Valentine's week.

Soooo again the creative ideas come out for St. Valentine's day.  I love looking for ways to show Shaun how much we love him and are thankful for him.  We made cards and decorated the house with pictures and messages that he woke up surprised to.

St. Valentine's card(s) from baby

Idea #1:

You'll need:

Cardstock

Scissors

(you can also use the fancy shmancy kind with the neat edges to trim the paper)

A Stampad

Gluestick

Sm. Blocks of cardstock

Black pen or sharpie

Fold Cardstock in half to make a card

Stamp baby feet

Cut out feet and glue in form of a heart

Cut heart out of front cover so pink shows through (you can decorate like I did or not)

Write message on front (be sure to date the bottom or back of card)

Decorate inside.

From Ava it says:

From my head

To my toes

I Love you Daddy

more than you knows!

And hung it from the mirror in the bathroom, so he was sure to see it.

Idea #2

Cut folded card in half with fancy scissors

and cut heart in center

Add message

Date back

Glue footprint inside

write message around footprint and note age

Idea #3

Start like other, but instead of cutting a hole in the front, decorate the front with hearts and a message such as "I Love you".

more and more as time goes by...

(taped ours near the clock)

I left messages ALL over the house.  Hearts with messages from me and footprints from Ava with messages to Daddy.  I taped some to photos that corresponded to the message...

 "Daddy You hold me the BEST!"

 "Daddy I love the way you make me LAUGH!"

 (This was the photo card I made for Shaun)

 "I Like you and Naps! Naps together?  Even better!"

"I like you more than my fingers!"

and I also left some in appropriate places.

Up the stairs

In Shaun's boots "I love how hard you work"

"I love you more than CHOCOLATE"

On his lunchbox: "I Love that you appreciate everything I do for you (and you TELL me)"

"I love you more than shopping"

On the coffee maker: "I love when you bring me the perfect cup of coffee"

The house was literally FILLED with messages of "Love" and we'll put them in an envelope and label it, so that in years to come we can remember what we loved about each other in the "early days".

I'm thinking that I'd like this as a St. Valentine's tradition that we just add to the messages each year.

Well... that's it!  Inexpensive and heartfelt.  Try it and "spread the love" people! xo





Works for me Wednesday!

Ok, so for some reason I can get the laundry done, but am awful about putting everything that needs to be "hung up" ...BACK on hangers... (please tell me I'm not the only one!)

So... what works for me?  As soon as I (or Ava) wear something that has to come off a hanger, I toss the hanger in the laundry bin, so that when I do the laundry, dry it and fold it, I have the hangers right there and can put everything that needs to go back on a hanger ...back on a hanger... right away. 

Since I tend to fold laundry in the living room while Shaun & I are watching CSI Miami or something of the sort, this "works for me" especially with the baby clothes.  Then I head to the closets, hang everything up and voila!  Clothes are back in their places... for now.

That's my girl!

She's getting there!  "Mamamamamamama" (some day she'll know what that means)

For now though, this is one proud Mommy!

Have you ever been so hungry...

You could just, eat your feet?

...now THAT is determination!

Trying out her voice

For all of you who think she's always "SOooo Quiet" ...let's remember who her Mother is!

(LOVE that smile!)

(and THIS ONE just cracks me up EVERY time I watch it.)

P.S.  She's definitely ONLY like this at home!

Shaun gives Ava "The Talk".

Shaun was a thumb sucker and needed braces, so in this video he tries to tell Ava, who has recently become a thumb sucker, that she'll have to quit this habit and do something else instead.  NO more thumb sucking!  Her response at the end shows that she's a lady who makes up her own mind... boy are we in for trouble.

Cute way to say "Thank you"!

Many people have been very generous to our little Miss Ava Marie, so we try to be thankful and send everyone a little "thank you note".  This is a cute way we've been doing it as of late and we always write it as if it were sent from the little Miss herself.

You will need:

Some cute stationary (we used some with her initial on the front)

A Stamp pad (I got mine at Marshall's for $1.49... love Marshalls!!!)

Some wipes

And one of these!

Just take her little footsie and press it into the stamp pad (I do it when she's sitting in my lap facing outwards) and press onto the card.

Write out a cute note.  Sign your little one's name.  And voila!  A super cute way to say "thank you!"

You can also use this idea to make Valentine's cards from your new baby and enclose a photo of them at this age.  I used this idea to put a green footprint in some of her "Christmas cards" to those attending at our home.  I figure she's be so much bigger next Christmas. 

While I'm writing out thank you's I also write a note to Ava and mark the envelope with her age and place some recent photos inside. 

I will put the notes in her baby book, so that when she's older, she can read them and see how much her feet have grown and how much I loved her from the very beginning.  Enjoy!

7 Quick takes Friday

1.  Ava Marie recieved this cute hat from our neighbor, Linda.  She's so talented!  She's made her a beautiful crocheted blanket, a sweater with booties and now this hat!  Thank God for great neighbors!

2.  She likes to talk with her mouth full... I think I may be a bad example in that department.  Sometimes, multi-tasking is not such a great thing... BUT she does look adorable doing it!  Cracks me up that when she takes her hand OUT of her mouth... she has nothing to say.

3.  She's just might be becoming a thumb sucker!  There might be braces in our future, but she's so darn cute.

4.  LOVE LOVE LOVING the new vacuum!  Shark Navigator Pro... you GO!  This house might finally get clean afterall!

5. We're thinking of switching from Oil to Gas.  Any thoughts?  We still have the pellet stove, which works great, but we're thinking with the price of oil, this might be a good idea and would be a great backup... feel free to share your thoughts.

6.  I'm addicted to HGtv (and cooking shows)!  I admit it.  They seriously inspire me.  Makes me want to tear down walls, put up fireplaces and tin ceilings, accent walls and throw pillows!  This gal's one of my favorites!!!  I would be friends with Genevieve... totally!

7.  Have you tried these?  They're a staple in our house.  ALWAYS have a box in the freezer.  Don't have to worry about the chicken in the fridge spoiling.  Love that they're individually wrapped.  Love that they don't use antibiotics and that they're all natural.  They're a fave here on Whitman St.

Nobody makes her laugh like Daddy!

Ava Marie at 4.5mo laughing for Daddy... he can get her to giggle like nobody else!

Works for me Wednesday

So... I was forever losing the remote control, house phone, cell phone, etc. especially if we were haShaun was on one couch and I was on the other, we'd toss the remote back and forth and very soon it would be lost between couch cushions or under the couch, whatever.

My simple solution?  I found a nice basket (this one's black lines complimented our wrought iron legs on our coffee table)

and just decided to toss everything in. 

When the controller of the remote needs it everything's in one place in just gets moved "all together".
Really "works for me" because I usually have a hungry or sleeping baby in my lap and can't get up to look all over for everything.  Now it's all right next to me and takes up less space than everything being spread out all over the place.