Vintage Rocking Horse

I found this vintage rocking horse today, and got it for... well... almost a steal. The guy didn't bargain down as far as I would have liked, but it still cost less than a new one, and has so much more character! Kyle spent the whole evening on it. Isn't it adorable?

I'm assuming that the paint is lead based, so am planning to re-do this treasure. I'm a little nervous about free-handing the face... but it looks simple enough to copy. What do y'all think? Should I paint him a bright glossy red?

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Kyle's Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Kyle's first birthday! It's hard to believe that it's been a year since this wonderful blessing first arrived in our arms. He has been a joy each day of his life, and we truly praise the Lord for him!

The theme of his "1'st Birthday" was ducks. They are by far his favorite animal, always causing a smile to light his face.

Here is the duck cake that I made for him...

I know that my kid is generally not a messy eater... so I wasn't surprised when we didn't get a lot of "cake smashing" action. He did however, enjoy his cake. We gave him the duck's beak, and there wasn't much left of it by the end. He slowly chipped away on it!

My cousin-in-law Mary from Three Loves made Kyle this adorable first birthday onesie with our colors, his age, name... and of course, a duck on it.

Kyle wasn't very excited about the long line of presents, but he was given some amazing toys that I know he'll enjoy in the months to come!

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Kyle's First Haircut

At almost 11 months, Kyle's hair was in need of a good haircut. While I cut "Daddy's" hair myself, I wanted to take Kyle to Jelly Beans for his first haircut. I'll probably do it myself from now on, but it was a fun experience for us!

Here he is getting his "shampoo"

He was a brave boy!

After the shampoo was over, he started to actually enjoy himself

It was a fun memory. My little baby is getting so BIG! I have all his "shorn" little curls to keep, and thankfully his hair seems to have remained curly. I love his curls!

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Full Circle

Yesterday I followed Kyle around the house for a bit, just taking pictures.

We started out helping Daddy work with tools

Enough of that...

Oh, what's this? I think I will keep it. (Note: this wrapper stays with him the rest of our chronicle)

We crawled straight through the kitchen without stopping, headed for the dog leash on the hook in the Dining Room. Got it! And look, shoes!

Keeping with the "dog" theme, let's go ring Quest's bell! (I wonder if he thinks I will let him go outside when he rings it) Why does this always work for Quest and never for me??

Oh! Why is there a broom over there? That isn't normal.

Getting up the nerve to touch it...

Back to Daddy!

Yay!

Oooo... I see something I like...

Full Cicle

Just a few minutes in the life of Kyle.

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First Thing in the Morning

Lately, my Kyle has begun waking up a bit earlier in the morning. While this might seem like a bad thing, it's not! He has begun sitting happily in his crib talking to himself and playing instead of crying out for me. There is no better way for me to wake up in the morning, than to the sound of his little words and laughter. The past few days I've just stayed in bed for a few minutes listening, and thanking the Lord for this perfect gift He has given to our family. While yes, I haven't been able to get my shower behind me, my hair dry and my heart prepared for the day ahead yet... it all seems perfectly fine as I walk up the stairs and get the biggest grin and biggest wave ever from my little man.

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Latest Project

My latest house project has been a fun one! I always struggle to remember what meals I have "stocked up" for in a given week. As a result, I feel the daily panic of my hubby's innocent 4:00 question, "So what's for dinner?" I always run to the cabinets, saying to myself (and to him!), "I know I bought enough to get us through the week... I just have to remember what it is!"

One day I saw a menu planner available from Pottery Barn, and I loved it! It outlined the days of the week, and all three meals for each day. Brilliant! However, it was around $70, and was on a whiteboard (tacky!).

So I brainstormed, and decided to make my own menu planner. I have a small kitchen currently, but wanted to make something large enough to fit the purpose, and to last for many years (and kitchens) to come! I measured the only space in my kitchen that would be suitable, and sent the dimensions to a friend of mine who installs kitchen cabinets, asking him if he happened to have an extra cabinet door in the general size that I was looking for. He did! And despite the fact that I offered to pay him for it, he insisted that it was being thrown out and I could have it for FREE! Yay for being cheaper than Pottery Barn!!!

I quickly bought the rest of my supplies. A can of chalkboard paint, a few cheap stencils, white acrylic paint and a set of small brushes, all of which will be added to my stash of supplies for future projects! Last night once the kidlet was in bed, I started painting!

I forgot to take a "before" picture until after the first coat of chalkboard paint was on... oops.

I couldn't resist putting my adorable puppy in the top part of this picture... :-)

Once my two coats of chalkboard paint were dry, I used a pencil to stencil in the words. Here is a pic of my hubby informing me that my words are not level.

That's better!

Next came the really hard part for me, painting the letters. But I ended up finding it fun!

It's amazing to me how dirty a chalkboard can get after a few hours of sitting on the floor with me working over it!

I was very careful with the layout, and discovered that I had room for a "grocery list" spot at the bottom of my chalkboard! This is almost my favorite part!!! No more paper floating around the counter for me!

The finished product. I LOVE IT! And what did it cost? A few hours of my time, and the cost of paint. YAY!!!

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New Life for an Old Toy

Last week I found this adorable toy at a thrift store. It was radiating potential, and I got it for $1.75. Not bad huh?

Well today I decided to give it a much needed makeover. My goal? To make this traditional looking toy super cute by painting the body a fun color. All while keeping the toy safe for my little boy to play with/chew on. I chose a green (surprise surprise I know) natural graffiti paint that is super durable. I love it!

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