products that I thought I'd share with you. (In case you're looking for some last minute stocking stuffers!)

Cover Girl's LashBlast mascara - drugstores approx 6.99

I've been reading in several magazines great reviews about this mascara but it took looking at 3 different stores before I finally found it. It's pretty new so I don't know if the issue was that not all stores have it in stock yet or if they're just selling out that fast. The wand is big and a bit hard to get used to initially but I really like how it works!

Bare Escentuals - bareVitamins Prime Time Foundation Primer - approx 21.00

A friend who also uses Bare Escentuals products recommended this primer and I think it works great.

Sonja Kashuk - Kashuk Tools Bristle Hair Brush - 14.99 at Target

I read reviews about this brush a while back and had to try it. The reviews were comparing it to the very pricey Mason Pearson brush and raved about how great it worked. It's from the Sonja Kashuk line at Target and although it too, took a couple of trips to different Targets to find, I have been using it for a few weeks now and am impressed. In fact, I've received several comments on how soft and shiny my hair looks, it just feels healthier after I brush it.

MAC lipglass - Lustreglass in Lustrewhite - approx 14.00

The color featured in the picture above is not the color I've been using but all of the MAC Lustreglass shades seem great. The one I'm using right now is Lustrewhite and it's the perfect neutral lip gloss. Instant Gold is one that I'd like to try as I have a friend that uses it and it really looks good.

The HomeGoods Store

I just love Marshall's HomeGoods store. I could spend hours just milling around there. Here's a find from my last 2 hour trip to the store. I have a little Santa collection going and I love how he has a vintage look and was only 7.99!

Misc Projects in the works

Busy as usual around our house with Christmas shopping, decorating, celebrating and a couple of projects underway in the midst of it all.

One of the projects we've been working on is an old dresser my Mother gave us that she had in storage which will be in Aidan's room. We decided to paint the dresser in a dark brown color called 'Burnt Tile' by Valspar at Lowe's. I picked this color based on a changing table Lowe's featured in their Creative Ideas magazine.

Taking a 'before' picture was a bit of an afterthought. As you can see, the 'before' picture was taken after work was underway! Sorry, some of these pictures are a bit blurry.

I already painted the dresser in these pictures but as you can see the bottom had a scalloped edge which, although it would have been cute had we painted it white, we decided the dresser needed a cleaner line with the modern brushed nickel hardware and dark brown color.

This picture is a bit blurry but as you can see we pulled the front scalloped piece of the dresser and replaced it with a piece of wood handsome hubby routered to create a beveled edge to match the rounded edge on the top of the dresser.

And ta-da! Here is the finished look! I'm very pleased with how it turned out. The mirror will be hung above the dresser and I have yet to put my decorative touch on the top but I'd like to get a small brushed nickel lamp (I LOVE lamps!) and a few other accessories added soon.

Handsome Hubby also built the dollhouse bookcase which I've talked about in previous posts. I'm finishing up painting it and hope to have it done and pictures to share by the end of this weekend. It's really turning out cute!

Since I have some vacation time to use up before the end of the year I am taking tomorrow off to do some running around. I have some Christmas shopping to do and then a hair appt. I'm trying to work up the nerve to cut some of the length off, maybe to my shoulders but there's a good chance I'll chicken out once I get there. I just need to do something different with it.

Tomorrow night we're going with some friends to see a theatre performance of A Christmas Carol. We plan to grab a bit to eat beforehand down at the Plaza which is just beautiful this time of year. I'm really looking forward to some adult time.

More updates soon!

