d-day packing and prep plus a GIVEAWAY

I'm 38.5 weeks pregnant with baby Lee #3 who we still don't know yet is a boy or girl. I can't believe we are getting to find out when we meet him or her for the first time! I have been busy packing and getting ready for the big day since Addie and Darcy both came before their due dates.

This evening Addie and I worked on making thank you bags for our nurses. We did this for our nurses before I had Darcy but this time she was a HUGE help. She organized everything into neat piles and packed all the bags herself! I wrote thank you notes for each bag and tied ribbons. In each bag we put a thank you card, some hand sanitizer, a pen, gum, and some chocolate. She made a bag for her Daddy too, and wrote him a note because she said he is the "best Daddy in the whole world." I have to agree. ;)

After that I spent some time packing more stuff for the hospital. It never ends. I keep thinking of stuff we need... I know I'm still going to forget something. I guess we'll make do. The part I like the most is packing a bag for the newest little. I have boy stuff and girl stuff in the bag and we still haven't decided on a name... #thirdchildprobs I guess. Either way, I. CAN'T. WAIT.!!!

Packing for FIVE people... Really not into it.

That's when I got the idea to do a giveaway!

It's summer and I have a SUPER CUTE new applique design I would love to put on a beach towel for someone... Here's how to play! In the comments section here or on facebook, guess the following FOUR things:

• Baby's gender
• Baby's date of birth (My due date is June 7. Addie was 4 days early, Darcy was 3 days early.)
• Baby's weight
• Baby's length

The person who guesses the closest will win a personalized beach towel with the design pictured below. I'll do it for you sometime later in June. ;) How fun!

Good luck, friends! :)

diy furniture painting

I am posting this as a tutorial for anyone who can use it because I have had some friends ask me.

**Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert and there are tons of ways to re-do furniture. This just happens to be how I do it. I taught myself how to do pieces through trial and error and a whole lot of Pinterest. ;)

Now, the not-so-professional tutorial from yours truly...

1. Find it.
Find a piece that is REAL wood. Do not use pressboard material, plastic, or coated material. The paint will not adhere and will scratch right off. For my most recent project we found a dresser at the Leeds Antique Flea Mall for $100. This is a horrible photo I know... I had already taken out the drawers. Sorry.

2. Prime it.
I personally like pieces that are distressed or vintage-looking. For this reason I always begin with a coat of white paint (doesn't have to be primer). This is because when you get to the sanding step, your white paint will show through. This dresser was already white so I skipped that part, however, if your piece doesn't have a white coat on it, just slap it on. Really, don't worry about being all neat and stuff. Slap it on and go. If you're re-doing a piece with a top-coat (like shiny polyurethane) and you don't want to strip it, just use a coat or two of primer. I have done this both ways and can't tell a major difference either way. Below is a piece I did with primer as the first coat because I didn't want to strip the poly coat off. It turned out fine to me!

3. Paint it.

After you have a coat of white slapped on, let it dry. Then paint a coat of paint in whatever color you choose with a good brush. Mine is a 2" or 3" brush. Don't use an "economy" brush, or you'll be picking out bristles the whole time. Spend the extra dollar or two and buy a good one. You can always use it again. 

For paint, I prefer chalk paint because it's fast drying, applies well, and has a matte finish. Very easy to work with. For this dresser project I used Annie Sloan Louis Blue, but you certainly don't have to use Annie. Home Depot carries chalk paint, and so do many antique shops. The Leeds Flea Mall had a booth selling some for $20/qt which is a good deal in my opinion. You don't have to use chalk paint though. My red cabinet above was just a little sample of Behr from HD that I had them tint in Country Red. 

This is after 2 coats of chalk paint. Let dry between coats.

I suggest doing two coats of paint. Paint with the grain of the wood, not against it. Of course, let it dry between coats. If you're using chalk paint it won't take long at all. Next you're ready for sanding!

4. Sand it.

Use an orbital sander to "distress" it (if you want). Sand around the edges of the piece and around the edges of the drawers. I like to sand the top and sides in a few areas too to make it seem worn. You really can't mess it up. Just don't get too sand-happy. ;) See how the white shows through? So pretty. 

Important! After sanding, use a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe it down thouroghly to remove all the sanding dust.

5. Wax it.

To protect and seal my furniture, I use creme wax as a topcoat. You can buy it for about $5 at Home Depot or Hobby Lobby. I use a piece of lint-free cheesecloth to rub it on. I'm sure a foam brush would work fine too. I apply it liberally and spread it evenly. It dries clear. :)

6. Enjoy it. 

You're done! Pretty easy, huh? If you re-do a piece I want to see it! :)

diy "canvas" prints

Recently we started a re-do of the girls' room upstairs. They picked out pink paint for the walls, and we got white twin beds. I found this pin on Pinterest and wanted to replicate parts of it, especially the sister prints... But canvases are expensive so I decided to do it a different way.

I looked in to making poster prints that I could just mount in a big frame, but then I had an "AHA!" moment in Dollar General when I ran across the foamboard... LOL. Yes, a $1 piece of foamboard. Okay, so they're not really "canvas" prints, but they are a lot cheaper and just as sweet! I tried it out with prints for my living room first and I love them! 