Monday, Monday

It has been a long evening and so I must first start by complaining. Feel free to skip over this if you have no desire to hear about my child and our bedtime war stories. I completely understand. Ugh. It's now after 10pm and we're still struggling to get Aidan to sleep. He was to go to bed over 1 1/2 hrs ago and he is still fighting it. As a result Handsome Hubby and I are at odds again on how this should be handled. I firmly believe that Aidan needs to learn that if we say there will be one story then there will be one story. Period. End of story. Saying one thing then doing another after he throws a fit isn't doing anyone any good. It's showing him that by fussing he will get his way. Handsome Hubby tends to give in when pushed by Aidan. I'll admit that I've given in on occasion as well but overall I understand that if we consistently follow through with what we say he will eventually get that and stop. Although I know Handsome Hubby understands this as well, he still tends to give in, which ultimately drags the bedtime routine out to 2 plus hrs. For example, tonight I spent 30 minutes in the hallway, taking Aidan back to his room every time he came out. The first time I told him that it was bedtime and that's final. The next 8 times I didn't say a word, I just picked him up while he was throwing his fit and crying and put him back in his bed. I'm spent. Honestly I am. My body is sore, my nerves are worn and I'm beyond frustrated but by golly I am standing my ground. Hubby finally comes upstairs, comes into the room and says that he'll take care of it. I was so upset because I know what that means. It means he will lay down and tell him another story, unraveling everything I just spend the last 30 minutes trying to do. Sure enough I can hear him in there telling another story even as I write.
Honestly, how do people do it? Everything I've read says that although the first week or so may be miserable you just need to be consistent and keep putting them back in their room. What is a person to do if their spouse doesn't follow this same consistency? Somethings gotta give.

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Ratatouille Review: Did you check out Ratatouille on DVD over the weekend? We enjoyed our little movie night last Tuesday and although I liked the movie, I didn't LOVE it. It was cute and I'm glad we have it on hand to watch again but it wasn't my nor was it Aidan's favorite. I would definitely recommend renting or buying it for the kids to watch but it probably won't end up on your top 5 list. Tomorrow is the release of Shrek the 3rd. I've heard mixed reviews. We'll probably end up getting it just to complete the set. Have any of you seen it yet and if so, did you like it?

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Day of Beauty: So last Friday a friend and I took the day off to do some shopping, have a leisurely lunch and get massages. I hadn't taken a day off in awhile and I was needing it desperately. I called it our 'day of beauty' because we were focused on looking for some of the beauty products we'd been hearing such great reviews on but had not yet tried, plus we were getting massages. Anyway, it was a fun day, my friend ended up getting half her Christmas shopping done (which wasn't really part of the 'day of beauty' plan but it was shopping nonetheless). I myself am not ready for full on Christmas shopping. As you know, I like to make lists and I prefer to have pre-planned lists before I head out. Seeing her get so much done already inspired me to finalize my gift-giving lists this week. I've pretty much figured out what I'm getting everyone this year and I've even started on my own wish list. ;) How are you all doing on your Christmas shopping, have you started yet?

Not just another Tuesday...

The day has FINALLY arrived and Aidan couldn't be more excited! (Ok, maybe I'm a bit excited too.) :) In case your calendars weren't marked like mine, today is the day Ratatouille comes out on DVD. Aidan has talked about this movie for a long time and since we missed it in theatre's we've been waiting for its release on DVD. It has received great reviews and should be fun to watch. We told Aidan that if he was good and minded his manners that we would get this movie as a special treat. Not missing a beat, one of the first things he mentioned after waking up this morning was getting the Ratatouille movie.

I think rather then making him wait until the weekend to watch it we'll all watch it tonight and perhaps pick up Papa Murphy's pizza to make it a true movie night. We'll start the movie early so as not to mess with bedtime but it should make a normally uneventful Tuesday night a bit more fun. I'll have to give you our review of the movie tomorrow!

If you're not interested in buying the movie for your collection you should take a look at renting it from RedBox. Most McDonald's have the RedBox now and it's only $1 to rent a movie! That's unbelievable nowadays when Blockbuster is around $4 for a new release. We've rented several movies from RedBox and we've found it to be pretty convenient. The nice thing is that you can return the movie to any RedBox so you don't necessarily have to go back to the same one you picked it up from.

Next Tuesday is the release date for Shrek the 3rd. We're looking forward to seeing that one too. And yes, even though I'm 31 I just love the Shrek movies.