So, if you want to stick around for the tutorial here it is. I am loading it with more than enough pictures... not to complicate you, but because I am a visual person. It will literally take you less time to complete this project than it will to read my tutorial. Here's the best part: It cost me less than $10!!!

1. Go online to Staples' Copy and Print Center and click on "B&W Engineering Print" (only $3.89!). That price can't be beat! A local place quoted me $24.50 each but I ended up getting 4 prints at Staples for less than $20! Upload a picture (or a few) from your computer. Do not use iPhone/cell phone photos because they will be grainy. All the photos I uploaded were taken by my sweet friend Codie at White Cotton Photography. (Check out her work at the link!) I did the 24x36 inch size. Submit your order and pick-up your prints. :)

2. Gather your supplies. You'll need just a few things!

• your print
• Elmer's spray glue
• scissors
• duct tape (any color--I used white)
• a piece of white foam board (DG-$1)

3. Lay your print on top of your foam board like you want it. The edges will hang over like mine below.

4. Spray one end or corner of the foam board and smooth it down with your hand. This will hold the print in place for you to spray and smooth out the rest to make sure there aren't any bubbles. Don't press too hard, it will rub black ink off onto your hands. 

5. Flip it over. You'll notice that the sides hang off. Spray two parallel ends and fold over. Then, as if you are wrapping the ends of a present, fold the corners in and spray the other two ends down.

6. After you fold all the corners and spray down all the sides, duct tape it down to hold it tight. Then, you're done! You can hang it with Command picture hanging strips. I only used one pack for all four prints. (Pardon the cooling strip on Addie's head. She swore she needed it for her imaginary fever. Ha!)

Voila! That's all folks! Easy peasy. If you make some please share with me! I want to see! :)

surprise baby shower!

I went to pick up my first graders from PE yesterday and didn't see them. I asked another teacher if they'd already been sent back to the classroom because I was in a meeting during PE. She said, "I think they are lined up down the other hall." I totally fell for it because the gym was loaded with risers and chairs for end-of-the-year programs. In I walked, right behind her, still totally unaware because my brain was still consumed with reviewing the stack of permanent records I was lugging in my arms.

"SURPRISE!" yelled the sweetest kids ever. It made my day. I still have no clue how I never found out! They did a great job at keeping it a secret.

 

We had fresh fruit and dip, crackers and dip, pigs in a blanket, sausage balls, Daylight Doughnuts, and punch. So yummy! 

The kids secretly brought diapers and wipes (again, they are slick!) and they even helped me load them up in my car! :) Look at these sweet helpers. 

Baby Lee will be here in 2 weeks now! 13 kids voted that it's a boy and 7 voted girl. We'll see very soon!

brain dump

Whew! What a BUSY past week it has been! I'm talkin' loaded.
Maxed. Out.
SO... in our little softball world I love to inform you that we are the PELL CITY 6U CHAMPIONS!
These sweet girls played their hearts out during this game and it ended like a movie: We were one point behind, last inning, 2 outs already, bases loaded, LAST PITCH of the game... And Ryleigh hit the ball! Score! Score! We won! It was amazing! So proud of this little team! Here is a sweet picture of all the Mt. Pisgah girlies. Their teachers came to watch. :)

Last week was also Teacher Appreciation Week. I love Teacher Appreciation Week; not because I like getting presents, but because I love giving them to sweet teachers! Addie And Darcy sent a simple one each day and we had so much fun putting them together. Here are a couple we did. 

This one has a mitt, a bag of cookie mix, and a mixing spoon.

This one has clippers, some polish, and a foot scrubber and foot brush.

My class showered me with goodies, flowers, and cards this week. So SO SO sweet! Best class ever. :)

Next up... Our 1st grade Spring Musical, or in this case, "Moooosical". It was a cute barnyard theme and my class were the cows (and the cutest ones ever!). This is a pre-performance picture:

Aren't they precious!?

Last--May Day! I HAVE to brag on my little TUG-OF-WAR CHAMPIONS! Yep! We won first grade champs, and you would have thought they won the SEC Championship. Ha! This class is so competitive and they are pretty much known as the most athletic. I love it. 

One week left of school Almost. There. ;)

#endofyearteacherprobs

School starts in August, which was a long time ago... August brought the smell of new plastic folders, fresh paper, and sharpened pencils. We had piles of pencils, stacks of construction paper all sorted by color, and everything was neatly in place. Ahhh, August. I love it.

But this is May. And like I said before, August was a LONGGG time ago.
Some parents, and for good reason, often have a hard time understanding why the school supply list is a mile long. Well, please be assured that we teachers REALLY APPRECIATE all those supplies you send in August. They have to last all year long, and making them do just that is a skill that most teachers innately possess. We are school-supply inventory wizards. ;) In other words, we have a knack for making the supplies s-t-r-e-t-c-h to the veryyy end.

Must. Conserve. Germ-X.

What's left of the pencils... Probably just enough for May. PERFECT!

That's right folks, three glue-sticks. THREE. We'll get by.

Headphones in disarray. Bless.

Even the cubbies are crying out for summer...

It's May and we are still happy and learning.
I'm not complaining., because I love my kiddos and will miss them TERRIBLY!
Just sharing the struggle. ;)