Hope you find a way to make your Tuesday a little special.

Hello? Is anybody out there?

Hello! Is there anyone still out there visiting my blog or have you all given up on me?! I know I've been a horrible blogger taking an unannounced leave for 2 months. Actually I had not planned to be away so long but things got very busy, so much so that although I'm still frequenting your blogs, I have neglected mine. I hope to be a better blogger and start posting on a regular basis. Hopefully I've not lost you all forever! :)

Since my last post in August we've been busy enjoying the season. Perhaps it'd be easiest to share some pictures.

Aidan started preschool

turned 3 years old.....

attended several KU Football games...

Laneybug has grown and grown...

Done some painting and fall decorating...

Preschool field trips to the pumpkin patch...

Family trips to the pumpkin patch...

Harvest party at preschool, dressed last minute as a Train Conductor...

One month in preview: Coming up tomorrow of course is Halloween, this weekend is the KU Homecoming game and a dinner party at a co-workers house. I've got a girls day out the following Friday with a close friend of mine with tentative plans for massages, a long leisurely lunch and shopping. Family will be coming to town (hopefully) the weekend of the 10th, another KU football game the 17th, Thanksgiving the 22nd, and the final KU vs MU game at the Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium on the 24th! Very much looking forward to the next few weeks...hard to believe the holiday season is just around the corner. I found some fun Xmas ideas that I will have to share with you all on a later post.

More updates soon...I promise! :)

Big Bubba eludes us and other randomness.

What a pleasant surprise! The lovely 'HeadHen' at Runnin' the Roost awarded me the 'Nice Matters' award. How very sweet to even be considered for such an award. Thank you!!

As I understand it, I in turn nominate 7 fellow bloggers to receive the prestigious award. :) Sorry, if you've already been nominated. Guess that just means you're super duper nice!

1. CJ Savvy Momma

2. Bon Bon Boutique

3. Seeker FunkyJunkCo

4. Happy Homemaker

5. Perfectly Pink

6. A Passion for Scrapbooking, Decorating and Shopping

7. Preppy Napkin

Ok, so I'm adding an 8th because she is beyond nice. :)

8. Workin' That Preppy

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Busy, busy, busy....

- Went for our second annual family trip to the Iowa State Fair. Apparently a friend of my Dad's had an award winning pig, Bubba, that was to be there. Aidan was terribly excited to meet Bubba. Unfortunately we looked all over that darn swine barn and could not find the elusive pig. Knowing Aidan would not let us leave until we spotted him we eventually found a random, non-exceptional pig, and dubbed him Bubba. We stopped for a quick visit with 'Bubba' and took lots of pictures. Aidan was happy and we were finally able to leave the stinky swine barn. :) Although I love a good tradition and the IA State Fair is one of the best of its kind, we have decided that perhaps going annually may be a bit much.

- Aidan starts preschool on August 20th. He has a school supply shopping list! How fun!

- We're planning for Aidan's big 3yr b-day. Keeping it pretty low-key this year. Rented a little shelter at a nearby park. The theme is dinosaurs because he is obsessed with them at the moment. In the process of trying to come up with a few dinosaur themed games.

- My in-law's are moving to our suburb today and my brother-in-law is flying in from Ft Meyers to help with the move. They lived about an an hour and 15 mins away before, now they will be 7 minutes away. This should be interesting. :)

- Almost done with the hardwood floor project. Next projects I'd like to focus on; repainting the living/kitchen/half bath, replacing the half bath fixtures, make home office desk. Bought several little test cans and am thinking we like Bamboo from the Eddie Bauer Home paint. Seems to be a warm brown/beigey color. I don't suppose by chance any of you have used this color?

It has almost been to hot to even work on projects. If it requires any work in the garage to get it done it's just not worth it at the moment. However, it does look like we might finally be getting a break from the high 90's. Woo hoo!

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Now that our little IA trip is behind us I'm hoping to get back to regular posts and more projects.